On Saturday March 25th, I had the honor of helping run a unique production; filming and live streaming a meeting between Dad’s Rights attorney Jeffery #DADSRIGHTS Leving and Illinois State Represenative LaShawn Ford, the sponsor behind Illinois House Bill 4113. Known on social media as #HB4113, this house bill is a crucial bill to equalizing the playing field for fathers in Illinois. You can learn more about how #HB4113 will save children’s lives, and could have prevented the death of a 9 month old baby girl last Christmas by watching an interview with attorney Jeffery Leving that we recorded together in January.
Click here: Vito Glazers interviews Jeffery Leving about Illinois House Bill 4113
The most recent meeting and interview between Leving and Ford was hosted, produced and moderated by Radio Maha on Power 92.3 FM Chicago, and phones were ringing off the hook in support of #HB4113 as there is a sweeping movement across the country and in Illinois of people demanding changes to unfair parenting court standards that disproportionately favor women. The majority of our population agrees that the unequal treatment of fathers in parenting court and a flawed child support distribution system is systematically contributing to the mass incarceration of (primarily) African American fathers. However, fathers of all races are affected by this war on men. Last Thanksgiving a suburban Illinois father of 3, caucasian, committed suicide in his jail cell after a judge repeatedly sent him to prison for not being able to afford nearly $20,000 per month in child support and alimony payments.
Read more here: Man ordered to pay $20K/month in child support kills himself in jail
The live interview between Leving and Ford lasted a little more than one hour, and you can watch the recording of the live stream below:
A few days after the event at Power 92.3, I had the honor of meeting with Representative Ford for lunch at the Soho House in Chicago where we had an interesting lunch and a long conversation. We had a strong discussion about parenting laws and the broken nature of Illinois’ family court system. I told him I felt that the mistreatment of fathers in America is the biggest social injustice of our generation, and that parenting courts treat fathers as guilty until proven innocent.
We talked about many of the issues facing Illinois and America today. Most interestingly, I feel we both agreed that although we come from very different backgrounds, we are both seeking the same thing: to give and be a voice to people who feel unheard. This was not the first time we had the opportunity to discuss important issues. Below you can tune into a clip from a Chicago press conference Rep. Ford hosted and which I had the honor of speaking at, which was broadcast by NPR:
La Shawn represents primarily African American communities in Illinois 8th District on Chicago’s West side who feel unheard, and I have a following on social media of primarily white, male, Right-wing Trump supporters who also feel overlooked and unheard. There could not be two sides more different, yet there were so many things that we felt the same about. We agreed that there can be no progress until both sides learn to communicate without falling into the divisive trap that our media, and in my opinion, our government, has created and profits from.
La Shawn and I discussed the possibility of co-hosting a Podcast dedicated to discussing issues facing families in America, with the goal being to set an example for how civilized discussions should be held between individuals with opposing views, to actually make progress on the issues that face our society.
Would you tune in, listen and subscribe? Any suggestions of what the show should be called? We would love to hear from you. If you would like to be kept up to date on when the Podcast will be released, and message us your feedback, please subscribe to my Newsletter here: https://www.facebook.com/VitoGlazers/app/100265896690345/
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
To support equal rights for parents, please join the Illinois Fathers For Equality Facebook Group HERE
Wives, grandmothers, sisters and all women who understand the importance of putting our children’s needs first, please join the Women of Illinois Fathers For Equality Facebook Group HERE
