Jerry Hall stood out front of the Wills Eye Surgery Center parking lot on Saturday, September 8, participating in a political rally for the first time in his life.

“I voted in big elections but I was never politically active,” he said. “Like most people I never realized how important it (politics) is to people like me-everybody really.”

His eyes were opened, however when quite unexpectedly, he was sucked into the bureaucratic system through an incident at his daughter’s middle school when a guidance counselor contacted the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) and reported “emotional abuse.”

“I never knew there were such laws,” said a somber Hall. “I certainly never imagined that me or my wife would fall under them and be considered guilty before even having a chance to speak for ourselves by some stranger that meet with us for 10 minutes.”

So after spending more than $20,000 to defend himself and his wife from what he refers to as “the intrusions of DYFS” in to their lives, risking jail and watching his cancer-stricken wife live under “constant fear and stress from DYFS,” he is fighting back.

He said he was encouraged by the story in this newspaper about Sen. Cafiero saying that maybe it was time to investigate how things are handled by DYFS.

“I thought maybe this guy cares and will help. I didn’t even know who my senator was before this,” Hall said. “Now I even know the freeholders and sent them all letters.”

He and his wife put together a petition calling for reforms within DYFS and the legal system dealing with parents and children and set about with other interested parties to gather signatures.

So far the entire group has about 1,100 and Debbie Hall said, “It is growing every day.” Some people tell her they would like to sign but are afraid because they have small children and fear reprisal from DYFS.

“Isn’t that terrible? People terrified of their own government,” Jerry said, shaking his head.

The second incident that motivated him to “contact every elected official or person running for office” beginning with the Saturday event, at which Bret Schundler was stumping for the governor’s position, happened recently.

Hall said it’s the arrogance and the unaccountability that has pushed him to become more politically active.

He waited until the political stumping was over before he approached Cafiero, who was standing next to Schundler.

“Senator, I’d like to present this petition to you on behalf of myself and other parents who are suffering because of DYFS,” he said to him.

Hall has rented a Post Office Box for other families to contact him with their DYFS experiences. “It’s P.O. Box 640, Cape May, N.J. 08204,” he said to the Republican politicians.

Schundler thanked him and Cafiero took him over to talk to Assemblymen Jack Gibson and Nick Asselta, who were also there.

Then Jerry walked back to his van, the one with the signs, declaring (The Degradation of Youth and the Family Sanctuary - Protect Your Children from DYFS) and got in, promising to be on the look out for the next political rally in this election year.