Now let my explain my sarcastic quip above. I am coming to the belief that one of the reasons that the mental illness of “racism” is incurable is because our “racism doctors” are incompetent. You really can’t blame us for being incompetent. Where would any of us have studied racism as a psychiatric issue in order to learn how to treat it? Are there any clinical programs in “racism treatment”? Where is the “inpatient racism treatment centers” where psychiatrists would learn to love removing racism from other people’s minds?

If any of us of diagnoses another as “racist,” ask that person to tell you whether this particular case of racism is “mild,” “moderate” or “severe.” You’ll quickly find that you interlocutor is utterly unable (and uninterested) in making this distinction, which really means that the person is incompetent to make a useful diagnosis. The person is making an accusation, not a diagnosis.

When we have more diagnosis and less accusation, we might find that “racism” is more curable than we’ve been led to believe. Even alcoholics divide themselves into “high bottom” and “low bottom.”

As I hadn’t heard of this case before yesterday and don’t know everything, I’ll just go with the one thing that sticks out to me about this story (if it is correct), far more than the lack of child support and even with all the mitigating factors you’ve introduced.

17 years. He’d not seen his son (either of them, I guess?) for 17 years. Even if it comes out that he was somehow prevented (not just from the house of visitation being moved, but refusal to let him see them or something) from doing so when they were children, that doesn’t hold up for after he/they turned 18.

I don’t know what would excuse that, not just in this case but in any case (if we are applying to wider absent fatherhood, so on).

Just a question.”

Hmmm… Are these hypotheticals, or are we talking facts? Field, it’s obvious that you know more about this matter than us. I am not going to ask you to release what you know. I want you to hang on to that law license too. But I agree with Mark in that it is difficult to make a proper assessment of this story if we don’t have all the said facts.

But still, my brother, even with your hypotheticals and/or facts you threw out there, I’m still wondering why this brother would want to fight for the money now. Even if the mother didn’t allow him access to the child, how does he explain his absence once the child became an adult? This man had plenty time to recapture a relationship with his son. Why didn’t he?

Look, this story is sad all the way around. I feel sorry for the man for not getting and/or taking the time to know and love his child as a father should. I could care less about the bucks. A man is dead. Time is loss. And all the money in the world can’t replace the man or the time. He should scratch this one as a loss, and move on. Let the mother have the money. If he got the money, what purpose would it serve at this point? The fact is that he wasn’t there for his child, by his doing or the mother’s doing. So, he shouldn’t get the money.

Field, I understand that things are never as simple as they seem. But based on the information that I have in front of me, this is how I see it. And of course, Field, I see it differently from you. I’m on the outside, without inside reflections. I’m not a lawyer, I’m a counselor. And I don’t have the added benefit of having heard about this story before this week.

So, with all that being said, my opinion on the matter really doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. It’s an opinion based on loosely gathered facts and assumptions. So, that’s what I think at this point.

My nickel…

But the truth of the matter is that this story is in the public arena. The story above was taken from the Philadelphia Daily News, and I have revealed nothing about this case that is not public knowledge.

And as for why I posted it; this story has some larger issues attached to it which effects us all as people of color. The issue of the absent parent is a serious one in our community, and the lack of a father figure in our homes can have a detrimental effect on the children involved. (Although thanks to the good work of Mrs. Caldwell it wasn’t the case here)

But I KNOW one of the Caldwells personally. And you putting this story here hurts my heart for a few reasons:

1. There is nothing any of us can do…unlike the Shaquanda Cotton case.

2. The story itself is very straightforward…and the only way it doesn’t become straightforward is by you divulging other parts of the story.

3. This doesn’t deal with issues of racism, classism (both Caldwells are working class, even though both Kenny and Leon Jr. have been successful), or sexism. This is a micropolitical issue….a painful case of a former married duo.

4. I know (first hand) that regardless of the claims that Sr. is making, he was never a presence in the lives of his sons.

I am asking you to remove this story. If you aren’t willing to do that, I would strongly urge you to reframe it in a way that discussion of this intensely personal issue brings to bear larger questions.

If as you said their are 2 sides to every story but you have only presented some of the facts of the case. I dont think you can expect informed or fair assessments over this situation.

Ill say this if the father didnt make an effort to communicate with his son, then the lawsuit he is filing for his sons memorial money is outrageous and hopefully as has been said before the case will be thrown out.

I am just trying to get different opinions Nanette. I can tell from your comments and Angie’s that you think this case is a no -brainer. Still, there are two sides to every story. I am somewhat familiar with the other side of this story as well, based on some things that I have seen.

So what if I told you that he ( Mr. Caldwell) was a dishwasher earning $5.50 an hour and he couldn’t afford a lawyer to try to file for visitation of his children? And what if I told you that there was a worker’s compensation settlement claim that Mr. Caldwell had that paid off the $12,000 child support debt he owed to Elsie Caldwell?And that the $30 weekly child support order was based on Pa.R.C.P. 19.10 which took into account Mr. Caldwell’s earning capacity at the time the order was entered; would you feel the same way?

Just a question. And BTW, before someone calls me out as a sexist or something, I am playing “devil’s advocate” here, so please don’t lock me into the position I just articulated.

Peace.

I agree, it’s not even the idea of the money so much as it’s… if he couldn’t find the time or the effort to be around and to support him when the young man was growing up, or even when he was an adult, it’s too late now to find the time and effort to show up in order to profit from his death.

“But when she showed up to fill out a death certificate, she was told she wasn’t listed as next of kin for Kenny, who was unmarried and had no children.
His long-estranged father had signed the papers, seeking to be a beneficiary of his estate.”

What the hell? What kind of man is this? Is he a crack addict or something? Does he have no shame? Has he any dignity?

Of course, I believe that the judge will rule on the side of the mother. (At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.) But the judge ought to make this man pay up for the trouble that he is putting her through.

On the back in of Father’s Day we get a story like this. Lord, have mercy!