Let me see if I get this straight. The mother has had to apply for an order of protection in the past concerning BRANDON GASKINS, the father of her two young daughters. The couple is no longer together. Yet mom is apparently required to bring these little girls (one is still a baby) to visit their father. Well, "an argument ensued" while she was at his home (translation from the passive tense: Daddy started picking a fight), so he violently shook the three-year-old and threw her into the wall. (The little girl says that her father "kicked" her into the wall, and that she was "scared of him," as naturally she would be.) Daddy Darling threatened to beat the mother if she told the police. Mom would now like her order of protection reinstated.
And while we're at it, I think it would be nice if Daddy's visitation and custodial rights were severed permanently, too. But this being Indiana, home of a very active fathers rights/white supremacist faction, I'm not holding my breath.
I pray this does not turn into one of those cases where a child is killed, and all the clueless idiots sob what a "tragedy" the whole thing was, and how Daddy seemed like "a nice guy."
This story is one of those red flag cases that should be taken seriously, but seldom are.
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/local-man-arrested-for-child-abuse-
Local man arrested for child abuse
Updated: Tuesday, 01 Jun 2010, 10:59 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 01 Jun 2010, 10:59 AM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) -
A child abuse investigation began at 5000 block of Orange Street, where 20-year-old mother reported an her 3-year-old daughter was being abused.
The woman told police that she took her 3-year-old and 9-month-old daughters to visit their father, 22-year-old Brandon Gaskins. The woman told the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department that an argument ensued between herself and Gaskins before he proceeded to shake their three-year-old and throw her to the floor. The child said that her father ‘kicked’ her to the wall with his hands, and she was scared of him.
The mother informed police that Brandon threatened to beat her if she called them. Gaskins was arrested in the 1000 block of Spencer Avenue shortly after 10 Sunday evening.
The mother stated that she had a protection order lifted in April and would like it reinstated.