By John Felder
Columnist

The first time I was called to child support court, my son was 8-years-old. Any time before the age of 8 if my son needed anything, his mother would come by and we would purchase whatever he needed. I repaired cars to make a dollar on the streets and she owned a restaurant. When her business failed, she talked to her girlfriends who convinced her that she could get more than the supplemental help I was giving her. She was saving up to buy a house in Pennsylvania while I was renting an apartment in the city.

Our case went before Afua Fullwood, mediator clerk in the Bronx Family Court, and Judge C.V. Richardson. They ordered me to bring in my tax returns for the last eight years. After Afua saw that I had no steady income she ordered "me" with "no job" to pay $250 per month child support. But the court was not interested in that "truth." I filed an objection in writing but the objection paper went right back to the desk of the clerk who ordered my child support, Afua Fullwood. How was I to have a fair hearing if my objection went back to the same person who filed the initial order?

I was called to court when my arrears had exceeded $5,000 and I was incarcerated. During this period of time, my son Farod was living outside of the state with a friend of his mother Wanda named Stephanie, who he called Aunt Stephanie. His mother pasted dead-beat dad posters throughout the community to further humiliate me. I borrowed $5,000 from two friends.

After I had paid the full settlement of arrears the case was never adjusted accordingly but I was released from the Bronx House of Detention. Due to my case, my driver's license was suspended and I am not allowed to take civil service exams to seek permanent employment. Where do I go from here? I studied for the fire department certification but was prevented taking the test on the day of the examination. Recently, I filled out a form to take the postal mechanic's exam. I got up early and took the test but after I sat through the exam they never released my grade because my name and social security number appear on a list of men owing over $5,000 in arrears. How does the system expect men to pay child support when it doesn't allow them to seek gainful employment?

The states in the union know what is being practiced to stabilize minority men but the courts do not allow men to speak up to "power" for "justice."

I am at present filing a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States to have my case reviewed. My son is now 15-years-old. We love each other and have suffered long enough: through the family court system and clerks who have no conscience and sitting judges who do not carry out the law to the letter and base support on the ability to pay.