[AKidsRight.Org] Diary of 'The Hulk' in the UK / Our Mailbag - Your Messages.

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Good People and People of Faith,

This message contains info on:
1. Continuing Campaign in the UK - The Hulk's Diary of Action.
2. Jailed in the UK - What is it like for someone never arrested?
3. Our Mailbag - Your messages, why we take action for change!

1. Continuing Campaign in the UK - Diary of Action
--------------------------------------------------
Our first couple of items give an 'inside' account of what happens
in a peaceful action for reform.  Check the web site URL's for even
more info.

http://www.the-flipside.co.uk/f4jliverpool/2004/10/operation-caesar-log-16-october-2004.php

11:09 - Enter theme park through main gates by 'Big Blue'. Carrying
medium sized rucksack on shoulders. Metal detectors in park entrance
fail to detect my harness under my coat and the metal objects in my
bag.

11:14 - Climb over railings behind 'Pepsi' tunnel. Run through tunnel
and start assent to the top of ride using the staircase and hand
rail. Two carts pass us on the way up and members of the public ask
us what we are doing. I shout to them 'Fathers 4 Justice protest' and
one member in the cart pats my back and says 'go on lads go for it' I
say 'Thank-you'.

11:28 - Reach top and secure on with harness - remove outer clothing
to reveal 'Hulk' costume. Secure clothing items in bag.

11:31 - Shout to ride operator not to come any closer - I inform him
this is a Fathers 4 Justice protest and he should call the police. I
inform the operator that he is not wearing any safety equipment and
to halt where he is. Operator continues coming closer to me and I
inform him again not to come any closer and that he is not wearing
safety equipment and to phone the police. The operator tells me that
I have to come off the ride. The operator continues to approach me so
I then inform him if he wants to get past me I will not touch him or
try to stop him. I inform them I am harnessed on to the ride with
safety equipment and that I am very concerned they are not.

11:32 - 'Batman' had gone onto the engineering platform and had
erected our banner with help from the senior ride engineer.

11:38 - Security guard looks unwell. He is suffering from vertigo and
not experienced or trained at working at heights. I try to reassure
him and comfort him and advise him to come and sit on the steps
within the engineering platform where he will be secure. At this
point I have heard over the park staff radios that they will be
bringing up their own safety equipment to wear. We agreed to wearing
their safety gear as well as already wearing our own. The ride
engineer commented to me that my harness was better than the
equipment the park owned. At this point there was 5 people on top of
the ride. My self, 'Batman' and three of the Park staff.

11:41 - Spot F4J supporters gather on far side of prom and a
demonstration starts outside the theme park.

11:42 - Informed park staff of our coordinator on the ground and
informed them they would need to communicate and negotiate through
them. Our two coordinators on the ground were Keith Harford and Jason
Hatch.

11:58 - Ride manager and another engineer arrive at top of ride with
5 safety harnesses. He introduces him self to us and shakes our
hands. He asks if he can take a photo of us for his kids. We
agree. Negotiations start. The ride manager informs us they are
willing for us to stay for an hour and then we can ride the big one
down for a photo opportunity with the press. He informs us the park
owner is in the Hotel below and wants to buy us a drink. I inform him
that we do not wish to stop the ride all day as we do not want to
spoil the fun for all the families. We just wish to make our peaceful
protest and then come down peacefully. I indicated that this might
take two hours to complete. Park staff join us in smoking tobacco on
top of the ride making flippant remarks about not setting all the oil
and grease on fire. Park staff talk to us about their own experiences
of family breakdown and family law.

12:20 APPROX - Ride manager, ride operator descend the ride. Empty
cart is also sent down ride.

12:32 - Park staff inform us a Conservative MP was supposed to be
having a photo shoot done on this platform 15 minutes after we seized
the ride. They informed us that all the Park management were onsite
because of this including the park solicitor and Public relations
manager. They also informed us that our coordinators were in
negotiations with the park management and the police.

13:45 - Banner taken down due to wind speed and fears of safety as
banner was only secure on top rail and could flip over in high
wind. We agreed to take the banner down and for its removal form the
ride. Ride supervisor leaves ride with banner. We are left in the
engineering cage on our own with one member [ride engineer] left on
the top of the ride. Agree to leave ride between 14:00 / 14:30

14:06 - Start to descend the ride

14:16 - Arrested at bottom of ride and arrested for a 'Public
Nuisance'. Surrender peacefully to the police. Was not handcuffed. I
was taken to a waiting police van and taken to Blackpool Central
police station.

14:23 - Arrive at Blackpool central police station.

23:58 - Released on police bail after long detention and questioning
with no charge. Hulk costume and harness confiscated by police.

2. Jailed in the UK - what is it like for someone never arrested?
----------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.the-flipside.co.uk/f4jliverpool/2004/10/cell.php

I've never been arrested. Never been in any trouble with the
police. I had an idea in my mind what it would be like. I've seen
enough Jamie Theakston on Saturday TV following Police squads around
the Drunken tack which is Blackpool to understand what the Lancashire
police force deal with week in week out drunken violence and all the
horror and crime that brings.

Blackpool central 'custody suite' as they like to call it, is the
third biggest holding block in the UK. Some 38 or cells so, in a
square block.

I was taken into the nick through an underground entrance into a
car-parking bay under the building. I was taken out of the back of
the van and through a maze of narrow corridors, through a bared gate
and then put into a small blue metal box with a window in the
front. Batman was put two boxes away from me. Batman went through
another bared gate to the custody desk where there was quite an
audience of police staff waiting to see us. The custody sergeant was
a middle-aged woman, short blonde hair and very good at the
banta. Batman got stripped down and booked in and asked a multitude
of questions I was just about to have to do my self. He was lead away
in his underwear off into the block.

It was my turn to get booked in. I give my name, all sorts of other
particulars. Some jokes are made not to make me angry etc, as they
wouldn't like it when I'm angry. She also asked me that they would
need to take a 'swab' of the green stuff on my face for forensics. Me
being na�ve fell for the joke and soon looked rather stupid as I
explained it was theatrical make up�

She asked me if I was going to be a good hulk as they were worried I
would break out through the walls and batman would get me off the
roof!! I told them that I was going to be a good Hulk and they
laughed. I was the first Hulk they had booked in there so they were
all quite chuffed.

I was stripped of my clothing down to my underwear, searched by
civilian worker and a once over with a metal detector. He gave me a
blue paper jump suit to wear and some foam slippers, which didn't
fit. I was given two thin blue blankets which where like fake silk
with red stitching down them. He also gave me a plastic blue mug.

He led me around the block. I was to be placed as far away from
'batman' as they could so they took me around to the opposite side of
the square block. Most of the cells were open as I was being taken
around but a few eerily locked.

I was shown into my cell, cell 12 I think. He asked me if I wanted
anything and I asked for some water. He told me he'd get it from
their water cooler rather than the tap. In a minute he was back, the
hatch slide open and the blue mug came through. I thanked him and the
hatch shut. I looked around. This was it.

The cell was four paces wide by five paces long. From the door in
front was a concrete platform with a thin blue plastic mat (like the
ones you used in gym in school) half on the platform. To the right of
the cell was a smaller box room with a metal toilet. No chain or
flush just a button on the opposite wall. Facing as if sitting on the
bog there was a hold with 5 inch thick glass in it to see into that
part of the cell.

It was dark in the cell. They didn't turn the light on. Above the
platform bed they were four rows of small windows. They were 10 inch
thick frosted glass blocks imbedded in concrete which I would guess
had steel in it. One of the windows had been smashed out and it had
been filled in with concrete.

There was various amounts of graffiti in the cell. Mostly names but
one said "FUCKIN 8 PIGZ". The best was a stencil on the wall to the
right of the metal blue door. It was in blue paint and stencil
lettering and said;

"DAMAGE WILL RESULT IN PROSECUTION"

I laughed to my self, damage what? It was cold in the cell. It is
October and Blackpool is right up on the North West coast. The floor
was concrete and I had bare feet. The walls of the cell felt like the
inside of a freezer.

The cell door had a hatch, which had 16 small holes in a horizontal
roe in the middle. Above the hatch was the spy hole, which was about
5 inches in diameter and made of 5 inch thick glass. This was the
only artificial light I had in the cell which was coming in through
these holes from the lights in the corridor. The hole projected the
light onto the walls and as the daylight faded some very interesting
textures appeared on those walls. That's how boring it is. In fact
far from boring it takes you to the edge. Not knowing how long it
will take or how long you have to stay is a hard thing in a cell like
that. Especially when you can't smoke.

Not long after being in the cell I was dozing off when I heard the
most terrifying screams I had ever heard. This went on for what
seemed like forever. A 13 year old drunk girl had been brought in for
violenece. This kid didn't stop screaming for the whole 7 hours she
was in there.

The thing is with the cells; sound is your major thing. You can't see
anything as the glass in spy holes are that thick it stops you seeing
down the corridor and only forward. The acoustics in the cells are
very amplifying as the cells are so sparce. Even though I was on the
other side of the block to batman, we could still shout to each
other. However this kid who was kicking and screaming was doing
everyone's heads in. It was horrible, really horrible and somewhat
disturbing. Every time you hear footsteps or the keys jingle you just
hope and prey your door will open. They say though that process is
the hardest time you will ever do. It is the not knowing which is the
metal torture.

I had my fingerprints taken a new scanner machine. I had a DNA sample
taken and a police photograph. I still had green face paint on. The
guy booking me put on my police record under my appearance that I
'sometimes dress as the incredible hulk'. So that is now on my police
record.

It took about 3 and half hours to just get my fingerprints and stuff
done. After that it was another 4 hours or so before I had my
interview.

The interview was taped with one CID dude doing the questions. The
questioning room was small, bit like a schoolroom, with posters on
the wall informing solicitors not give their clients cigarettes. I
could still even hear the 13-year-old girl screaming from this room.

The interview lasted about 15 minutes and I answered no comment to
all the questions. I didn't ask for a solicitor or for a phone call.

I was sent back to the cell being told it was out of their hands now
and up to the CPS and the powers that be. He said it could take an
hour and then I would know. 3 and half hours later my cell door
opening and I was told I was being realised. I couldn't wait to get
out of this paper suit and get my clothes back. I was offered some
food, it was horrible, three dried sausages, cold chips and dry mushy
peas. I declined the offer but took the cup of tea, which was at that
point simply belting. All I then wanted was a cigarette. Bloody PC
world, does my head in!!!

I was given police bail and all my stuff back apart from my climbing
harness and my hulk suit. I was kicked out of the front door and told
batman would be with me shortly.

Batman got out, it was midnight. We were right outside the Tower on
the prom. We went to a club, got in free when the bouncers knew whom
we were. I drank the best two pints of Guinness I have ever tasted.

We then went for a walk along the prom, the tide was right in and the
wind was strong so the waves were crashing over. Just to feel the air
in my lungs and the sea in my face was amazing. Then, we meet the
other infamous Batman of the palace and the rest of the crew who
whizzed us off to a Hotel right under the big one. There we met all
the crew and was given a big round of applause by all even guests at
the hotel.

3. Our Mailbag - Your messages!
-------------------------------
Below we have some recent messages sent to our Contact person, Kevin
Purdy (contact@AKidsRight.Org). Family Law reform is not just about
moms, or dads, or divorce, or separation, or social services
interventions.  It is about controlling the power of government to
interfere in our most intimate and life long relationship -- with our
children.

--- Erin Holbert <e.holbert@insightbb.com>

> Fifteen years ago I suffered for six years while the state of Ohio
> had removed my children and kept them from me for six long years. I
> had my parental rights terminated and the appeals court
> reversed.They would not give the children back and instead claimd
> they were dependent.Took another appeal and two years after that to
> get them home.This was ten years ago.It is hard to even get people
> to believe me on this. That is happened.My girls are grown but
> still have scars.

There is a large group of people out there who would readily believe
you. Those are the people who have had the same thing happen and
there are thousands of them. The system is broken. Be that as it may,
I'm sorry you and your children had to suffer through that. Hopefully
you will join us in helping to make the system better. One day at a
time, one person at a time.

Kevin

--- George M. & Carolyn Pudleiner <gpudleiner2@yahoo.com>

> Comments:: Some time ago (my daughter) Tammy Smith lost (her
> daughter; my grand daughter) Devalyn to DFCS because of substance
> abuse.  She was placed in a foster home. The family thought this
> was for the best while our Daughter was going through
> rehabilitation.  Little did we know that the foster parents had
> another agenda?  I will get into that later.

> Tammy worked real hard on her case plan.  She did everything
> required by DFCS and has been clean and sober ever since she has
> lost Devalyn.  She went back to school so that she could earn a
> better living and she is close to a straight "A" student.  She has
> become a born again Christian and attends church regularly. Her
> whole driving force was the time when she would once again be
> united with her daughter and they would once again be a family.
> She took everything they threw at her in stride and never back
> slid.  She has become a very strong person.

> Devalyn foster parents; Lori Fisher and Angie Coggins; are not able
> to have children in the usual manner because they live in an
> alternative life style (lesbian couple).  Upon receiving Devalyn as
> their foster child, they decided that they were going to keep her
> for good no matter what happened.  The foster parents did
> everything they could to undermine Tammy's case plan.  You might
> wonder how this is possible.  One of the foster parents is a local
> assistant district attorney who has a bit of power and who will
> stop at abusing this power to get what she wants.

> While going through her case plan, Tammy worked hard setting up a
> home and getting everything just right for the time when she would
> be reunited with her daughter.  Everyone she worked with in DFCS
> had nothing but praise for her efforts.  There was a lot of
> financial drain on her and us also because of all the court
> hearings and attorney fees but it was all for a good cause.  Tammy
> was doing wonderful.

> As time went on Tammy had visitation that started with one day a
> week and; worked up to where she actually had Devalyn five days a
> week and was told that she would get Devalyn back.  The day finally
> came. DFCS was going to give Devalyn back.  Tammy was told, they
> were going to court to return Devalyn to her.  It was supposed to
> be just a formality.  No one knew that the judge; Tom Matthews and
> the foster parents were close personal friends and that there were
> several after hours meetings and that a back door deal was made.
> Angie Coggin is an assistant district attorney in Houston County
> and the out come of the court hearing was already predetermined
> between Judge Matthews and Ms Coggins.  There is also evidence that
> a possible deal had been struck between Ms Coggins, and Danielle
> D���Eor-Hynes (Tammy���s lawyer); as she dropped the case
> ���JUST��� before the hearing.  Ms D���Eor-Hynes��� primary
> practice is in Houston County where Ms. Coggins is the assistant
> district attorney.  In cou!  rt, the judge praised Tammy for her
> efforts and for her progress.  He praised her for everything that
> she has done but he awarded full custody of Devalyn to the foster
> parents because they had a nicer house and they made more money.
> DFCS was shock by the decision but they still stand behind their
> recommendation to return Devalyn to Tammy, her natural mother.
> Tammy has lost her child, not because she is an unfit mother, but
> because she is not rich and not powerful.

> Since court, a clerk at Bibb County Juvenile Court advised Tammy
> that another court order has been issued by Judge Matthews which
> overrides his initial order.  This order was result of a back door
> meeting between Angie Coggins and Judge Matthews???????  Tammy has
> been told by the head of DFCS (Marjorie Almond) in Bibb County that
> Angie Coggins and Judge Matthews are pulling a fast one and that
> there was evidence of shading dealings, but DFCS is powerless at
> this time because of rulings the Judge Matthews has made.

> It has now come to light that the same game is being played again
> with another foster child in the care of Angie Coggins and Lorie
> Fisher. It is their contention that they are in need of a permanent
> sister for Devalyn.  Amy has lost visitation with her child, Heidi;
> and Angie and Lorie are attempting to get FULL CUSTODY AND
> CONTROL!

> What we have here is a clear case of graft which is of the most
> corrupt because we are not dealing with money.  We are dealing with
> the purchase of children.  This corruption crosses the Houston
> County / Bibb County line but who is to say that it will stop
> there.  Do you want this kind of corruption in the judicial system
> or in the district attorney���s office

> Tammy believed in the system.  She knew what she had to do and she
> did it.  She is CLEAN AND SOBER AND A MUCH STRONGER PERSON.  Even
> in spite of this horrific set back, she still has not back slid.
> She is still strong. It is just that we are now financially drained
> when is comes to court and attorneys fees and we don't know where
> to turn next.  This happened in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia and you
> know how they like to cover things up in Georgia.  They like to
> bury everything deep in the red clay.

> Tammy and I will be looking forward to hearing from you in the very
> near future.  We are keeping nothing secret about this.  We are
> fighting for justice and to protect Devalyn and the rights and
> other children in the system, which are being abused by the system.

Dear George and Carolyn,

Yours is a heart-breaking and eye-opening story. My extreme sympathy
(empathy) and prayers go out to you, Tammy, and Devalyn.  No one
knows the true injustice that exists out there until they have gone
through it themselves. Unfortunately, thousands of people have gone
through this extremely unjust system and have been deeply scarred. My
congratulations to Tammy for persevering and turning her life
around. You must be very proud, and I hope she is too.

At the same time, I'm sure you're devastated by the loss of
Devalyn. Only those of us who have lost children can fully relate to
the misery and suffering. It is especially hard to deal with when the
system we trusted is the system that took our children away.

I wish I could offer you an answer to your dilemma, but our only hope
is unity. Unfortunately, that isn't happening very fast. Each of us
has a slightly different circumstance and we are so busy fighting our
own battles, we don't seem to have the time (or inclination) to band
together and speak/act as one.  A couple of people who are actively
doing something to make a change are Glenn Sacks
(http://www.GlennSacks.com/), but he focuses on the issue of the
thousands of men who are getting the same treatment as your
daughter. But just like they use your daughter's past drug use
against her, they use the (completely false) societal stigma that all
men are secondary parents and, in most cases, are the root of all
divorces anyway. (Not to mention dead-beat dads, of course) I realize
Glenn may not be of too much interest to you. However, another person
who is fighting for the justice of all children and parents is John
Murtari, the founder of http://www.AKidsRight.org

John is trying to make changes in national laws to give more rights
to children and subsequently parents. John is a strong advocate of
non-violent action, and he has been trying hard to discuss the issue
with his state Representative, Senator Hillary
Clinton. Unfortunately, Ms. Clinton has not been willing to talk to
John. As a result (and to make a long story short), John is now in
jail. He has made the ultimate sacrifice, in order to secure more
rights for children and their parents.

I strongly recommend you and your daughter to the AKidsRight.org
website and to contact John Murtari.  In the meantime, good luck, and
as John would say, "Keep the faith."

Kevin

--- Reuben Serna <reuben1015@hotmail.com>

> Comments:: A very good friend of mine, a very good father, had his
> life turned upside down.  The mother brainwashed the daugher that
> he did inappropriate things with her. Nothing was every proven and
> all charges dropped.  But he had his face slammed into the concrete
> with a knee in his back and 6 guns pointing on him, in front of his
> neighbors.

> Never sees his daughter and pays through the nose for child support
> when he had custody at 50/50.

> Everyone close to his ex-wife know she did it.

On behalf of your friend and all men who have gone through
circumstances similar to what you describe, thank you for getting
involved and believing in your friend. I am not exagerating when I
say that what happened to your friend is happening to hundreds of men
on a daily basis throughout America. False allegations of various
types of abuse (spousal, child, etc.) are leveled against men
constantly and continuously. They are a common tool in the divorce
industry.  This will continue to happen until we all decide to band
together and put a stop to it.

I recommend you to two websites: (there are many more, but some of
them are more talk than action)

http://www.glennsacks.com/
http://www.AKidsRight.org/

Kevin
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