Wanted: Pro-Bono Lawyers
to Sue the Government
(Who said you can't sue city hall?!)

            Our government and its privatized welfare agencies are wreaking havoc with their lawless attacks on  poor communities.  Legal Services had been forbidden to sue in areas related to "welfare Reform," so it has been nearly impossible to control or stop the governments' illegal, cruel attacks on mothers and children.  Although we expect Legal Services to once again aggressively pursue procedural and civil rights lawsuits  against welfare agencies for  their egregious violations of law and the constitution, we still need pro-bono lawyers to take on cases too.  No one group can handle all of these  horrendous non-stop abuses.
           Welfare is treating families much like it did before the sixties when law suits and street protests stopped some of the most blatant abuse. We need to attack this lawlessness in the courts, as well as the streets and the legislators.

 CLASS ACTIONS LAWSUITS AGAINST STATE TANF AGENCIES  to:
              *STOP them from denying poor people the right to apply for TANF benefits (cash, loans and childcare). Verbal denials of applications are rampant.
              * STOP the delays in granting benefits. (Delays of 3-4 months are not uncommon.)
              * STOP illegal sanctions. Workers arbitrarily sanction, often with no valid reason.
              * STOP them from requiring partially disabled parents to leave children to work unpaid jobs.
              * STOP them from denying cash assistance to women who worked in the past and are thus labeled "job ready."
              *STOP them from requiring single parents caring for severely disabled child/ren to take a paid or unpaid job and leave their disabled child in dangerous situations
             * STOP them from requiring single parents to take sick children to sick daycare rather than allow them to stay home with the sick child
              * STOP them from refusing to hire qualified workfare slaves when they can do the job
              * STOP them from using workfare slaves to replace paid workers anywhere
              * STOP them from removing children from their homes for no reason other than poverty
 

PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUITS
Sue TANF agency for damages when:
              * The agency's illegal sanction or delay or denial cause a family to be evicted and become homeless, lose furniture, children to CPS etc.
              * The agency refuses to exempt a disabled mom, resulting in an injury to her or an exacerbation of her disability
              * The agency refuses to allow a mom to stay home with a disabled child, causing that child to die or be injured. (In Milwaukee DeAndre Reeves died from such TANF abuse.)
              * The agency fails to provide timely child care to an eligible family, causing a child to die or be injured from inadequate child care. [5 deaths (that we know of) in Milwaukee from this lawless abuse.]
              * The agencies ongoing abuse, sanctions, etc., cause a mom to have a nervous breakdown
 

FAMILY COURT LAWSUIT

        In Milwaukee, poor moms often must represent themselves in custody and visitation cases with their child's father. We just discovered that the moms who were not originally married to the father ARE DENIED THE RIGHT TO HAVE ANY FRIENDS, ALLIES, RELATIVES OR ADVOCATES IN THE COURTROOM. The sheriff and judge booted us out, insisting that it was a "Paternity case" thus requiring a "Closed Courtroom" for the "Best interest of the child."

            Our state statute says that cases involving "Paternity determination" must have a closed courtroom. But obviously the statute is irrelevant since the judges and sheriffs control the courtroom and their practice has always been to gangbang the single moms who never married dear old dad.

        This should be a simple lawsuit to force the Family Court to comply with the intent of the State Statute. Our Legal Services lawyer tells us we have a good legal argument but there are no cases for a precedent. And they do not want to take this case on.

        This lawsuit might be brought on the grounds of DISCRIMINATION BASED ON MARITAL STATUS (PAST). or??? Maybe just failure to follow state statute.

SEX DISCRIMINATION LAWSUITS

        Nationwide the time limits will have a deadly effect on women in particular. Only the custodial parent is subjected to these lifetime limits. (Most custodial parents on welfare are women.) A man whose children reached their time limits could himself apply for benefits for another set of children. No time limits would impede him, although the government has supported his children to the maximum limit allowed.

            This sounds like sex discrimination to us. In so many welfare practices, sex discrimination underlies the principles and policies. It is time to sue on those grounds.

CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUITS

       Sue Sherriffs in Milw County for denying protesters right to silently hold up signs in a County-owned building.

Contact the Welfare Warriors if you are a lawyer who wants to take on the challenge of a Case for Justice. Or contact us if you know a lawyer who might be interested in taking on a Case for Justice.

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