To "\\l1om.

It
J am Carlita Kilpatrick and I "\.vas asked by the Wayne Connty Probation Department to
respond to a couple of questions: (1) Wbat effects has this court ordeal had on me and my
family, and (2) Do my family and I plan to return to I\1jchigan to reside?
Allow me to answer the latter, first. My family and I are now Texas residents and have
been since late 2008 (my husband in early 2009). We have no intentions of ever residing
in Michigan again, regardless of any circumstances.
_ _ ~ _ w .. _. _ _ ____ _
As ' ~ o the effects of this ongoing post judgment legal order regarding my husband and
dedicated father of our three sons, K warne M. Kilpatrick, I believe the Wayne County
judicial system has been overly intrusive, degrading, tedious, and unconstitutional with
regards to my children and me. '
/
After having complied with everything required by the court in its initial rulings; and
with all the terms of his probation in Tarrant County, Texas (where my husband is legally
supervised) my husband has been made to travel back and forth from our home in Texas
to Detroit on numerous occasions to comply with judge's orders. This burdensome' travel
has been disruptive to our family life as well as his employment. I am emotionally.' .', ,
drained from the onslaught of unfair demands made on our family from this court, and:]t
----.---- . has oecoIIle incleasingly InOre difficult to shield my children from its damaging el1ects_
Under the guise of evidence, I feel the court has tried to purposefully embarrass me and
1hy-fatnily by-:-disclosing'persortalihfoririaGon ana"commUll1Catlons tOhirtherpuTnsh my -, -------...... --. ---
husband. This punishes me and my children as welL I believe this court has violated my-- .- .. _._ .. - ... -.. - -.
constitutional rights as well as those of my children. It is painful to see how these
judicial orders have punitively involved us by naming me and referring to our sons in
these orders without any fIndings or due process of any kind.
This court process has tried to separate our family. It has tried to buny us through
embarrassment and the threat of re-imprisonment of my husband. My children are faced
with the constant fear and foreboding that their father will be taken away again. As a
mother I am forced to fight for the preservation of my family; it is what is most precious
to me_ I do not want my husband to be taken away from us again. I do not want my sons
to be without their father again. We need his financial support. We need him to remain
employed. We need him to remain at horne.
We will, though, be vigilant and persistent in our fight to seek justice and fair treatment
for him. \Ve hope that our rights will not be ignored-the rights that this country was
founded upon. I have a right to privacy and due process as a cibzen of the United States.
Neither I, nor my children, have ever been accused or convicted of any crime and;
therefore, are not under the jurisdiction of this, or any other court. This court should not
be allowed to reach through my husband to us; thereby violating the rights of my children
and me as if we are on probation as well.
But, through it all, our in God has sustained and strengtheneu JS. His love and
proteClioD has given the: \veather any storm.
I am also totally bewildered as to why my husband has been found guilty of probation
violations involving non-payment of restitution funds_ As the basic elemeDts of
probation and restitution were explained to me and my husband in September of 2008 by
Beverly Smith ofMDOC, restitution was not considered delinquent until the end of the
probationary period, and he had until such time to payoff this debt We also understood
that the monthly restitution amount would be reasonable and would not be oppressive to
the needs of our family. Why, then, only one year after the inception of my husband's 5-
____ ._. ___ ._ bas be been found guilty afnon-payment afbjs restitu60n when it's, not _.
. ue for another 4 years? My husband has every intent, to pay every ,cent-Df
his which should be evident by the more than $142,000 which has already
been paid. This far exceeds the court's own March 2009 payment schedule. According
to that order my husband was only due to pay $60,000 as of May 2010.
Because my husband has accepted full responsibility and is honoring the parameters of
his punishment to the letter and in the spirit of the law, I feel1ike this court has been
unduly focused on my husband and our family. This has been detrimental not only to my
family, but also to the citizens of Detroit. None of us are being allowed the space or the
opportunity to heal from the events of 2008. It is harmful to my children and their overall
physical, emotional, and.mental well-being. This perpetual, misguided and unlawful
scrutiny of our farrtily is hurtful to all of us_ -
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.. -----.- .. ----------.. We-wanriTiy-husbandtcYbeaIlowedTo15ewitlfliis-famil y-:-WeVvYlnJ hini t6 be able to ---- ---.--.. - ---.. -. ---- ..
.. - -- work to support us and payoff his restitution: We want a chance to heaL
In the beginning of this process there was the overarching proclamation that my husband
\\'as going to be "treated like anyone else" who was in the judicjal system_ Quite the
opposite has happened thus far. We have been abused by this court and have been treated
far from fair or just.
Carlita E_ Kilpatrick
5/4/2010