Activists Call For Firing Of Prosecutor In Tanya McDowell Case

More than 13,000 Change.org members have signed a petition telling Norwalk, Connecticut to drop charges against Tanya McDowell, a homeless woman who's being prosecuted for sending her son to the "wrong" school. But now, the people behind the petition are saying that dropping the charges against McDowell isn't enough - the prosecutor who brought the charges, Suzanne Vieux, should be fired.

Anthony Crisci, the Norwalk community organizer who started the petition, said initially, it wasn't clear where exactly the charges against McDowell - which he calls "senseless" - came from.

"We later found out that this action was orchestrated mainly by the State Attorney's office, and particularly by Assistant State's Attorney Suzanne Vieux," said Crisci. "We felt that Vieux's handling of the case was not only irrational, but an arrogant waste of taxpayers' dollars."

Jessica Kutch, Director of Economic Justice organizing at Change.org, says the lawyers and prosecutors she's talked to have been outraged by the case, with one even calling it "disgraceful." Tanya McDowell, a homeless mother, could face up to 20 years in jail and pay more than $16,000 for registering her son for kindergarten in Norwalk's school district, where they did not live, using her babysitter's address. Federal law requires public schools to enroll homeless students.

"We've spoken to public defenders who've told us that this case is ridiculous - not to mention, flawed - and should be dropped. Vieux's decision to continue pursuing this case is a waste of taxpayer money," said Kutch.

Crisci was drawn to the case after reading about it online, he told Change.org.

"After reading the details of the case and realizing that this was going on in my hometown and current city of residence I was outraged," said Crisci. "I thought it was an embarrassment to Norwalk and wanted to do everything I could to help."

Crisci isn't the only one who's had a strong reaction after hearing about McDowell's case. State lawmaker Bruce Morris, who represents Norwalk, says this case demonstrates the educational inequality in his state.

"She wanted to see to it that her child was given a great education," Morris told Connecticut's News Times. "Education is the equalizer. Equal access to education is the civil rights issue of today and it's something that needs to be addressed across all borders. Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the country."

Even the governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, has spoken sympathetically about McDowell's case.

"Gov. Malloy's heart goes out to Ms. McDowell, and, as a parent, he understands her instinct to want a better life for her child," Colleen Flanagan, the governor's spokesperson told the News Times. "As she is involved in an ongoing legal matter, he cannot comment further on the specifics of her case."