I was recently wrongfully accused of domestic violence. The domestic violence I was accused of was harassment to my own parents via text messages to my mother and father. I'm a single disabled mother of very low income status. I have TBI (traumatic brain injury), Epilepsy, and a Cancer survivor.

The messages I absolutely sent were of my feelings to my family (not my son) of how I wanted to see my son because he was assaulted. I wanted to comfort and protect my son. I was denied that by my parents because they didn't want to address a very important family matter, that was later to be confirmed true by their local police. The assault wasn't being addressed and my messages were of me begging to address our family issues. Instead of addressing them my parents decided to sue me. Their youngest and only disabled daughter. I am the only single mom in the family. My son's father is an absent parent so my family has always been heavily involved.

I was served a temporary restraining order and I had only around 20 days to understand how to navigate through litigation, during a pandemic with limited resources with brain damage, find an attorney who fought for the accused", find an attorney who believed in me, and endure my failing health and seizures at the same time.

I went to court unrepresented and I lost my only son. Not by being proven guilty in the court of law. I was never found guilty.

I unknowingly signed mine and my sons rights to a fare trial completely away and agreeing to whatever my parents wanted by signing something called a stipulation FORM FAM 024a. Yes you read that correctly if you are knowledgeable of the law. I signed FORM FAM 024a Divorce/marriage settlement with my father and mother. Not to be filled out by parents and daughters whatsoever.

My lack of intelligence of the law and judicial system at that time was extremely taken advantage of by my families big attorneys, my rights provided to me by the Americans with disabilities act were violated by the commissioner, my right to a fare trial and due process were not provided to me, and I was harshly discriminated in court by my income level, the way I look, speech disability, and the emotional state I was in while fighting for my son completely alone and terrified. Even my tattoos were brought up to explain how awful a mother I am. My career as a photographer which is freedom of press, media, freedom of expression. My photography career is now completely over due to this lawsuit.

I was destroyed in court. My side was not heard, my evidence was never heard or seen, I was told to be quiet because I didn't understand that I wasn't allowed to speak because I waved my rights to an actual trial by not understanding what a stipulation even is. To those that understand, this stipulation was never given to me and I only have screenshot copies. I have not received a copy from their attorney or Chatsworth Courthouse. The stipulation is also crossed out with the words cancel over the commissioner's name and clerks name and dates, white out is over name and dates, the court still cannot produce this judgement/stipulation to this very day, a year later.

Anything that isn't signed, dated, and filed within a courthouse is not a legally enforceable document. Plus it's a divorce settlement agreement. Nobody will help me. I can't appeal the judgment because it's not filed so according to Chatsworth Courthouse it doesn't exist and I can't appeal something that doesn't exist even though every minute order brings up the stipulation, I am not allowed to appeal it. There should be no questions or corruption in family court at all. It's family !!!!!! 

My family has created a lot of red tape and hurdles for me in attempting to be my own attorney. It's been very difficult, exhausting, and traumatic. And it's been a year since I've seen my son. We weren't even given a chance to say goodbye. I miss him everyday since he's been gone.

No parent should not have the task of representing themselves because it's just so painful. You have to go over and organize painful evidence over and over to get things correct and organized. In my situation I have to make 5 packages of my motions plus painful evidence I must read to make sure it makes sense and organized so it's not thrown out by the court. Without a secretary or paralegal guess who has to read and go over every inch of each package for typos or anything off. I have to. Plus the California Rules of declaration writing states that specifically "mothers who are writing their own declaration, do not come off as too emotional in your declaration because it will make you look unstable if you express too much emotion".

Plus I have to make sure I do not cry in court or I will be looked at as again "unstable". I have to be a superhero, which I'm not. The sane standards lawyers have to abide by so do I, brain damage and learning disability does not matter whatsoever!!! I am now an attorney. A family arttourney and what i have endured and seen in family court is disgusting and the complete opposite of what a family should stand for. The rudeness towards the disabled is pretty bad, I am constantly hung up on and disrespected if I shed a tear or start to stutter (my speech disability" I am talked down to and as a woman it's not the type of behavior I approve of or approve of my son being around. I've had to constantly tell the court and my parents lawyers "it doesn't matter what job you have, you must display some manners please". I was never found guilty but now I'm treated like a criminal. 

I am a powerful survivor of multiple sexual assaults. So being disrespectful to me is something I do not tolerate and my son knows this. Also not properly addressing assault is a topic I know to well of. That topic was the topic my family wanted to avoid. I wasn't having it.

I started to become educated about the law through workshops and educating myself at the law library and by paying for consultations Education and knowledge is power. I understand now what I have done and I think I understand how to fix it. Still with zero ADA Accomodations, which would be so helpful.

I'm about to go back to court to file my motions still with no attorney. I'm terrified and I'm not the same daughter or mother I was before this happened to me.

The year spent not knowing where my son is, will never be returned to either of us. Gaining respect and love from my son after waving our rights away may not be there. Having my son believe in me as I try to attempt to fix the lies said about me to my son and the National Criminal Database they put me in, will only happen if I win in court and clear my name with the support of the courthouse and clear me out of the National Criminal Database and tell my son "we apologize to you and your mother because none of this is true about her"

If I succeed that still won't take the pain of my son watching everyone he's ever loved destroy his mother for simply trying to protect and love him. The damage done to my only son may be something I cannot fix. Restoring my son's faith in a judicial system, our authorities, and government after he finds he's been lied to be people who are supposed to help us, is a feeling he has to endure now.

Saying "were sorry, oooops here's your mom back" doesn't heal the deep wounds I and my son have for life in general and each other as mother and son. 

If I had an attorney my voice and evidence would have been heard and respected.

My disability would have never been taken advantage of.

If I had an attorney I wouldn't be on divorce/settlement papers with my father. The correct paperwork would have been provided to me

If I had an attorney my son would have known the truth as to why I was upset at his grandparents.

If I had an attorney none of this would have happened because I truly shine when my voice is heard and allowed to speak about the passion and love I have for my only son.

#1 There are single fathers rights, minors rights, and even grandparents rights. But at the moment there are no single mothers rights to protect her from her own family. So there is no attorney to defend a law that doesn't exist. Single moms often turn to their family if the father is an absent father but there are no single mother rights or laws to protect her from her own family after family assistance goes wrong.

#2 As a disabled mother there are no attorneys that defend disabled parents in family court. Not even to help you fill out difficult court documents even with a legal learning disability that makes it hard for me to read and write. 

At the moment disabled rights only includes medical malpractice, discrimination at the workplace or transportation systems. Not even the disabled community helps disabled parents.

I understand that tax dollars may need to be altered to achieve this new law. But if we helped families from the start imagine how less of our tax dollars would go to the juvenile jail systems and even adult jails and prisons and psychiatric institutions if the love and support is provided from the start.

I believe by helping families in any way we can. Not just giving out money. Even for example volunteering your time to help a family get to school on time because the bus is always late. Adopting a family so you can hear how grateful they are and how well they are doing by receiving your love and support not just your money. 

I'm in the welfare, food stamps, disability, and free insurance systems. I know how to go over each issue and come with awesome solutions. I am low income and I can see myself why tax payers are upset with the welfare system and I have amazing ideas to change that so we all still benefit from being helped and providing help. I know what it takes to continually qualify for welfare and I have firsthand seen the beautiful benefits of the welfare system and the fraud and corruption as well from some families that I know personally. This actually can be stopped. 

If you knew your tax dollars were going to programs, lawyers, advocates for disabled parents, advocating for families that want and desire another chance, programs instead of restraining orders, programs instead of family division, programs for kids instead of putting kids on medication at an early age turning then into addicts, and more actual support for the parents of today both moral support and actual physical support for that single mom or dad, you would feel so awesome about yourselves. I promise. For example I was accused of using drugs. I was not given one drug test or offered one single drug program to become a better mother and citizen. Why wouldn't anyone want a mother off drugs? Why didn't anyone help me if I was truly on drugs? That would lower a lifetime of me using your tax dollars to stay on welfare, use free worthless drug programs funded by your tax dollars, and prisons and institutions all paid for by you!!!! 
One single drug test and a closely monitored drug program, an attorney would have saved you the citizens tons of money. 
Plus if my son became a drug addict because nobody was concerned about his mother's drug addiction who's going to pay for his prison time and free disability? You. 
That's just one example. I wasn't on drugs but would have taken that drug test and taken any class they told me to, just to prove to my son that's he's worth anything they throw my way. I would have taken classes over being away from my sweet boy for an entire year now. I would have taken anger management, anything. But now I'm your problem.

Their goal in family court was to not heal a verybbroken family. Their lawyers goal was to WIN!!!! But who won? I'm going to need your tax dollars again for free therapy and free housing programs because I have a fresh domestic violence charge on my record and can't get a job now or pass a background check. I was finally employable for the first time and it felt so amazing. That pride of mom finally bringing home her own paycheck was taken. 

I was self supportive through arts but now homeless living in free rent places paid by you. My free disability that comes out of tax dollars because I've never worked as an adult to have earned work credits just went up by $200 because disabled homeless people get more money. I just got $200 more dollars out of tax payers without even asking. All for being wrongfully accused of a crime I did not commit that would have been proven in the court of law if I had an attorney. 
No let's not help, in fact, let's use the good citizens of America to pay for our mistakes because she's more disabled now, unemployable, homeless, cant afford food or medication. I just became your problem all because my family couldn't communicate and money won over truth? 
I apologize from the deapth of my heart for using your money but I promise it's not going to waste and I can use my experience to make families better and lower your tax dollars. 

Wellfare handouts wouldn't really be needed. Healing and moving forward instead of "here's the winner and here's the loser, you can't see mom or dad or grandpa or grandma anymore". Instead families having attorney's who believe in a family that endures hardships together not suing each other and separating everyone that child has ever loved. Attorneys who don't believe in "winning" but who believe in a family unit or programs to help that family become better for their children. 

The morals attorneys have lead to internal hate and pain in a child that leads to major problems that becomes societies issues later on. 
Jails, prisons, psychiatric institutions, low income and low quality drug programs that will never work, medication that cannot be afforded, food, and free housing programs that should only be saved for the truly needy. Not innocent victims who want desperately to return to work and innocent victims who actually can afford to pay rent but can't pass a background check so our only choice is free housing paid by you.

If you knew your tax dollars were going to educating and healing parents and not a "handout" free money, we all would feel ok with that, even if it meant paying a little more. Because families wouldn't be living off of your dime. Instead they would be learning, changing, and growing into better people off your dime. 

Which feels awesome for everyone involved. 

As a society we have no choice but to pay taxes. So let's get creative by volunteering our little time to help a family get to school on time, helping single parents go back to school by volunteering 3 hours of your time, adopting families so you are close to them and know exactly what's happening to your money, just knowing your tax dollars are paying for healthy programs, advocates, lawyers who believe in family, volunteer programs, all kinds of programs, would really actually make the difference needed in society.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed and definitely need assistance with my ideas with my petition to create "Shelton's Law" or a whole new penal code section of all the new laws created for family help called "Shelton's Family penal codes: 1- ect.... " 
Society would finally feel like a society by knowing my money isn't going to something irresponsible. Society knows my money is safe in a child centered program that helps families grow together not apart causing children to grow into addicts and possibly criminals. Prison is way more expensive than giving a mom an attorney so she could be of better service to her child and provide the appropriate environment for her child and classes to empower herself with parental knowledge to learn how to be her best for her child and her or himself to feel the pride of making your own paycheck because you are a smart employable human being that deserves the pride of a job. 

Just from my family alone your tax dollars so far were spent in wrongfully accusing me of domestic violence which is a lot of court paperwork, filing, and court staff to pay, welfare checks from CPS to find my son and to see if he is ok regarding the assault, the police on multiple occasions, because my son has a record with them and was in cop cars as a minor and nobody thought to call his mom plus the police that somewhat helped me and CPS, CPS workers, tutors and special classes because my son has failed a grade, after school programs for my son, my son's students loans to a school he failed because his true academics were hidden from me, child support workers to enforce the child support we receive to this day because the attorney they had wasn't honest about child support. So now tax dollars are paying child support caseworkers to enforce a law that has been ignored. 

I hope I explained as clearly and simply as I could because I do have a learning disability. But that doesn't make me a bad mom at all. In fact I'm quite a funny mom and I am a strong mom. I can endure this. But I don't want this to happen to anyone because I care about people. Please sign my petition so I can share my experience with family court, my experiences of being on welfare and section 8 free housing, to the correct authorities to finally make a change and difference in this world I know I can help make.

Its been a year since I've seen my son or know if he is ok. I chose a picture of me pregnant at 22 years old. Radiating with the love of a soon to be mommy. I can't choose images of my son to fully respect his minors rights to privacy and his adult rights because he will be 18 soon.

His name is Shelton and this will be called "Shelton's law" or "Shelton's Family Penal Codes"

If anyone sees any errors, typos, or has any suggestions please feel absolutely safe and free getting in touch with me. 

Thank you kindly, Jasmine