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City Of Ypsilanti Moves Forward With Efforts To Protect Residents With Misdemeanor Convictions

City of Ypsilanti

The City of Ypsilanti is one step closer to protecting residents who have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes.  


City council approved the first reading of a resolution that will add misdemeanor crime convictions to a class of actions protected from discrimination.  City Council Member Steve Wilcoxen from the second ward says the city has received complaints from residents, who believe they were discriminated against, when they applied for housing because of misdemeanor crimes on their records.  Wilcoxen says that even if the ordinance is approved, it doesn’t guarantee that someone will not feel discriminated against.   

Council Member Steve Wilcoxen: People will do background checks and once they have that information, they can use that information however they want.

Another goal of the ordinance is to remove the check box on job and housing applications that ask residents about previous misdemeanor crimes.

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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu

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