12-4-1997 KC Star Tony Rizzo-KS Justice Commission -Dombrowski

8/8/2019 12-4-1997 KC Star Tony Rizzo-KS Justice Commission -Dombrowski

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JO Thursday, December 4,1997The Kansas City Star

. . . . -.

C om m ission gets :~~

earful from public:.on Kansas justice ..'"

uth Shisler, a member of theJohnson County group Citiz~s forGood Judges, read a letter from amother who said she was forced bythe court system into a sitWl!ionwhere she could lose custody" of

her daughter or face possible deathat the hands of the child's abusivefatber. The mother said court or-ders of protection are worthless if

judges don't enforce them.W 0ad-

resse e commission urgedthem to do something to providebetler pay and conditions for courtworkers who must contend ",ithever-increasing numbers of c~

The commission's en'ort is thefirst in-depth study of the state's

court system in more than'.twodecades. The Kansas SUpIemeCourt ordered the study. .

Besides the public comment .ses-sions that are being held in each.ofthe state's congressional districts,the commission willconduct a tele-phone survey of citizens andwrit-teo survc of state judges. _.

cop e a so can send commentsto the Kansas Justice Commission.n care of the Docking Institute,

ort Hays State University, .6 Q Oark St., Hays, Kan., '67601.

By TONY RIZZOSlaft W rtter

The applause - or lack of it -sununed up the mood of most ofthe 60 or SQ people in tbe room

Wednesday night for a meeting ofthe Kansas Justice Commission.They weren't happy with their

experiences in the Kansas courtsystem.

Whether they were homeownersbattling builders, domestic abusevic tim s o r m en an d w om en em -

broiled in divorce cases, their sto-ries drew sometimes enthusiasticapplause.

The judges and lawyers whospoke were met with silence as they

walked from the podiumrI h e 46 -m e mb er c om m is si on is

studying the state's judicial systemand is supposed to make recom-mendations to the Kansas Legisla-ture before its 1999 session.

About 30 persons signed up togive 5-rninute presentations to thecommission Wednesday night aspart of its statewide information-gathering effort.

Ten commission members werepresent for the meeting at the

Johnson County Central ResourceLibrary in Overland Park.Among those speaking was Car-

olyn Hall, who suggested an om-budsman who is not an attorneycould assist people in the legal sys-tem. Too often, she said, peoplefeel that justice means "just us

judges and lawyers."Hall, with a group known as

Homeowners Against DeficientDwellislgs,said the court system isfor maily people a "foreign arena

with a foreign language."


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I applaud all efforts to help victims of Domestic Violence,

through hot lines and emergency shelters, and through laws

passed through legislature to empower judges to protect the

victims' of Domestic Violence. However, the judges are the

critical link to enforcing and applying these laws, unfortunate

through experience and research, I have found that these laws a

useless when judges have the power to order anything and the

victim has to have the money to appeal the order. (My last

quote for appeals $10,000.00 plus to appeal this final order.). '. . . . ~

I am a Survivor of Domestic Violence in it's purest form. I

have been thrown through plate glass windows, thrown out of

a moving vehicle when I was 7 m os. pregnant, had a shotgun held

to my infant daughter so I c ould not leave, and many, many othe

incidents which compare to the horror stories of other Survivors

and of those who did not survive.

When I did finally get away, after a two week stay at an emergen

shelter, I located an apartment and moved in with the suitcase

I left with and a pillow and blanket donated by the shelter.

Within one month, I was beaten with a crowbar at my apartment,

which required internal and external stitches to close the head

injury sustained, from my Abuser.

The entire time all of this abuse was happening, the Abuser was

on probation from a prior conviction in 1995 related to abuse

to myself. There are some 12 police reports since that convictio

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Calls for Domestic Disturbances, yet no one cared that he ~as

in violation of probation by having contact with me, let alone

that he was assaulting me again. Once again the paper it was

printed on was worth more than the words printed.

The Abuser was able to get early release from probation, three

months after the crowbar incident, even though he failed to

comply with ~~!yterms, not one, of the probation Order, and

charges were never filed by the D.A. for the assault with the

crowbar.

In an effort to end the Abuse, to save my life and to provide

financial support for my daughter as I have been and remain to date

the sole provider(who will be three in December.) I was given

a court order to relocate in the State from Topeka State Hospital

to Larned State Hospital As I am psychiatric Licensed Practical

Nurse.

Since that time, one year and eight months later my daughter and

I have been free of violence and abuse from the Abuser. However,

the Abuser found another way to continue the abuse, but on a

different level, The Judicial System.

My case has shown that money can buy Justice, unfortunately most

victims do not have the money to keep pounding away through the

Courts until the Batterer gives up. Most victims can not find

Counsel, willing to go the long haul, and most Counsel as well

as the Courts, want to sweep Domestic Violence under the rug,

or worst yet, blame the victim(they provoked it.), therefore

it becomes irrelevant, even ~hen the Batterer has an extensive

criminal record of drugs/alcohol, several Battery convictions

one of which is on a law enforcement officer.

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I have been Ordered by the Court to move back to Topeka, KS

by Jan.l, 1998, or my Abuser will get full custody of my

daughter. When I return to Topeka, if my Motion for Stay is

not granted, or if I can not get the financing for an Appeal,

I k now that I will Die at the hands of my Abuser. The Courts

have effectively put me back into the control of the Abuser.

Is this Justice or Murder?

Every program instituted to get Women and Children out of a

Violent home and into Safety are worthless, even dangerous

when the Judicial System will not support them to remain safe.

Obviously the Courts do not acknowledge the very real danger of

death when the Victim and Abuser are in close proximity.

The message is loud and clear, If you are being Abused at home,

don't leave, or you will lose your children. There is NO safety

beyond the immediate crisis, i.e. shelters. I will lose my

daughter, my career, my home, and eventually my life. I will

lose 1/3 my salary by going to Topeka, and will not be able to

provide adequate housing for my daughter. I am not allowed to

leave the County overnight, thereby effectively isolating me

from all friends and family, and eliminating all my support

systems. Am I supposed to become dependent on the Abuser once

again?

Every exhibit, transcript and all evidence has been filed in the

Court file. All easily accessible. Every Motion to include

non-payment of child support has been dismissed. My Abuser has

never been charged for the "crowbar incident." This man had only

one motive in mind when he hit me in the head with a deadly weapon.

My death. Please help to prosecute any way you can, and let other

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victims of Domestic violence know that the Courts will protect

them, or at least try to protect them, or even acknowledge a

crime has been committed. If it were anyone else, they would

have already been convicted, however, the Courts seem to think

Domestic Violence is like "Spilled milk" when you are married

to the Abuser.

Orders and Probation are worthless when the Courts will not

enforce them. My Abuser is classic textbook batterer.

Women are being punished by the Judicial System because they

they left their Abusers. There are LOTS of us. Listen and see

what is really happening to Victims who need more help than

a hotline, to give them a false sense of safety.

Please feel free to call me at any time. Your assistance and

attention to this matter are GREATLY appreciated!

Sincerely,

Claudine Dombrowski

P.O. Box 304

Larned, KS 67550

W# 316-285-4332

H# 316-982-4524

Case# 96-D-217

Shawnee CountyDistrict CourtTopeka, KS

ENC: Massachusetts School of Law (article)

Court OrderCourt Record of Batterer's conviction,terms of probation

Documents

12-4-1997 KC Star Tony Rizzo-KS Justice Commission -Dombrowski