Note: Cross posted from [wp angelfury] Battered Mothers Rights - A Human Rights Issue.

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Child Killed by Father in Murder-Suicide Needs Headstone…Please Help

Filed under: Activism, Ben Atherton-Zeman, Call to action, Canada, Children and Domestic Violence, Domestic Abuse, Domestic Relations, Domestic Violence, Facebook,Family Court Reform, Family Courts, Family Rights, Fathers who murder their children, Good dudes, Hate Crimes, Help for Victims of Domestic Violence, Meara McIntosh,Murder - Suicide, Rich Saunders, fathers fighting for custody — justice4mothers @ 5:42 pm

From Ben Atherton-Zeman:

Meara McIntosh’s son Colton was killed by her batterer, the child’s father. Meara doesn’t have the money to pay for Colton’s grave headstone. Can you help?

Meara’s ex-husband had been using the family court system to seek custody and visitation, despite proof that he was abusing Meara. A year and a half prior to Colton’s murder, Meara warned authorities that he was unstable, and a violent and dangerous influence in Meara and Colton’s lives. She warned them that he already had a history of drug abuse, stalking and major violence with other people in his past and was rampantly destroying thousands of dollars of property of Meara’s and that of anyone who was even remotely connected to Meara- the police instead warned Meara that they could arrest her for making false complaints. The visitation was allowed and was unsupervised.

3 weeks before Meara was going to court for the final review, which would have allowed Meara and Colton to move out of the area, her ex-husband killed Colton and then killed himself, with carbon monoxide poisoning. Colton was three years old. He was buried in his Halloween whale costume that he loved.

You can do an Internet search for “Meara McIntosh,” or check out the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=100489940216&ref=tsfor more details.

Meara lives in Alberta, Canada. She was denied berevement leave and medical leave (for post-tramatic stress) because she was self-employed. She is not termed to be “in further danger” since her ex is dead – therefore, she is not eligible for the descretionary domestic violence assistance programs. Victims Services has postponed her claim 3 times already, and will not disclose if or how much money she might be eligable for when it is eventually processed. She has secured part-time employment as a baggage handler at an airport, but it’s not even close to meeting her expenses. Meara doesn’t have the money to even pay for a headstone for Colton’s grave – a cost of $1050 Canadian.

Can you help us raise the funds for this headstone? Any extra will go towards Meara’s other expenses, which are mounting. Please submit the funds via PayPal to the email address mearadanielle@hotmail.com (go to http://www.paypal.com to set up an easy, free account). If you don’t want to set up a PayPal account, call Ben at 978-897-3619 – he can take a credit card payment over the phone and then get the money to Meara.

Meara did not suggest this email solicitation – we (Sujata and Ben) did.

Thank you in advance for your help!

- Sujata Warrier, Ben Atherton-Zeman

Until the violence stops, Ben.

Ben Atherton-Zeman, Maynard, MA USA
Actor, Comedian, Feminist and Husband
Presenting a One-Man Play: “Voices of Men,” http://www.voicesofmen.org(video clips available)
For booking information, please call 978-897-3619

Quote of the Month, July 2009:
“There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest who need to pee on the electric fence to find out for themselves.” – Will Rogers

Also see: Meara McIntosh, Mother of Young Boy Killed by Father in Another Murder-Suicide, Speaks Out About THOSE Therapists, Colton Saunders Will Be Buried In His Halloween Costume, If ever there was a case of negligence to be made…, Nowhere To Turn: Mother Knew It Was “The Most Dangerous Time”, and Yet Another Case of Father’s Rights? Custody Battle Blamed For Murder