August 22, 2017 by Robert Franklin, Esq, Member, National Board of Directors, National Parents Organization
Here’s more evidence that We the People are smarter and more responsible than those we elect to govern us (ABC 13, 8/18/17).
As readers will recall, this past Sunday I posted this piece about Victor Alonzo King. He’s the Raleigh, NC father of five with a wife who’s just been diagnosed with Stage Four cancer. He went to work last Tuesday, leaving his kids in the care of a neighbor. The neighbor apparently left them alone for a time, another neighbor called the police who, for reasons I can’t guess at, arrested King. King of course has done absolutely nothing wrong, assuming media reports to be accurate.
But, as if that weren’t enough, the judge in his case ordered King held on $25,000 bond, an amount he can’t possibly raise as the sole support of five children and a gravely ill wife. Keeping King in jail would of course have meant he lost his job and, unable to support his kids, would likely have lost them as well.
Plus of course, bail is supposed to insure the appearance of an accused person in court. It’s supposed to reflect, among other things, the person’s risk of flight to avoid prosecution. Now, King is a married father of five who has a job. For all intents and purposes, there is no one who’s a lower risk of flight than King, but the judge set bail so high that he would remain in jail.
Somehow all that made sense to the judge and the prosecutor. Making a bad situation worse for one man, one woman and five children under the age of eight looked like a good idea to them. Keeping King in jail for a crime he didn’t commit apparently did too.
Fortunately, and no thanks to the judge or the prosecutor, King is now out of jail. He’s out because his story was publicized internationally and utter strangers stepped up to pay his bond.
Victor King says he was bailed out of jail by a complete stranger who saw his story on Eyewitness News and he is now back at work.
That person is just one of dozens across the nation who have reached out to ABC11 and the family to lend a helping hand…
But many reached out to help say they don’t care about the allegations they simply want to help the family.
"When I saw that he was just a working dad trying to take care of his family and had trouble with his kids it really broke my heart that he was out working and trying to raise money to support his wife and his family and ended up being arrested in the process. So that really touched me and I was really focused on helping the children," local teacher Rikki Hilliard told Eyewitness News…
Those who want to help are mostly locals but a fundraiser from Detroit and a church congregation from St. Louis have also contacted Eyewitness News about helping the family.
King’s sister-in-law wrote a message on behalf of the family:
"Words cannot express the family’s gratitude and appreciation for all of the wonderful thoughts and emails, kind words of encouragement, and generous donations during this difficult time. We are amazed with the outpouring of love, support and prayers coming from so many people we’ve never met. Thank you for your willingness to assist in any way that you can," wrote S. Simpson.
Now if the judge and prosecutor can just wrap their minds around the fact that King behaved responsibly in having the neighbor look after the kids and, if anyone, it’s the neighbor who did wrong, perhaps this whole sorry mess can be put to rest. All charges should be dismissed and he should be allowed to continue doing what he was doing before the state stepped in to try to ruin his children’s lives, i.e. being a married man supporting his family.
The more I despair about the state of society, the more everyday people remind me not to.
| Donate |
National Parents Organization is a Shared Parenting Organization
National Parents Organization is a non-profit that educates the public, families, educators, and legislators about the importance of shared parenting and how it can reduce conflict in children, parents, and extended families. Along with Shared Parenting we advocate for fair Child Support and Alimony Legislation. Want to get involved? Here’s how:
- Become an official member of the National Parents Organization team.
- Join our Facebook Page.
Together, we can drive home the family, child development, social and national benefits of shared parenting, and fair child support and alimony. Thank you for your activism.
#childabuse, #childneglect, #fathers’rights