Father camping out by courthouse, advertising rally

Story here. Excerpt:

'RACINE - A father who thinks the family court system has let him down is planning to host a rally for fathers' rights on the Racine County Courthouse steps.

Ricardo Martinez, 34, of Racine, says he is expecting 150 people to join him at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

"It's not right," said Martinez. "This cannot be right what they are doing to men. There is no equality."

When Martinez and his ex-wife divorced, joint custody was granted for their six- and seven-year-old sons, he said. His time with them was supposed to be on Wednesdays, some weekends and holidays.

Since he has become an advocate for father's rights, Martinez said he has had even less contact with his children. His complaints about the situation have fallen on deaf ears, he claims.

"I'm stuck with a system that doesn't want to help me," he said.

Unemployed and evicted from where he was living, Martinez said he has been sleeping on the lawn of the courthouse at 730 Washington Ave., sometimes in a tent, draped with a sign announcing the rally.

The Journal Times was unable to contact Martinez' ex-wife for comment.
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"The bottom line is: all we're asking is to be treated equally," said Steve Blake, the president of Dads of Wisconsin, a statewide nonprofit advocacy group based out of Oxford. "If we could get enough people to show up at a rally like this, it would be helpful."'