Being involved in adult can sometimes put us in difficult positions, this is one that I just can not believe. This is a customer of mine, who is a great person and in no way deserving of the way he is being treated.

Did you know that because of my history as a porn clerk I am denied the ability to rent an apartment? That's right. 8 years ago I started working for (former employer) in Dallas. I was mislead by (former employer) to believe that the routine obscenity busts would not affect me later in life, unless I had intentions of being President. I went to jail for (former employer) 11 times, and have 9 counts of obscenity on my permanent record. I have since been denied apartments in Dallas and Austin, Texas due to having "crimes sexual in nature" on my record. I would consider this to be discriminatory practices by the apartment complexes, since my "crimes" pose absolutely no risk to my fellow residents and all occurred over 6 years ago.

This week, 2 days after Christmas actually, we were contacted by AMLI here in Austin and were told we were being evicted. You see, I'm not on the lease here, I can't be, because they would deny me if I were, so my girlfriend and I didn't put me on the lease and 4 years went by, AMLI unofficially knew I was living here, but had no reason to care, until some alleged "family" found me on some website claiming that I was a felon, registered sex offender and convicted of Indecency. None of those 3 things are true. My charges were for obscenity, class A misdemeanors and I am most certainly NOT a registered sex offender. I asked AMLI to provide the website they found this incorrect data, as I think it's a matter of defamation of character, and they refuse to release the information to me. So we were being evicted because I wasn't on the lease, and we couldn't put me on the lease because I would not meet their requirements based upon my criminal background.

So, there must be other current clerks and former clerks out there like me that have been marginalized in society for a crime that shouldn't even be a crime, and certainly shouldn't lump us in with the child molestors and rapists of the world. Much less deny us the ability to rent an apartment, when these same apartments do NOT disqualify an applicant with Breaking & Entering on their record...who's more of a risk to the fellow neighbor here? Any lawyers out there want to help? And is (former employer) still telling it's clerks there's no risk in pleading No Contest? Do they know they'll be denied apartments? I've even been denied jobs, supposedly any place that is FDIC insured will not hire someone with Obscenity on their record...this means banks, etc? Can anyone help?

I'm going to contact a group out of NYC called the Legal Action Center (http://www.lac.org), they have pushed for housing authorities to no longer be able to discriminate based upon charges like the ones I have. My New Years' Resolution is to make Austin the 2nd city in the country that can not discriminate based upon charges like this.

Can you believe it? Being denied a place to live and being lumped in with the scum bags of the world. It just gets my blood boiling!

Now that is wrong and shouldn't be something counted against him. I would've have brought it up to AMLI too. And I agree with him that if they kept the reasons for the above said, I would've sued for defamation also.

It's just wrong to think that drug dealers & people with breaking and entering can get apartments, but because somebody was a CLERK (much less) got these obscene charges and is now unable to rent a apartment.

Just a bunch of bullshit.

that is 100% fuckedup

WOW...that is just absurd...i hope he can get some good legal help and get that resolved...

It is however sad, when most of us have to keep our jobs secret because of politics...I am all for helping this friend of yours if there is anything i can do from this end give him/her my info

R

Thanks for the support Ric! Cause i know that in one way or another we can all somewhat relate. Even if it's never happened to us!

I will pass on the info.

buy a place, then you dont have to worry about it

BULLSHIT I say BULLSHIT!!!!

Here is another organization who may be interested in looking into his situation and their main offices are based here in NY
http://www.aclu.org
ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004

Here is some numbers that may be of interest to to him as well
Texas Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-877-9TEXBAR (toll free)
Texas Access to Justice Commission 800-204-2222 ext. 2155

Hope that helps

R


*edit*

Here is a form to submit a formal complaint or request for help from a local agency in TX

http://www.aclutx.org/projects/legalform.php

yeah that is a crock of shit :/ good luck with it

Thanks to you all for the words of support and encouragement. I am exploring my options regarding this matter. I am really hopeful in pushing for legislation that does not allow this discrimination to continue. Stay tuned...


Thanks Belle!