They’ve got law and order in Arizona. Just look at the case of Shanesha Taylor who is now being hung in the media of one of the worst states in America when it comes to the support of single moms. The articles and newscasts sound as if they are parroting press releases issued by the elected Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Most are full of outright lies and distortions that need clarification which is my intent with writing this op-ed.
This demand by Montgomery to “put your money in a trust fund or else we prosecute you for already cleared charges” is one of the most revolting displays of government abuse and over-reach that I have ever witnessed.
Arizona is known for over-zealous prosecution of people of all races, but particularly minorities.
Clearly Montgomery is just “Jonesing” to send this mother of three to prison, regardless of the approximately $900,000 that it will cost for the trial, imprisonment and costs of having someone else rear her children. Conservatives in charge of the criminal “justice” system there have demonized and stereotyped Shanesha as one of the “undeserving poor.”
Also at risk in this case is discouragement of the new practice of crowd funding as a way to help others to get on their feet and muster a legal defense.
My qualified observation is that it griped Montgomery and his cast of characters that 58,973 people would even dare to petition him not to prosecute Shanesha Taylor and freely give her money that takes her off government assistance. Montgomery is so power-mad that he is going against the intent of the donors whose only wish was for her financial independence through what everyone knew would be an ordeal. Montgomery is likely assaulting Shanesha’s character because she caught on to the unethical and probably illegal stunt that he is pulling which basically locks her out of the needed money for 16 years. After all, if he can divide the donors on the question of whether he should be allowed to tie up their intended funds, then they won’t raise more for a legal defense.
Divide and conquer to save himself from a public outcry no doubt.
It is now well known that part of the prosecutorial playbook in order to stop public support of anyone arrested, is to do a massive public shaming campaign which has been launched full force against her because she is standing up to having no access to her donated funds for 16 years, and then only with the stipulation that her kids attend college.The financial requirement is highly unethical, unusual and probably illegal because the money is a gift that people wanted her to have now to use unconditionally.
I have evidence that
Shanesha Taylor is not a drug addict and records of multiple tests, including hair follicle, urine and blood before and after her arrest. The New York Times also spoke with Child Protective Services to verify that
the rumor that her son was born with drugs in his system is an absolutely false. She is a military veteran and never should have been homeless with a 6 month and 2 year old in the first place. Shanesha Taylor is the face of the working poor in America and the struggle that single mothers have in trying to survive while working and taking care of two babies in diapers.
I can only estimate, but a thinking person can see that right off the top of that $114,000, the crowd funding fee processing and income taxes which are estimated to be 28% – 35%, between $26,900 – $35,000, the net amount that she received was immediately and dramatically reduced to about $68,000. Amanda Bishop handled the crowd funding and reported that after all the adjustments due to insufficient funds, and before income taxes that the amount was about $103,000. Take off another $35,000 for taxes (better to have the higher end estimate than to miss making the payment) and the beginning amount she actually received is nearer to about $68,000 not $114,000. You’d never know that the net amount is nowhere near $100,000 when listening to the power-mad County Attorney Bill Montgomery, spouting his red state rhetoric to shame Taylor, creating the image of her as an irresponsible stereotype.
All she ended up with originally was about $68,000 after commissions and taxes. She didn’t want to be homeless again and paid rent, first, last, deposit for 12 months estimated $$14522.45 and I have those receipts. She furnished the home with basics because she had nothing buying beds for the children, setting it up which cost $5,000 approximately. There have been court-mandated classes almost every day, childcare and transportation to meet those requirements which have already cost $3,600 with another four weeks left. This does not include childcare. Buying food, diapers for she and the three children for 20 weeks @ $100 per week is about $2000. She owed back car payments, childcare for two months that her family who all work low wage, full time jobs could not afford to absorb.
She has been doing interviews when not in the required classes/counseling/testing. There is a cost to all this childcare. She does not interview for low-paying jobs that can’t cover the $1250 per month that daycare centers in Arizona require. There are legal fees, and she is paying for mandated twice weekly counseling at $110 per session. Realistically,she couldn’t possibly have more than $42,000 left at this point. So the silver-spoon electeds are disrespecting the intentions of the donors. College for her children 16 years from now is nice, but totally unrealistic for the mother of three who needs to mount a defense for herself. I don’t know of single donor who intended that this money be used in the far off future for college. She would like her children to go to college but that is not more important than providing the basics because
she has no government back up now. The moment she was arrested, every form of possible government support was taken away. The people who need it most aren’t getting the public services. She had been into the agencies twice asking for help in the week before the incident and was totally ignored. This is business as usual particularly in
red states such as Arizona where they are willing to spend any amount on incarceration, prisons and jails but very little to give moms a hand up.
Was the pro bono attorney Benjamin Taylor who surfaced ever really advocating for Shanesha’s right to keep the donated money?
At this juncture, well after the money was raised,
Benjamin Taylor, a young African American attorney, surfaced and offered to represent Taylor on a pro bono basis. He is one of the lawyers who receives regular paid contracts from Maricopa County to represent the poor when the public defender is overloaded. Here he is on the list of paid contractors which is in alphabetical order.
The general public is unaware that lawyers get cases thrown to them only if they don’t fight back too hard against the County Attorney/Prosecutors for their clients.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/...ry-trying-to-seize-her-donations?showAll=yes#
