We the undersigned petition you our trusted official to represent our interest and to protect our American right to not be jailed because we cannot pay child support.
On, January, 26, 2009 in Philadelphia Family Court I, Huriyyah Amatullah-Bey, was placed in jail because I am unable to pay a child support order. No regard was given to the children that I have unattended at home; or to my mentally ill condition or the underlying fact that I am not a crimminal but a mother.
In my case, I was jailed because I tried to help youth raise funds for 'Stop the Violence' youth programs before I became ill. Funds that would pay for youth going on trips in the summer and to summer camp. Profiles of me that had been placed on the internet before I became ill were brought into court as evidence that I a disabled, mentally ill person was able to work and that I was making money. Despite medical evidence that I was presently mentally ill and disabled I was thrust into a jail cell.
I was told by Judge Joel Johnson to pay $1,500 or go to jail for 30 days. The opposing attorney, Sandra Morris, was requesting that I go to jail for 6 months. I have reason to believe that her motives stemmed from wanting the father to get money so that she could continue to milk him; rather than any concern for my 13 yr old son.
The internet profiles that had been placed on myspace and other free social networking sites reaped no responses and definitely no money. Regardless, had the sites reaped any monies, the monies would have been designated to 'Stop the Violence' youth programs. Not, my personal pocketbook.
I was unfairly charged under what is known as 'earning capacity' for merely having an idea to help a group of kids that wanted to go on a trip.
Earning capacity is a term applied to a person even when they do not have a job to indicate what they are capable of earning. An amount is charged based on earning capacity and the unemployed person is then jailed if they are not able to pay it.
My case is one out of thousands. I am using my case to plea on behalf of mother's across America who are being thrown in jail on a daily basis. There are those of us who according to our religion, believe that the man is the provider of the children. So, our religious rights are also being violated as well as our human rights.
We have only you to champion our cause, hear our plea and right this outrageous wrong.
Please, immediately, pass a law that a mother, nor a father can be jailed for not paying childs upport. Cases of child support neglect will be dealt with other measures such as monitoring the finances of a neglectful parent to ensure that monies that could go for child support are not being spent on luxuries and unnecessary expenses. Measures would be put in place that would halt other freedoms that would make a neglecful parent comply. However, jail would not be one of the measures used.
First of all; it is counterproductive. A person cannot look for work or go to work if they are in jail. When they are jailed, whatever job they may have; is lost. But, in the case of mothers', no respect or compensation is given to the fact that her career has been altered in the brithing and raising of a child. A woman attempting to return to work after being out for birthing a child cannot be put on the same payment scale as her child's father whose career was not interrupted by childbirth and child raising.
In most cases, the mother who has lost custody of her child; is a single parent and has other children to provide for. Bottomline, she is a mother and not a crimminal. Jail is for crimminals.