JOHN L. SMITH: Affidavits paint a disturbing picture of Texas Child
Protective Services
JOHN L. SMITH
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19483449.html
They're people you probably don't know and couldn't be expected to
understand. You might even despise their way of life and system of belief.
But they're American citizens with all the rights guaranteed the rest of
us, and that's why today dozens of women and children associated with
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are no
longer enduring what one social worker described as conditions
experienced by "prisoners of war."
In San Angelo, Judge Barbara Walther ordered the return of more than 440
children to their parents following the Texas Supreme Court's ruling
that authorities overreached when they rounded up hundreds of women and
children during a *** abuse investigation at the sect's communal
compound. As isolated as they might be, they're still protected under
the law.
Affidavits collected in the case paint a disturbing picture of Texas
Child Protective Services. On April 8, Linda Werlein was called to San
Angelo, where authorities were holding the mothers and children taken in
the raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch. As chief executive officer of
the Hill Country Community Mental Health Mental Retardation Center,
Werlein brought a dozen social workers with her.
Much of what she was told by CPS officials turned out to be wrong.
Werlein was astounded by the conditions they were forced to endure by
professionals who herded them onto buses and ****pped them to Wells Fargo
Pavilion. Although officials noted some of the children had "historic
physical injuries" such as healed broken bones, which may be a sign of
child abuse, Werlein's perception was very different.
"We were told, among other things, that we needed to be careful around
the FLDS mothers, that the mothers will not look us in the eye when they
address us, that they wear very expensive clothing, and that they will
refuse to talk to us unless their attorneys are present," she wrote in
her affidavit. "My staff and I soon learned that each and everything
that we were told was either inaccurate or untrue. In fact, the FLDS
women and children were very personable, would speak freely with us,
wore clothes that they had made themselves, and were very open with the
MHMR staff. Most of all, I was struck by what wonderful mothers they
were."
She continued, "Frequently, my staff and I would have to intercede on
the part of the mothers and children; in order to get many of their
basic needs met. Many of the children were getting sick due to the poor
quality of food they were given. ... There were several other concerns
about the living conditions that concerned me; including, lack of
blankets, the fact that for two weeks children had to play on concrete
floors, children were interrogated for several hours at a time (and
given little food), mothers had to bathe babies in buckets (only after
MHMR could obtain them for the mothers), and the women had no shower
facilities for the first few days of their detention. Because the MHMR
workers tried to improve these conditions for the mothers and children,
CPS workers labeled us as 'sympathizers.'"
In statement after statement, MHMR workers detailed inappropriate
behavior: not by the FLDS mothers and children, but by the CPS officials.
MHMR director of nursing Wanda Brown said, "These women and children
show absolutely no signs of abuse. The only signs of abuse I saw took
place in the Pavilion where these women and children being held like
prisoners of war. They were forced into these crammed shelters, the
children were split from their mothers, CPS had no plan to correct the
family split. ...
"The living conditions were terrible. At first there was only one
bathroom for all of these people. Teenage boys were forced to share the
bathroom with women, teenage girls, and all of the infants. ...
Furthermore, there were no showers for the first few days that I was
there. ... Despite the allegations made by CPS, I never saw one woman
under the age of 17 who was pregnant."
Rounding up innocent "victims" and treating them like prisoners -- all
in the name of justice.
When a system designed to help children and families -- even families we
don't understand -- does more harm than good, it's time to change the
system.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
E-mail him at Smith@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or call (702) 383-0295.
An Inconvenient Truth about Child Protective Services, Foster care, and
the Child Protection "INDUSTRY"
Child Protective Services Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of CPS.
every parent should read the free handbook from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Wa****ngton. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Physical Abuse CPS/Foster care 160, biological Parents 59
***ual Abuse CPS/Foster care 112, biological Parents 13
Neglect CPS/Foster care 410, biological Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS/Foster care 14 biological Parents 12
Fatalities CPS/Foster care 6.4, biological Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and ***ual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
THIS IS AMERICA'S HIDDEN HOLOCAUST
Currently Child Protective Services violates more constitutionally
guaranteed liberties & civil rights on a daily basis then all other
agencies combined, Including the National Security agency/Central
intelligence agency wiretaping programs…
THE CORRUPT BUSINESS OF CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
BY: Nancy Schaefer Senator, 50th District of Georgia
http://www.senatornancyschaefer.com/articles.php?filter=6
This is Child Protection?
By Gregory A. Hession, J.D.
http://www.jbs.org/node/4632
Mercenary Motherhood: "Memoirs of a Babystealer."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-callahan16oct16,0,5019944.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
FOSTER CARE IS A 80 PERCENT FAILURE:. A Brief Analysis of the Casey
Family Programs. Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. By Richard Wexler
http://www.nccpr.org/re****ts/cfpanalysis.doc
HOW THE WAR AGAINST CHILD ABUSE BECAME A WAR AGAINST CHILDREN
http://www.nccpr.org/issues/1.html
Adoption Bonuses: The Money Behind the Madness
DSS and affiliates rewarded for breaking up families
By Nev Moore Massachusetts News
http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm
A recent study has found that 12-18 months after leaving foster care:
30% of the nation’s homeless are former foster children.
27% of the males and 10% of the females had been incarcerated
33% were receiving public assistance
37% had not finished high school
2% receive a college degree
50% were unemployed
Children in foster care are three to six times more likely than children
not in care to have emotional, behavioral and developmental problems,
including conduct disorders, depression, difficulties in school and
impaired social relation****ps. Some experts estimate that about 30% of
the children in care have marked or severe emotional problems. Various
studies have indicated that children and young people in foster care
tend to have limited education and job skills, perform poorly in school
compared to children who are not in foster care, lag behind in their
education by at least one year, and have lower educational attainment
than the general population.
*Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Sup****t
80 percent of prison inmates have been through the foster care system.
The highest ranking federal official in charge of foster care, Wade Horn
of the Department of Health and Human Services, is a former child
psychologist who says the foster care system is a giant mess and should
just be blown up.
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2017991
Four rigorous studies have found that at least 30 percent of America’s
foster children could be home right now if their parents had decent
housing.
This study found thousands of children already in foster care who would
have done better had child protection agencies not taken them away in
the first place.
Front-page story in USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-02-foster-study_N.htm?csp=34#Close
Read the studies online.
Casey "alumni" study: "Improving Family Foster Care: Findings from the
Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study,"
www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/NorthwestAlumniStudy.htm
MIT study: "Child Protection and Child Outcomes: Measuring the Effects
of Foster Care,"
www.mit.edu/~jjdoyle/doyle_fosterlt_march07_aer.pdf
Texas comptroller's "Forgotten Children" re****ts:
www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren
The bottom line? - Child Protective Services and the Foster Care system
for the most part turns out young adults that are nothing more than
walking wreckage...
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CONSTITUTIONALLY
GUARANTEED LIBERTIES & CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER
AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLI****NG CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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