KIDS TO PROTEST OVER MICA BLOCK SCANDAL AT DAIL
CHILDREN of families affected by the mica building block scandal are to protest outside the Dail on Wednesday.
Up to 50 children from schools across Donegal will converge on the gates of Leinster House.
The children, who are from all ages and from both primary and secondary schools, want to have their voices heard.
They have all written letters telling their own personal stories.
Bed
Some of their homes have had to be demolished already while others say they hear the cracks going through the walls at night when they are in bed.
They will all tell how the defective blocks which built their houses have caused them so much hardship at such young ages.
The children will gather at the gates of Leinster House at 11.30am and hand their letters in.
The group are also demanding that various politicians including Taoiseach Micheal Martin come out and speak with the children.
A spokesperson for the mica group said: “These children are being ignored and their voices are not getting heard.
“We have written to Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Education Norma Foley and to Taoiseach Michael Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan requesting they meet these children at the gates of the Dail to accept their letters.
Stop
“It is time for our government to listen to the voices of our mica children.
“It is time to stop ignoring the future generation of our county and our country.”
The Government is currently considering demands by thousands of affected homeowners for a 100 per cent redress scheme.
CHERYL Love had just woken, and her husband of 30 years Bobby was still asleep in bed when a hammering shook their front door.
A dozen FBI agents and police officers burst in, shoving Cheryl aside and handcuffing Bobby. When she protested, an FBI agent held her back, saying: “You don’t know who this man is!”
As she looked on, Bobby hung his head, and told her: “This goes way back, Cheryl. Back before I met you.” It was only then she learned that her Church preacher husband, the father of her four children, was a convicted armed bank robber and escaped prisoner on the run for 40 years, living a lie in New York under a fake name.
Bobby was hauled off to prison in handcuffs to serve his remaining time on a 25-to-30 year armed robbery sentence. But Cheryl never turned her back on him, or hated him for his crimes and deceit.
Instead, her love for her husband, willingness to forgive, and impassioned campaign to win his freedom from prison, became an inspiring love story that captivated America.
Their extraordinary tale sparked an acclaimed online blog, which is being made into a TV series by Scandal star Kerry Washington, and is now fully revealed in their new book, The Redemption of Bobby Love, which has just been published.
Robber
“It’s true that love conquers all,” says Bobby, now 70. “Cheryl stood by me when any other woman might have run. She fought for my release from prison, and she made me a better man.”
Cheryl (58), doesn’t argue. “The power of love heals all wounds,” she says. “We’re stronger now than we ever were.”