...You Should Be (A Tale about KLS)

Hello, 

My name is Kristi Clark. I am writing this in attempt to shed light on how poorly victims are treated by our legal system here in Sedgwick County. My goal is to stand, be a voice - and hopefully have enough people hear me to make a difference for those who are abused and brave enough to come forward after. There is a systemic issue with the current justice system, and it is not okay. However, I understand that I cannot make a formal complaint about the system as a whole. My complaint today is about Rhonda Sullivan and how severely rude and unreasonably she handled my case. 

In short, my wife was very abusive. In January of 2024, she physically abused me bad enough that I was put on required medical leave from work for nearly 6 weeks due to the severe concussion inflicted by the beating. Through that process I filed a PFA. In confusion, and honestly not in full capacity of thinking clearly enough to make such big decisions, I settled on a no contact order verses a finalized PFA. The Kansas Legal Services representative presented it as.....you can go for a finalized PFA, but you will have to have a trial (no one explained what trial meant, which I now have a much better understanding of - I truly thought a full on jury trial), you risk upsetting your abuser and ultimately risk them retaliating and coming after you only to hurt you worse. So, I really wouldn't recommend that "for your safety" BUT you can just simply agree to a no contact order, she still can't contact you, but it will be so much easier on you (which I now am enlightened to understand what that meant was easier for the courts to not have to deal with the process of a PFA trial and to have less paperwork). I agreed to the no contact order. 

Weeks following as my brain healed, I regretted that decision. My wife tried to kill me, and a simple no contact order is not what would have kept me most safe. I did press charges, and she has since been convicted of domestic battery, unlawful restraint and preventing a victim from contacting authorities. In May, she did break the no contact order. Upon receiving her text message, I contacted her sister and best friend to check on her and filed contempt of court. The first court hearing, I was not in any way notified of when the hearing was. Because of this, I was not present for court and the charges for contempt were completely dropped - still never to my knowledge. The ONLY reason I found out it was dismissed was because I advocated enough for myself to follow up with Kansas Legal Services, who then informed me. I had to refile the contempt of court - I once again was NOT notified of the court date or hearing time by the county for a second time. But because of the last experience I had, I followed up with Kansas Legal Services and obtained the court hearing time and date on my own. 

The hearing was July 25th, 2024. Rhonda Sullivan, the managing attorney in Sedgwick County is who pulled my file. From the start of sitting down to speak with me her tone was belittling and rude. Kansas Legal Services once again tried to bulldoze me into a corner of just agreeing with what was easiest for them. She wanted me to dismiss the contempt if there was an agreeance that my abuser did not contact me for the next 90 days and then basically nothing is recorded on file and it goes away. Let me point out, that the pre-standing no contact order was already in place longer than 90 days. How that conclusion of my abuser breaking the law was supposed to be comforting, I am still baffled by. Rhonda Sullivan continued to inform me that there could be jail time if I didn't want to agree with that and did want to do a hearing, however, judges very very rarely put these cases in jail, so there really was no reason to go that route. I simply asked what all my options were. I asked if I would be able to finalize the PFA, since the no contact order had been broken. She told me I would NOT be able to file for a finalized PFA because my abuser was in the military. When I responded to her that I know that isn't true, she got incredibly defensive, audibly raised her voice and began to dismiss me. I asked if I could go in the hallway and discuss the options with my mom, who had accompanied me that day. She agreed and when we joined my mother, Rhonda Sullivan looked at my mom and in short told her - you two should just dismiss this contempt of court and any other option wasn't relevant. She was very hard, very rude and very disrespectful. She looked at me, no - actually she glared at me and asked in an annoyed tone what I wanted to do. I asked her to lower her voice because she was being disrespectful. She responded that I was the rude one and working with me was why she was speaking that way. I again asked her "ma'am please lower your voice so I can understand my options" She again asked me what I wanted - my response was that the last time I was standing in this same spot making a decision, I felt bull dozed by the system and agreed to something I wish I hadn't. What I wanted was to understand all of my options before just agreeing to a dismissal. What I want is for the court system NOT to make victims feel even more victimized by the Kansas Legal Services employee that is supposed to be representing them. 

At that point, she said I am telling the judge that you have chosen to represent yourself and she stormed off. My mom and I stood there dumbfounded. I said to my mom, but I didn't agree to anything. My mom said in Rhonda Sullivan’s direction "ma'am we didn't agree to anything, we still don't understand our options." Miss Sullivan's response was to yell toward our direction, from about 30 feet away, "I DO NOT CARE" Not only was it unprofessional and rude, it drew the attention of every single person standing in the courtroom AND the lobby - including my abuser's friends and family that were there that day. There was a lady sitting at a table a few feet away from us and she recognized how absolutely and mind-blowingly awful we were treated, that she came over to us and apologized that we had been spoken to like that. She too was in shock of what had taken place in front of her. Especially from a managing attorney that is supposed to be representing and supporting victims to feel safe. She was so appalled she gave me her full name and contact number and told me that if I needed a witness to confirm what happened - she would be happy to help. 

I was then taken up in front of a judge. I was told Kansas Legal Services completely withdrew any help or representation from me and that I would have to defend myself. To say that I was lost, confused, shocked, and whiplashed would be an understatement. I told the judge it wasn't even my choice to be there alone in that moment, as I never agreed to represent myself. I asked if he could please explain to me what was going on because the Kansas Legal Services representative had done nothing to help me understand my rights. My mom was standing beside me and did tell the judge that we were very mistreated and were just trying to ask questions to understand. The judge looked at my mother and said "well, that isn't my problem, that's yours" I looked the judge in his eyes and said - "you are right, it is not your problem. It is a systemic problem of the legal system that victims get treated this way." I then had a paper shoved in front of me to sign and honestly, I signed it because it was very clear that no one from Kansas Legal Services was going to be of any help in ensuring my safety and I was given no other option to be able to leave the courtroom that day. 

It is absolutely grotesque to me that victims of abuse - the few of us that are brave enough to even press charges or file a PFA - are treated so poorly...and honestly, abused once again by the system and "legal representation" that is supposed to be supporting us. This whole process has been absolutely appalling. It makes sense to me now, why violence is such an issue. Abusers get more support than victims. And the victims are either treated like just another number, gaslighted by the system, or in my experience put down and abused even further. 

There is much much more to this story. Re-telling it through writing is a minute representation of how mistreated I was by Rhonda Sullivan. I am asking and seeking justice for this behavior. Nothing about this has any morsel of being okay and I cannot stand by and allow the managing attorney of Kansas Legal Services to continue to abuse more victims when we are already incredibly broken down, lost and genuinely seeking help, answers and support. 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read this. I do understand that the courts are incredibly overloaded - that however, is no excuse for the people who are supposed to be protecting us, to abandon us if we do not just sit pretty, keep our mouths shut, not ask questions and do what takes less paperwork for them at the end of the day. 

I will stand up - not for just me, but for all the women that need someone to stand. To stand up for them. To stand up beside them. Or to just simply stand and say that it is NOT okay to be so poorly and severely mistreated by anyone, no matter what setting it is in. 

Kristi Clark 

In the wise words of Taylor Swift "Who's afraid of little old me?

.....you should be." 

 

Thank you, Bella

   I joined as a cat/kitten foster volunteer for the Wichita Animal Action League (WAAL) in April 2024. It was a few months after my now ex-wife had beaten me pretty brutally. Through my recovery, I found that my heart was calling me to help saves lives. I thought to myself, Kristi - you are lucky to be here, what do you want to do with it? I quickly got online and found WAAL. 

   I love being a foster. I say it so much, I am sure I annoy a few....but that doesn't bother me, because being a foster is proudly one of my favorite things to be. These animals have been more of a blessing and a lesson than I ever could have imagined signing up for. They each teach me. All different, all impactful and all very beautiful. This, however, is not a story about a cat. This is a story about Bella, the one accidental dog foster that found her way to me. 

   I was at dinner with my nana and my brother, and as I walked to the car I got a phone call. I actually answered, which if you know me, you know that doesn't happen too often. I am a believer in the saying, if you want to get ahold of me, text me. But I did answer this call. It was a friend and his mom had found what she at first thought was a baby kitten in her backyard. What that kitten turned out to be was a tiny 3lb puppy. My foster heart kicked in and I asked for her number and her address. I picked up that tiny, scared, abandoned little baby that same night and gave her a name. 

   Bella was special, she grew on me quickly. I recall calling one of the WAAL directors after I had had Bella for a bit and cried and cried and CRIED to her on the phone. I told her how in love I had fallen with this dog. And after her being abandoned and so scared - but now had a place she came to know as home and someone that loved her endlessly - how the actual FUCK was I supposed to put her up for adoption. I didn't want Bella to feel abandoned again. I didn't want her to think I gave up on her. I didn't want the trust she had given me to be betrayed. Thank god for the WONDERFUL WAAL employee I called. She talked me off a ledge. Amy did nothing but comfort, support and encourage me for all I was doing for Bella. When I got off the phone I cried some more and then started to realize, I was talking about Bella, but I was also talking about me. I have also felt tiny, scared and abandoned. I realized, this little dog was teaching me. 

    And she certainly did. Bella taught me a lot of things in the few months I had her, but the most beautiful thing she taught me was love. I realized I was crying because I didn't want her to ever feel like I was giving up on her. I was crying because I realized I shouldn’t give up on me. Tears were streaming because I could tell when I got Bella she had been abused. She was timid, hesitant and scared, but she was open to trusting me. Bella and I, we found our strength after abuse together. We found ourselves through watching each other. Her heart and her spunk taught me that there is happiness after terrible experiences. I like to think I taught her that too. She taught me that sometimes there are people (and animals) worthy of trust. She softened my heart in learning to trust her and watching her learn how to trust me. She taught me that sometimes there are rare moments in life that actually put you exactly where you are supposed to be. After trauma, after being left alone and scared- after fighting to get to the other side....Bella, you ultimately helped me re-find me, by showing me that my heart was still capable of love. I will never be able to thank her enough for that. 

   I did adopt her out, to the most AMAZING family. She was loved just as much as she was with me, and I dare to say even more spoiled. She was a true princess and she had found her worthy throne. I reached out to the adopter a couple months ago and discovered devasting news. Bella, my sweet strong beautiful girl, had been taken from us too soon. 

    To say I was torn in two is an understatement. Even now, months after, I sit here typing barely able to read the words through falling tears. Bella was the biggest influence in my life of rehabilitation and recovery after abuse. How could she be gone? I've sat with this question almost daily since my discovery and I do not have an answer. But what I do know is this, though her life short as it was, it was meaningful. She impacted me deeply, she helped me heal, she facilitated so much of how I have grown since abuse. She is part of why I am who I am today. 

   My sweet Bella girl, if I could talk to you now, I would tell you all this. You were the only accidental foster I ever had, likely the only dog foster that will be in my home - but sweet girl, you gave me more than I ever could have asked for. My heart mourns for you, my stomach twist and throat catches through the tears. If I could talk to you now, if I only got a couple words, they would be "thank you." 

   Thank you for teaching me that there is life beyond abuse. Thank you for teaching me that not only am I capable of love, I am capable of being loved. Thank you for guiding me into finding my spunk inside of yours. Thank you for showing, giving and teaching me trust. Thank you for your kisses and your cuddles and your goofiness. Thank you for the smiles and the laughter and the memories. But most of all thank you for being you. Foster mom will never forget you, baby girl. 

   Thank you, Bella, for everything.