Hello, my name is Porsha and this beautiful, lovely young baby you see in the photos is my son, Greyson. He is 7 months old. In May, we fled our home due to domestic violence and sought safety and temporary shelter with our family in NJ. We fled with no money and no possessions, only the clothes on our backs, because we feared for our lives.

My abuser is now fighting me for custody of my son as punishment and retaliation for leaving, as he'd always threatened to do and used as a fear tactic to keep us trapped under the abuse. Unfortunately, the courts have granted him temporary residential custody and refused to acknowledge the domestic violence of the entire situation even, though I already had 2 active restraining orders.

I've been living in fear every day for my life and the life and safety of my baby boy ever since the courts forced me to hand him over to my abuser. It is my hope that if I can raise enough money to pay for a lawyer for my next court hearing, I will finally receive due process and justice for myself and my son during this difficult time.

It's scary how little the judicial system does to protect women and children living under the abuse of a domestic partner. It's even scarier that as a woman of color, I've been belittled and ignored when trying to defend myself and protect my children. The Massachusetts court systems ignored my rights as a parent and survivor of domestic violence. I'm asking that my community help me raise money to make these wrongs right and bring my son home to me. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help pay for a Family Court Lawyer.