Help Melody Fight for Her Children

While many inmates have been released due to the threat of COVID-19, a mother who ran with her children to escape sex trafficking languishes in prison. We've established this campaign to help Melody Bannister get out of jail, get back on her feet, and go rescue her children once again. 

Melody Bannister of Stafford, Virginia, first reported her children's story of horrific abuse at the hands of their father and grandfather to police on June 13, 2019. Contrary to widespread reports, Stafford County police failed to investigate the matter beyond a few cursory interviews. When authorities failed to protect them, Melody, Genevieve, Janelle, Vivienne, and Peter left home on a planned vacation to escape their alleged abusers. After some weeks on the road, they relocated to Alabama, where they established residency a safe distance from Bill Bannister, the children's father.


A court battle over the children ensued: in Virginia, Bill Bannister sought full custody of the children, despite the fact that he and Melody were still married and neither had filed for divorce. Melody, for her part, sought a Protection From Abuse order in Alabama, which the judge granted. She then sought a hearing to establish the Alabama court's jurisdiction over the case and to further protect her children. But on August 20, 2019, Judge Pamela Wilson Cousins, who had previously granted the PFA order, refused to look at any evidence. This included lengthy interviews of the children by a licensed forensic psychologist, journal entries from the children spanning several years of alleged abuse, two separate forensic interviews of Melody herself, and a statement from the therapist who had worked with Melody for many months prior establishing her sanity and stability. Instead, Judge Cousins deferred to Judge Julian W. Johnson of Virginia, who stripped Melody of all parental rights and awarded Bill Bannister sole custody of their children. The grounds: Bill Bannister's wholly unfounded and categorically refuted claim that Melody was mentally unstable.


Rather than submit to a corrupt ruling that would consign her children to the worst threat she could imagine, Melody broke the law. She and the kids ran and went into hiding for seven months. Over the course of that time, Melody documented her children's account of abuse on her blog, Millstones of Justice. A petition was taken up appealing to officials in Virginia and Alabama to pursue justice and safety for the Bannister children; it amassed over 46,000 signatures. One safe house after another was provided, and Melody even homeschooled her children while on the run. Meanwhile, Melody's lawyer, Sam McLure, pursued legal justice in Alabama, submitting the case to the court of appeals. As of April 13, 2020, that case has yet to come before the judges.


On February 12, 2020, U.S. Marshals discovered and arrested Melody Bannister at a gas station in Plainfield, Indiana. All four children were with her, safe and sound. They were placed in CPS care in Stafford, Virginia, where their father has contact with them. Melody was imprisoned at Hendricks County Jail and has not been able to see or speak with her children since.


Melody has now been incarcerated for over 60 days, despite being a prime candidate for bail: she is non-violent, no longer a flight risk, and has no criminal record. She also has no income, and she is in need of financial support to sustain her legal fees, send correspondence from prison, and even purchase the most basic necessities.


By donating to this cause, you can help bring Melody justice and assist her in the fight to save her children. Please contribute whatever you can, and share this campaign with your friends and family. No mother should be punished for believing her children and doing whatever is necessary to protect them.

https://millstonesofjustice.wordpress.com/

#freeMelody

#savetheBannisterchildren