John Murtari, founder of NY-based family rights group akidsright.org resumed his chalk writing campaign outside Assemblyman Oak‘s office (map) last week for the proposed You’re a Parent Notification Act. Murtari’s website akidsright.org describes what the Act entails.
- It shall be the duty of a parent to notify the other parent upon the birth of a child.
- This notification shall occur within 30 days of the event.
- The State will maintain a registry of notifications.
- If the birth event is witnessed by medical or other health professionals they will assist in making sure notification is completed.
PHOTOS OF MURTARI’S CHALK MESSAGES
Murtari has been communicating with Oaks and his staff since May of 2006 about introducing the bill, but he hasn’t gotten very far.  He explains, “They are all very nice people, but right now [Oaks] feels there would be strong political risk in such a Bill and will not introduce it. ”
Saying he’s willing to go to jail to bring attention to the lack of respect for parental rights, Murtari plans on ramping up his peaceful protesting. “I’ll be writing with sidewalk chalk on Monday,” he said, “but this time I’ll be outside the police station.” (Village Offices at 76 William Street, at 2 PM.) Murtari says he expects to get arrested, and he’d like to have other parents join him.
Murtari is best known for being fed via Nasal-Gastric tube for 123 days during a peaceful protest while incarcerated for child support he says he never owed. He was interviewed at that time by news channel 10 and film producer Angelo Lobo. Murtari can be seen in the documentary SUPPORT? System Down trailer. He says he gave a preview of the movie to Oak’s staff.
When asked why he is willing to sacrifice his liberty for family rights he replied with these words:
“Do we remember that for the majority of “written” human history: slavery was a norm, there was no freedom of religion, no real democracy.  The “early promoters” of modern freedoms were persecuted and killed.  They just didn’t “get it.”  But BIG change did happen.
We think we have “arrived” in our modern time.  That “all Civil Rights” are recognized, but in the near future folks may look back and say, “Can you believe how it was back then, just because you separated — you weren’t an equal parent anymore!  Barbarians!”
Again, again, and again I have to go back to Civil Rights history. The GREAT rights are defined by the sacrifices people made to achieve them. All the GREAT Civil Rights were made manifest by the will of the people — not defined by some Court.
By it’s very nature, sacrifice is not a contract.  You give up this and you will gain that. That would make it easy.  Sacrifice is you give up this and then maybe, maybe, you will gain that?  But always – you gain satisfaction & self respect & peace.  ”They told me to move to the back of the bus in my kid’s life — but I said, ‘No.’  They had to carry me and hold me down.”
Sacrifice – no GREAT CIVIL RIGHT has been won by talk alone, nor with a guarantee of success. In the 50s a Black who peacefully participated in a rally against segregation stood a good chance his home could be burned down by the Klan. At a recent parent’s meeting I asked those assembled if they would attend a Rally for Family Rights, if it meant a chance they would lose their homes/job — not one hand went up…”
“Nonviolent resistance … is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice.  Consequently, the believer in nonviolence has deep faith in the future …[and] can accept suffering without retaliation. For he knows that in his struggle for justice he has cosmic companionship.” — Martin Luther King
http://www.AKidsRight.Org/civil.htm
Related:
- Family court documentary SUPPORT? at Atlanta film fest this weekend
- More articles on John Murtari
- SUPPORT? System Down
- akidsright.org
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