My letter to the first lady

[joleen]

June 15, 2009

First Lady Michelle Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC   20500

Dear First Lady Michelle Obama:

I am writing to ask you to support The First Ever Domestic Violence March In October Of this year. This March  will Make the United States Government  And  the state senate Take Notice of How we struggle every day with the system that is set up to help us only to tell us sorry your just a woman out to get a man. . For the past six years, I have been struggling as a domestic Violence Survivor because the system ignores the fact that I was the one who ran from a 15 year marriage of Verbal, Emotional, and sometimes Physical abuse. I moved clear across the untied states to the east coast with nothing but my clothes. I had to sell everything I could including my car to get here. I didn't get help from any shelter because they just didn't have funds and the shelters were all full. I then Left two daughters behind with my abuser. At that time they were 11, and 14. I was heart broken and didn't get to see my kids for two years. That's how the system set up to protect us worked for me. My kids endured emotional and verbal abuse from him while I had to rebuild my life from nothing. Yet the Courts did nothing. After all to them I was just a vindictive woman who my ex accused of many things like being a drug addict, a whore and just insane. Funny I always wondered how going to weekly domestic violence support group made me a whore. As for being crazy, who wouldn't be after living day by day trying to figure out what I did wrong while he went off and yelled and threw things at me. It was like walking on eggshells every day making sure I did not do anything to set him off. Because of the severe abuse I endured it has caused me to have many mental and physical conditions that can and do make me very ill so I keep losing jobs because of missed work.

I now live on a $230.00 Income a month plus Food stamps to make it with my 17 year old daughter who I got back march of 2008. I am still Fighting My ex Husband for child support, I was told that it could take up to two years for me to get anything from him. Why??? Why does the court system sit on their butts while many women like me struggle every day to keep food in house, lights, water , Shelter for them and their kids. People tell me I am living Beyond my means I laugh, I tell them well I am giving up some of my medicine so I can pay my water bill. The medicine I need to stay functioning, You see I have severe migraines, Fibromyalgia, 3 herniated disks compressing against my spinal cord causing my right side to go in and out of numbness, sever allergies , Degenerative disk disease throughout my spine , because without these medicines I live in pain so bad I can not sleep, I can not move and all I feel is the most tremendous pain one can hardly endure, But my water is on my electricity is on we have a roof over our head and food in the one bedroom apartment I share with my 17 year old daughter. But yet the court systems are telling me look just because you are were married for 15 years, are ill does not mean we need to hurry up our child support process even though your ex husband has been working for the same company, makes 45,000 a year and also does motorcycle racing on the side. Wow Guess women and child are not as important then men in this world.

The purpose Writing you is make you aware I am not the only one who struggle with these problems. Many Domestic Violence Women and child endure the hardships of being made to go to court on frivolous lawsuits their abusers claim are good reasons, then we end up losing our jobs because of it. Many domestic violence women and child struggle every day to pay bills keep roof over head and try and maintain and household on a minim amount so far below the poverty line. Why is the court systems set up to help these abusers? How many abusers convicted of killing their wives/girlfriends end up with custody of their kids? For example Brad Cooper, and many more like him. Last year we had in North Carolina  131 deaths from domestic violence. How many more have to die before the system gets changed, This year we are up to 46 so far and counting. We need you help in stopping the killing and the madness of domestic violence. We need your voice so congress can hear us of how the system is broken, How we have 50 different laws for 50 sates in the united states, we want 1 law for the entire untied states, not a different law for each state the in that state different laws for each county. How can we as domestic violence survivors and victims get any help if there is so much inconstancy? Is this how the Violence Against Women Act is suppose to work??? We need your voice and presence to make the law makers stand up and not tell us hey your just women.

I think that this Awareness March is an important event to help nation wide all us domestic violence survivors and victims. It will benefit the forgotten victims of violence  at large by letting the government know we are still here and that the laws are broken and need to be fixed, we can not be silent any longer, to many deaths are on our hands.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Joleen Louie

Domestic Violence Cyber Advocate for North Carolina and nation wide

[uscareme]

Jul. 3, 2009 at 1:37 PM

Wow this letter is great!  This should get their attention.  I hope and pray the first lady reads this and listens to you.