From judges to support magistrates, law guardians included, Manhattan Family Court’s staff is biased against men. With a more- than- six- years- long trial for child abuse (now over)- and three annual convocations to Court for unreimbursed medical expenses, I know what I am talking about. Would it kill this people not to treat fathers like criminals and be civil with them at least?
That’s just wishful thinking. They cannot help it. When the warden behaves like an executioner, you cannot expect the humblest of the guards to be human with the inmates. When you have Bush in the White House and Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary, you get Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo scandals.
On May 22 2008, I wasted one more day in Manhattan Family Court at no avail. A new court date was set on September 10. I could not make it. Three weeks before, when I got my work schedule, I sent a letter to Support Magistrate Grey to explain why I was not available this time and told her, for the third time, that I could only go to Court on Fridays . A respectful letter, even if I do not have much respect for her rulings. Two days ago, I got “a notice of warning of warrant” in the mail telling me that “on September 10, 2008 I failed to appear in Court.” Yet, as I said in my letter, this “failure” was perfectly justified. I was in class. The “notice of warning of warrant” ended with the traditional “failure to appear as directed may result in the execution of a warrant and your arrest!” I am back there on Friday (they got it!) October 24, 2008; for the third times this year.
I know this ridiculous Court inside out and yet, I have not located the office of the nazi clerk who sends these gracious convocations. A dark and narrow place, I bet. Inside, the sicko ex-wife type. On the walls, pictures of the kids – that the father has not seen for years- along with those of Elizabeth Dole, Oprah Winfrey and perhaps Sarah Palin (after all, Manhattan is supposed to be democrat); all day long, instead of these “notice of warning of warrant”, she dreams of sending notices with “no child support payment relief for you!” and “jail for you!” on them.
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