We do not believe in “Talk Less; Smile More.”
How many times have you been told to “relax” or be quiet or play nice when your life is on the line?
We have written to our local representatives, asking them for assistance in addressing the systemic bias and discrimination that we, our children, and fellow community members have endured.
Several of our letters are not available right now, because we face the terror of retaliation (the La Crosse Family and Circuit Court Systems are still hearing our children’s cases), and even our attorneys fear career and practice retribution for having clients who recognize and call out the dangerous biases of the courts. Even if there are too many of us with the same story to be dismissed with any female stereotype.
As we have come forward, as we expected, more and more mothers are reaching out to us with similar stories. Most mothers who have experienced the implicit and explicit bias of the courts and county processes are terrified, and need the time, space, and reassurance of support to draft and edit their thoughts on how their families have been endangered by officials. Sometimes moms are so reticent to revisit their trauma at the hands of their abusers and poorly functioning custody mediation services that we simply receive a raw, familiar letter … with a request to post without reply. We hear you. We understand PTSD, too.
Please do reach out to your and/or our representatives on this vital topic for the health and wellness of survivors.
