My name is Pierre Lacour. I am the dad of two beautiful daughters, Camille (13 years old) and Chloé (10 years old), whom I have not seen since September 10, 2005. I currently live in New Paltz, New York and my daughters live in New York City with their mother.
In 1991, I got married in Paris (France) and came to live in the US. While I was studying for my Ph.D in economics, I worked as a French teacher at the French Institute in New York, as a consultant at the World Bank in Washington D.C. and at the United Nations in New York. In 2004, I got my Ph.D. in economics from the New school from Social Research in New York. I then started teaching economics at Kean University, Drew University (New Jersey) and St Francis College (New York). Since September 2006, I am an assistant professor of economics at SUNY- New Paltz.
When I do not work on my research and — very rarely– do not think of my girls, I love to learn and read Spanish. My girlfriend Laura is Mexican and live in New York City.
I am sure you will find the strength –and patience– needed to find a way out of this Kafkaesque situation. I bet an arm and a leg that in due time your daughters will seek you out. Why? because you are their dad and you are a great dad.
Juste pour te dire que je t’aime mon frère.
Et que j’admire la force dont tu fais déjà, et depuis longtemps, preuve, dans cette situation qui serait ubuesque si elle n’était pas aussi triste.
Juste pour dire aussi que je pleure ce temps que vous perdez ensemble, Camille, Chloé, et toi.
Avec tout mon soutien ( de l’autre côté de l’océan)
Kti
I am using my social networking site as a way to force these issues into places more people will see and read.
Chaz
ps- Soon to be jailed for back support , planing to starve myself to death in protest.
Very sad story. As a person who raised by single mother who never seen child support check and a wife to divorced man father of 2 from the first marriage, I feel for you, Pierre.
We have different but so similar story here…if anybody interested I will tell it. I will just say that ex’s brother works in Collection Unit in small town in NY State and guess what…they happened to make few mistakes (oooops), ruined my husband’s credit, did not see “stay of execution” couple times. I am wondering if my husband did that, would he be in jail by now? For alienation I will tell you also that my husbands ex have this nasty habit to blame somebody for her loneliness and everything else that not going well in her life. Eventually she started to blame the daughter. The girl said “mommy is getting so angry sometimes, she hits the cat and throw stuff on the floor, she screams at me for hours ” and so on. You say if you see something say something? My husband called this Child Abuse Hotline, they promised to check on a situation. The girl came next time to visit for a weekend. 2 days 15 words. We never saw her again. She don’t want to talk or visit, or, most likely her mother don’t want her to. The Hotline he called refuses to give him any update.
I am wondering as relatively new citizen here in this Land of Freedom. Do you really believe in Constitution and Bill of Rights? And if answer is “yes” my next question would be: Do you realize that you have less rights then murderer , rapist and terrorist? They deserve fair trial and you are not.
I see people here on this website, you, Pierre, people who posted comments as intelligent people , not pathetic loosers who pay $ 25 a month. Intelligence defined as ability to resolve problems. Why don’t we put our brains (or maybe resources) together and try to resolve this? I spent recently long hours on the Net trying to find anything to show my husband (that feel violated after coming home from Family Court and so frustrated that he don’t want to talk about it) that he should never give up. This is a free country, he has rights, they can not ignore this. They can not put their hand in your pocket and steal, and say ooops and keep stealing, and nobody can take this stealing hand out of your life even if you paid before hand 7 years on your own and never missed a payment and this is because “this is mandatory in NY to pay thru Collection Unit”. My research was disappointing, nobody ever won the fight.
What I am trying to say here is that 20-25 years ago, when the wave of divorces in America just started and women did not have rights like they have now, there was huge amount of men who did not pay child support for years. These women got together and changed laws and regulations. Maybe now is the time for you and my husband and many other men who has been discriminated against, taken away their rights and liberties, humiliated severely, to get together and think what you can do to make it right? Enough for sitting and feeling bad, I know it hurts badly, the money, the humiliation and the alienation. You need to DO SOMETHING! As a group perhaps you can do more then every one by himself. Pierre and others, tell me what you think!
Stay Strong Pierre.
The Kids are worth it
Up on Ration Shed
Go – http://rationshed.wordpress.com
Onward – Jim
I, too, am a divorced father of 2 children ages 12 1/2 and 11. My ex-wife is a parental alienator to the extreme and has denied visitation me and my children since Dec 2006.
The children’s attorney is aware of the situation, yet fails to protect my children’s rights.
Visit my website at : http://mkg4583.wordpress.com/
Support the Parental Rights Movement in the United States at parentalrights.org..
To date 81 Congressmen support the resolution.
The pendulum has swung too far in the American Legal system. “The Best Interests of the Child” is the doctrine/standard used by most courts to determine a whole range of issues related to the well being of children, including the parental rights in issues of custody. Until the early 1900s, fathers were given custody of the children in case of divorce. Many U.S. states then shifted from this standard to one that completely favored the mother as the primary caregiver. In the 1970s, the tender years doctrine was replaced by the best interests of the child as determined by family courts. Because many family courts continue to give great weight to the traditional role of the mother as the primary caregiver, application of this standard in custody has historically tended to favor the mother of the children. Feminist pressure on legislatures and courts has resulted in a Justice and Welfare system which at present is an afront to humanity and the rights of fathers in America. In our popular culture, we often hear about horrible “deadbeat dads” but never about the mothers who demonize their spouses in an effort to reduce, limit or in many cases eliminate access of the non custodial parent, the father. You do not need to go too far to find a father who is bankrupting himself in order to meet onerous child support obligations, in many cases for children he rarely or never gets to see. The Father’s Rights Movement needs to get some legs and the attention of legislatures and the media. We as a society are destroying and dehumanizing the masculine role in the American family. What is the role of man? Is the man’s sole and principal role to give every dime he has while being deprived of the opportunity to love his offspring?
Well said Chris, I love you brother . Gregory
There are so many blogs and websites for Fathers going through this in NY State.
Somehow – we must unite. Fathers could be so much more effective if they had a single NY organization. One place for all the blogs and all the sites to merge into. One place for everyone to turn for information and support.
It could happen – it would be wonderful.
Thanks, it is a good point. Shall we do that trough Fathers for Justice New York?
Pierre