Fathers' and Children's Equality, Inc.
FACE
Past Events and Follow-Up:
4th Annual Family Preservation Festival
Upper Senate Park, 200 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington DC
Friday July 23 to Sunday July 25, 2010
A coming together of parents, grandparents and all family members and friends who have been affected adversely effected by the treatment of divorce and child custody in America by government agencies, CPS, lawyers, judges, extended family and ex-spouses. This festival is forcast to be the largest gathering ever of fathers, mothers, grandparents and our children, all of which will be campaigning for equal parenting rights, family court reform, CPS reform, an end to parental alienation, and more. Festival site Upper Senate Park is located just blocks from both Union Station and the US Capitol Building, and convenient to both.
See: http://familypreservationfestival2010.yolasite.com/ , or Google "Family Preservation Festival 2010," or check any of the popular social networking sites.
This event provides a time and place to network with other parents' and children's rights activists from around the world, exchange information on their efforts and their successes, and plan your own efforts for the coming year.
Follow-up 7/26/2010 -- This event was poorly attended because of (a.) extremely high heat and humidity (100+ degree temperature and 99percent humidity) in Washington this weekend, and (b.) a competing event, the We The People Rally, two blocks away on the west lawn of the Capitol Building. Many people attending did not even realize these were two separate unrelated events. Organizers are already planning to avoid these problems next year by getting permits early to hold the event in April or May 2011.
2nd Annual Freedom BikeTrek4Families from Philadelphia PA to Washington DC
Sunday July 18 to Friday July 23, 2010
A 5 day 250+ mile bicycle trek from Philadelphia, through Valley Forge, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Gettysburg PA, then south through Maryland, and arriving in Washington DC on opening day of the Family Preservation Festival. Trek objective is to help bring light to the plight of non-custodial parents in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Your participation is invited. Regardless of whether you ride along or not, your contributions are needed to help cover the expenses of the trek.
See: http://freedombiketrek4families.com/
... and website for this year: http://2010.freedombiketrek4families.com/ .
To participate, donate or help in any other way, email trek organizers at info@freedombiketrek4families.com
And help the BikeTrek attract media attention. Attend the Kick-off Rally, Sunday July 18th, 10:00AM, Independence Mall, 5th & Market Sts, Philadelphia PA.
Follow-up 7/25/2010 -- The guys made it to Washington despite high heat and humidity, and participated in the Family Preservation Festival. Its not too late -- you can still make a donation to help cover the costs of the Bike Trek. Please write a check payable to "PA FACE" and mail it to PA FACE, c/o Larry Shapiro, 1002 Society Place, Newtown PA 18940.
Fathers Day Demonstration and March
West Side of U.S. Capitol, Washington DC
Saturday June 19 and Sunday June 20, 2010
David Wilson has been organizing this annual demonstration for about 20 years. It started as David's lone protest on the steps of the Capitol Building, and grew to include hundreds of others. Join him this year on the west side of the U.S. Capitol Building overlooking the Washington Mall.
See: www.fathersdaydemonstration.org/
Fatherless Day Rally
Statehouse, 125 West State St, Trenton NJ 08608
Friday, June 18, 2010 (the Friday before Fathers Day), 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
FACE celebrated Fatherless Day at the State House and the Hughes Justice Center in Trenton beginning in the 1990s. Fathers4Justice has since adopted this as their own annual nationwide event. Their 3rd Annual Fatherless Day Rallies are planned at all 50 state capitols, with a morning of lobbying and speakers and rally in the afternoon.
For more information contact F4J through their webpage: www.fathers-4-justice.us/index.php?id=events&type=1
... and see the video for their 2008 rally: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggMNUQ4Nc5U .
Update 6/10/2010 -- Fathers4Justice of New Jersey has secured permits for the Trenton NJ rally from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on the front steps of the Statehouse. A podium and sound system will be available for those wishing to speak of their dissatisfaction with the family courts. Bring your own picket signs (no sticks, please) for issues important to you, or use one of ours. There is strength in numbers. Even if you don't want to speak and prefer not to carry a picket sign, be there.
Follow-up 6/18/2010 -- Photos of Fatherless Day rally in Trenton NJ:
Master of ceremonies Gary Ewing Speaker Jim O'Brien
From left: Ed Kilbourne, Inder Kainth, Joe Cain and his children Rebecca, Rachel and Ben, Jim O'Brien, Clay Leopold, Gary Ewing, Jeff Golden and Dave Fischer. Also attending but not in pictured: Len Colner, Bill Gibbons, Moshe Levy, Jeff Rowse, Nick and his lady friend.
A suggestion to event organizers from FACE: New Jersey has a part-time legislature. There is no legislative office building in Trenton. Legislators have offices only in their own districts. The legislature is usually in session on Mondays and Thursdays, and there is very little activity at the capitol on other days. This event would receive much more attention in New Jersey if it were held on the Thursday before Fathers Day.
Pennsylvania FACE Family Fun Night
Levittown Lanes, 8815 New Falls Road, Levittown PA 19054
Saturday, June 5th, 6:00 to 10:00 PM
Join the folks from FACE of Pennsylvania and their families for a night of fun and a good time at Levittown Lanes. Cost, $2.50 per bowling game. Two large pizzas, $14.99. Chance at a 50/50 drawing. Reserve a lane by calling Levittown Lanes at 215-943-5610. Let them know that you are with PA FACE. For more information, please contact face@paface.org or attend an upcoming Pennsylvania FACE meeting www.paface.org . A portion of the proceeds will go to support the 2010 Freedom Bike Trek4Families (see below).
Domestic Violence Spring Cleaning
Washington DC
Wednesday May 5 to Friday May 7, 2010
Our families and our Constitutionally Protected Civil Rights are being put at risk by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). Although acts defined in the law as "domestic violence" are committed about equally by men and women, and although men and women are victims of these acts with equal frequency, the effect of these laws has been to treat men primarily as perpetrators and women primarily as victims, and provide almost no services to male victims of domestic violence. Both laws are up for renewal in the next year. This event provides an organized opportunity for you to let lawmakers know of the damage that is being done and how these laws can be fixed.
To register and participate, see http://abusegate.mensnewsdaily.com/dv-spring-cleaning-register-now/ .
You will be meeting with congressional staffers, and possibly with the Senators and Congressmen themselves. Event organizers will expect you to be professionally dressed and presentable, and able to present the issues politely, intelligently and informatively. To prepare yourself in advance, please see the following:
http://mensnewsdaily.com/?download=Abusegate%20Flyer%20doc
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) www.saveservices.org
www.mediaradar.org/docs/RADARreport-50-DV-Myths.pdf
Follow-up 5/9/2010 -- About twenty volunteer lobbyists fanned out over Capitol Hill on Thursday 5/6 and Friday 5/7 to attend pre-scheduled meetings with congressional staffers. They distributed SAVE's report "Assaulting our Rights: How Domestic Violence Laws Curtail our Fundamental Freedoms" www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights , distributed about 1,000 of SAVE's "The New Jim Crow: Ignoring civil rights, shortchanging victims" flyers, and also dropped in at congress offices that had not responded to the meeting request. Initial assessment of staffers' responses indicate a strong majority ranged from noncommital to openly supportive, with only a minority disapproving. This was also a networking opportunity for U.S. and international men's issues advocates. See what Men's News Daily reports: http://abusegate.mensnewsdaily.com/
5th Annual Parental Alienation Awareness Day
Many locations internationally
Sunday April 25, 2010
Join with thousands of others worldwide to call attention to Parental Alienation, Parental Alienation Syndrome, and Hostile Agressive Parenting. Activities include information events, flash mobs, Bubbles of Love campaign, conferences, candlelight vigils and others. See event website www.paawarenessday.org for event locations worldwide, or volunteer to organize your own event. If you can't attend any of the events, you can symbolically light a candle on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110508378981849 .
Follow-up 5/3/2010 -- To see how Fathers4Justice Canada celebrated Parental Alienation Awareness Day at the Cookstown Outlet Mall in Ontario, click here:
www.f4jcanada.com/OntarioPages/Ontario_Bat_Girl_Cookstown_Action.html .
To see what they did at the Burnaby Bridge in Victoria, British Columbia, click here:
www.f4jcanada.com/BCPages/Burnaby_Batman_Victoria_Bridge_Action_2009.html .
Unless otherwise specified, the events on this page were not sponsored by or supported by FACE. Our only function is to report to our members and other supporters. Participation is the decision of each individual.
This page last updated 7/29/2010.
