F4J RALLY TO SAVE CHILDREN FROM PIZZA-BOX SHAME

March 30, 2007, World Fathers Union News Service---Fathers-4-Justice (F4J) has annouced that members in Ohio will mount a protest against Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) director, Cynthia Brown, and her controversial 'Pizza-box Deadbeat Dad' wanted-poster campaign. Ms Brown has raised a veritable storm of protest by asking proprietors of pizza parlours in her county to paste 'Wanted' posters depicting alleged child-support defaulters on their boxes. While only three pizza parlours agreed to cooperate with her plan, the reaction from the public and press has been widespread and overwhelmingly negative.

According to an F4J-US press release, F4J members will demonstrate outside the Butler County CSEA, where they will deliver a call for the resignation of Cynthia Brown.

Said Keith Owens, Ohio Coordinator for F4J-US, 'Children should never be included in the adult issues of divorce. This campaign by Cynthia Brown and the Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency is abusive to children by doing just that. There needs to be a new level of education concerning the true values of the American public about the much greater issues that are at stake than filling Cynthia Brown's CSEA coffers.

'I know many fathers that are destitute and homeless because of unfair and often impossible-to-make child support payments. Maybe Cynthia Brown should be looking under pizza boxes instead of on them,' Mr Owens finished, alluding to the fact homeless men frequently have no choice but to shelter themselves with old newspapers and pizza boxes scavenged from trash bins.

F4J will start and end their demonstration outside Karen’s Pizzeria, one of the three pizza parlours which agreed to paste the wanted posters on their boxes. Mr Owens explained, 'Karen’s Pizzeria in Hamilton is being used by the CSEA to spread myths about parents who allegedly are in arrears on child support, portraying them as criminals. This is harmful to children, putting them in the position of being ridiculed and ostracized because of the unfair connection made to one of their parents. Fathers-4-Justice does not support "deadbeat" dads, but it also does not support bullies like Cynthia Brown who beat dads dead and harm their children in the process.'

'THE BEST CHILD SUPPORT IS EQUAL PARENTING'
'Ohio’s antiquated child custody laws need to be changed for our children, families and society,' said Mr Owens. 'While Ohio family law promotes internecine wars for sole physical custody, a benefit of joint physical custody is
that it improves child support compliance.'

Mr Owens continued, 'Researchers have found a positive correlation between the frequency of a parent’s contact with a child and the payment of child support. The more frequent, regular and flexible the time a parent is permitted to spend with his child, the more likely he is to meet his child support obligation in full and on time.

'In terms of voluntary compliance, fathers who have little or no contact with their children after a divorce pay only about 34% of their child support, while fathers with regular contact pay 85% or more.'

The protest is scheduled for Friday, March 30, 2007, from 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM, at 1085 Eaton Avenue in Hamilton, Ohio.