Murtari Case: This is about Civil Rights. It’s about not losing your right to parent your child without a jury trial. It’s about Equal Custody.
In reply to the many emails, and I’m sorry I can’t reply to everyone personally at this time:
I spoke with Mr. Keller today, John’s criminal attorney. He said John was probably wronged in court because he had been doing this without an attorney until the day before the hearing, and they all know his name by now. (I think they may really believe he’s a lying, sneaky rich guy. Boy are they wrong!)
We have more than enough funds promised (as long as some people who donate want to fund this instead of just press releases) to have him file an appeal. His attorney is only asking for the filing fees. If he can get the case moved to the right county he might be able to get his travel expenses counted and his child support set at a reasonable amount. God willing.
But for John, this isn’t about child support.
It’s about not losing your right to parent your child without a jury trial.
It’s about Equal Parenting.
The doctors have asked John to drink water. He has, on two occasions. He’s had about 20 ounces of water in 9 days. He had 6 ounces today, “to celebrate” tomorrow’s rally, and to stop “the shakes.” This isn’t a hunger strike. He doesn’t want to die.
John is a faithful man. This isn’t “pulling a stunt,” like some might assume. John isn’t like that, he’s a very thoughtful man. Sure, he does things like climb tall structures and demonstrate in front of politicians’ offices (video), but he does it with faith and love. I could tell today he was disappointed that “the medical personnel [at the Onondaga County Justice Center] don’t care” whether he lives.
I wish everyone could see and hear John, they’d see who he really is, not the image that comes to mind when they hear, “locked up for child support.” Here are three short videos of John appearing on TV:
| The Start of an effort using NonViolentAction. (2:30) | |
| Why go to Jail? The Need for a Jury. (1:00) | |
| The Importance of Family. (:40) |
John is staying strong in spirit, all considered, though his body is weak. As far as me insisting he stop and eat something, like some want me to do, he’s calling the shots. All I can do is what he asks of me. I told him some people want him to stop. I told him someone wanted me to tell him that Dom needs him. Then we got back to the business of his nonviolent action.
Teri Stoddard
teri@akidsright.org
Call tollfree: 877-635-1968 ex 212
(ignore the messages, it’s a business phone)
Additional info:
John Murtari Struggles Physically, Maintains Nonviolent Action, Eight Days Without Water or Food
8/9: International Day Of Protest For John Murtari, Equal Parenting and Family Rights
I'm a sun and nature loving, 50-something, laid back, forward thinking, liberal anti-feminist egalitarian, san francisco bay area native, single mom of 4 and yia yia to 2. I've been active in the equal parenting movement since 2002. Known as the purple Queen of Equality, I once blogged as the Feminist4Fathers. Find me now on sharedparentingworks.org and jugsforjustice.org. | More from Teri Stoddard
Stumble It!
August 9th, 2006 at 9:30 am
I have all the sympathy for John Mutari and appreciate all that John and Teri Stoddard are doing.
However.
If you are going to loudly and publicly go to jail for child support, then for God’s sake use the most powerful weapon we have in our legal arsenal:
The Antipeonage Act.
It is the people who have imposed the order on John and who are jailing him who are the criminals: 18 U.S.C. §1581. The support order enforceable by such means is declared null and void: 42 U.S.C. §1994. This legislation is duly authorized by Section 2 of the 13th Amendment.
The federal grand juries PRESENTLY have the power to END the Child Support Crusade.
They just have to know about it.
Which they won’t if people like John Mutari and Teri Staddard treat it like classified information!
You now have the attention of the media.
Now, please, if you want to win,
SCREAM FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE PEONAGE LAW!!
Or we will never have genuine shared parenting as the law of the land.
And neither will the Constitution be the supreme law of the land. Because is not now.
August 10th, 2006 at 3:52 am
[...] Additional info on John Murtari HERE [...]
August 15th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
For quite some time I have been following John Murtari’s case in New York from my home in California. He embodies the recipient of the greatest injustices of the family court “system.” Many have analyzed him, supported him, criticized him, deified him – and yet I see nothing happening with the court’s decision. The judges and other politicians, such as Senators, in this case have absolutely NO courage to acknowledge accountability for the legal decisions made against John. There were and are many errors made in judgment rulings that should be reversed. Criminal charges should be brought against any mother who would deliberately cause her child to be torn away from the father whose only crime is loving his child more than life. These politicians are not trained to be psychologists or doctors and are, in many cases, not even ideal parents themselves. Take for example Senator Hillary Clinton. Here is a mother who based her platform on the fact that it takes a village to raise a child. In her own words she states that to raise a healthy, happy and hopeful child it takes a FAMILY, community leaders, and all of us (the village) She admits that children will thrive only if their families thrive. She cannot give the matter of John Murtari’s case any of her personal time because it does not promote her political image. In campaigning for her husband as president, she claimed that a good parent is one who puts the welfare of his/her child as a priority. How can any of these “politicians” who supposedly represent us not take the responsibility of admitting that they made a mistake. They can begin by taking that first step and help one parent at a time, beginning with John. Instead of destroying families, they can rebuild society be helping the very unit of society – the family. It is a God-given right of every child to have access, love, and support (physical, emotional, and not only financial) from both parents equally. Are we going to permit these people, whom we have elected to represent us, rob our children of this basic right while we close our eyes?
October 8th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
I recieve updates on John’s case in my email account. I appreciate everything that he is doing for us as parents.
My husband has been fighting for his son for the last ten years. The child support is out of this world. The child’s mother has an agreement with the custodial maternal grandmother that she only has to pay 50 a month but yet the grandmother is pressing my husband for more and more and claiming that he is the reason they are ’suffering’… What gets me us that the child goes to a private school, sees every new movie in the theater before having it purchased for home use on dvd, has the newest game stations and all the toys in the world… How is that suffering? The child has been told so many negative things about his father that he doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore- it breaks my husband’s heart. We were appointed a ‘mediator’ who has been anything BUT and has torn us apart for saying we don’t agree with the way he is being raised (R rated films regularly, no chores, rules, etc.) and instead of understanding we were told that it doesn’t hurt a ten year old child to watch R rated films now and then and that the child doesn’t ‘want’ to spend time with his father… (of course a spoiled ten year old doesn’t want to go somewhere where rules are enforced, does it take a rocket scientist to figure that out?) WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL A PARENT HOW TO RAISE THIER CHILD ANYWAY?
I do not want this kind of thing to happen to another father, or family for that matter! I stand behind John 100% and will keep spreading the information and story to as many people as I can. If there is ANYTHING more I can do, just give me the word.
GO JOHN! WE SUPPORT YOU!