Does the headline seem like it might be a bit hyperbolic? Consider:

HUD Seeks to End Housing Discrimination Against Ex-Offenders

In short… if you are planning on selling or renting, it is now up to you to prove your case that the criminal who wants the place shouldn’t be allowed in. A history of rape, murder of talking in theaters is no longer prima facia evidence that the prospective renter is someone you should not do business with.

What’s the reason for this? Because certain ethnic groups are over-represented in prison, they are over-represented in the “ex-offender” community, and are thus over-represented in the “hell no, I don’t want a rapist living in my building” community. And thus, the geniuses at the HUD have determined that refusal to rent to criminals is racist.

If this seems good and logical to you… well, there’s no accounting for crazy, I suppose.

As for the term “Ex Offender:” while I will grant that in many cases, a criminal conviction need not necessarily imply that the person is and always will be a criminal thuggish threat at heart… at what point is a “murderer” no longer a “murderer?” When is a “rapist” no longer a “rapist?”