St. Louis County Free Speech and Legal Support

For the past two and a half years, ever since I began writing about the Federal corruption charges against local officials on my Twitter channel, the St. Louis County Family Court stepped in without a hearing and came after my hard-won rights as a parent. Now, even after a trial, there is no decision, my rights remain in limbo, and there's still no sign of an end.

 

I had already been through the initial, grueling litigation that many families have to suffer through in St. Louis County just to get the rights guaranteed to all fit parents under the law. That took a year and over $100,000 in legal fees, even after I was primary caregiver to my kids since birth. Finally, we got some peace.

 

But just as I began writing on Twitter about a local corruption ring sending St. Louis politicians to prison, I was served with a summons for an "emergency hearing" to do with my custody rights - with fewer than 24 hours to respond, against Missouri law. I did not have time to get an attorney there with me. Still, I obeyed the summons. Upon arrival at court, there was no court reporter, no verbatim record made - just a judge, a bailiff, and two attorneys, no other witnesses present.

 

What was this emergency? I was told that there was suspicion that I had contact with Federal law enforcement.

This was during a period of time when knowledgeable local St. Louisans were, according to the FBI, helping the Feds root out corruption, and indictments were dropping as a result . Apparently, I was under such suspicion. Against Missouri law, no record was made of this hearing at all.

 

The judge screamed at me that I was not allowed to testify. I was told I could not submit evidence or call a witness. When I opened my mouth to ask for legal counsel, I was told if I said another word, I'd be put in jail immediately.

 

St. Louis County is a place where a judge's quick decision can get you "lost" in the local jail system for more than a month. Records disappear from court dockets regularly. Multiple Federal lawsuits are underway for civil rights violations this egregious - and much worse. (This is, after all, where Ferguson happened.)

 

I felt scared and intimidated. I couldn't even ask for a lawyer to advise me on what to do. Walk out and face contempt? Stay and risk more serious threats if I didn't comply immediately? Get sent to jail with nobody even expecting me to disappear? Get locked up for a month or longer based on no evidence and no hearing?

 

One of the two private attorneys present put a pen in my hand and told me to sign away my parenting rights without evidence adduced or an adjudication - agreeing to a "settlement conference" on an unrelated lawsuit. Or else.

 

I relented. The attorneys smiled and shook my hand. They then acted like I had agreed to the whole thing without the slightest bit of coercion. The Court started demanding that I pay thousands in fees, to finance my own abuse, with no documentation showing why I had to pay. And the disruption to my kids' lives had only just begun.

 

Once the "investigation" got started, I was finally told the "cause for concern" on a whispered, smirking basis: My writing on Twitter about local corruption, organized crime, and foreign interference in Trump's election was incompatible with being a parent. Y'know - maybe even a sign of mental illness. They'd have to make sure I was "OK."

 

What else was the major problem? I was told it wasn't appreciated that I had complained on Twitter about the Feb. 3, 2018 warrantless search of my kids' bedrooms by unidentified local police officers at midnight while they slept. (This search was demanded just days after I happened to mention indicted-Governor Eric Greitens' criminal investigations.)

 

On paper, the complaints were that I may have missed some after-school sports in 2017 or a day of summer camp in 2018. Literally, that was it...officially. But otherwise, in the hallway of the courthouse, the attorneys who work every day in St. Louis County Family Court made it clear: the problem was my writing on Twitter.

 

It took 18 months just to finally get to a trial - which was then canceled at the last minute, days before that judge retired permanently. But not before that judge wrote a "final" order declaring that my rights remain violated without one word of testimony or one shred of evidence - which we were chomping at the bit to present.

 

Thanks to my wonderful supporters, I managed to get a second attempt at a trial to undo the damage. That help here on GoFundMe kept me going - and I'll be forever grateful.

 

This legal battle has taken almost another year. Finally, we had a trial...months ago. And now, there's no decision. I'm told that I have to guess day-to-day what kind of rights I'll have as a parent. If there is ever a decision, it looks like there will be another round of appeal. Because while the summer camp thing wasn't actually an issue, I guess my use of free speech still is.

 

You know what's even more egregious? My story isn't even remotely the worst one you'll hear among thousands. I've learned, talking to many families, just how common this kind of blatant disrespect for the rule of law is when it comes to St. Louis County Family Court. I've heard stories of children placed with abusers, parents stripped of Constitutional rights without due process, wanton profit-seeking, and depraved indifference. Obama's Department of Justice stepped in because kids were being routinely deprived of their Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment Rights under the Constitution.

 

I have many more stories to share - and many insights to give to families already suffering and those yet to be victimized by this corrupt, lawless, grotesque court system. First, I've got to get through my kids' ordeal. If you appreciate my work so far on national security and law enforcement, I'd appreciate your support. Adding up the last seven years of my life in St. Louis legal bills have been my biggest expense by far. Enough to take my house and retirement - and more.

 

But what I'm really passionate about is making sure that every family in St. Louis, no matter who or where they are, knows their rights under the Constitution and the tricks and traps laid about by the charlatans posing as officers of the court, preying on suffering kids and broken marriages. As a community, we can make sure this system obeys the rule of law. And then I believe we can share our strength with all the families in other parts of America victimized by similar corrupt regimes.

 

If you follow my public writing, you know my passion for telling the truth and for preserving this Republic for our kids, and their kids. Right now, that passion is about helping kids in need directly. It all comes down to the rule of law.

 

Thanks for everything. I'm beyond grateful.