Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Help Shirley find Justice and Safety for her children

SFV letterhead

Hello Stop Family Violence Activists!

I know that many of you are aware of the crisis in our nation's family courts - where abusers and even child molesters are winning custody while the parent who tries to protect the children from harm is punished, sometimes even jailed. 

I am writing today to ask your help in one such egregious case happening right now. 

Shirley w kids

My name is Shirley Riggs, I’m 39 years old and the mother of 4 beautiful children. I’m writing this inside the Thurston County jail, Olympia, WA, waiting for extradition to Kansas City, Missouri to face charges of custodial interference. My bond stands at $500,000 cash only. This secures that I as a mother will sit in jail because I chose to protect my children from further sexual abuse and because of a broken system. My heart aches for my children in a way few will ever realize….

…. My children and I have suffered great injustices in our lives in the past 4 years. We have been denied our right to due process and protection. Laws have been swept under the rug, resulting in my children being placed with their father and grandfather, who both have substantiated sexual abuse findings involving my oldest daughter. My children have been illegally ripped from the home, family, society, and way of life they love, the place they felt safest and the community they held so dear.

Shirley twice fled Missouri with her children to protect them from abuse when the family court failed to do so. Now, Shirley is in jail in Independence, Missouri, and the State has2 court cases pending against her.  In the criminal case for custodial interference, Shirley could spend up to 16 years in prison, if convicted.  In the second case the state is trying to permanently terminate Shirley's parental rights and give custody to the abusive father.

You can help!  Visit www.StopFamilyViolence.org/551 to learn more about what is happening.

Read the excerpts substantiating the abuse, watch the video of Shirley on KCTV 5 news -where a retired judge went out on a limb to comment about the handeling of this case.  Read about the blatant conflicts of interest that have put Shirley and her children in harms way and see how the bogus theory of Parental Alienation is the abuser's favorite excuse. 

THEN TAKE ACTION!

Send a free, pre-written message to the new Missouri Governor, the new Attorney General, the new Director of the Department of Social Services, the Missouri Children's Advocate and the Jackson County Prosecutor, urging them to drop the charges, return the children to Shirley, and investigate the actions of the Jackson County Children's Division.  www.StopFamilyViolence.org/551

LAST - Please forward this message to everyone you can, post it on blogs and message boards and do everything you can to help ensure that Shirley is released and reunited with her children. 

There isn't much time - proceedings against Shirley begin in February!

Thanks for your quick response.

Together, we can.. www.stopfamilyviolence.org

Irene Weiser

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