Fred Martinez's Monitor

"An Un-verifiable “Tip” Set the [Texas] Child Protective Services in Motion"

A RARE MOMENT OF JUSTICE
Posted by TRM in Thursday, May 22nd 2008
Topics: Communism, News, Opinion, Politics, Socialism
Tags: Yearning for Zion Ranch
Outrage was the feeling I had when heavily armed law enforcement officers moved on the citizens of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, YFZ Ranch. An un-verifiable “tip” set the Child Protective Services in motion to rip apart the lives of several hundred American Citizens.

Today, a baby step in the right direction was made, and now we should all hope with every cell in our bodies, that those responsible (CPS) are held accountable and the rest of the country takes a long hard look at the power we’ve surrendered to an agency that only serves the most sinister of ends while disguising itself as crusaders for child welfare.

The state agency tasked with protecting children from abuse failed to demonstrate that the more than 460 youngsters seized from a polygamist compound in West Texas were in imminent danger and overreached its authority by taking them from their families, an appeals court ruled Thursday. More here

Getting past what you and I may think was or wasn’t going on at the ranch, this is a prime example of liberalism and it’s diseased attack dogs called CPS, given far too much power.





CPS performance was questioned by workers from the Hill Country Community Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center. One wrote “I have never seen women and children treated this poorly, not to mention their civil rights being disregarded in this manner” after assisting at the emergency shelter. Others who were previously forbidden to discuss conditions working with CPS later produced unsigned written reports expressed anger at the CPS traumatizing the children, and disregarding rights of mothers who appeared to be good parents of healthy, well-behaved children. CPS threatened some MHMR workers with arrest, and the entire mental health support was dismissed the second week due to being “too compassionate.” Workers believed poor sanitary conditions at the shelter allowed respiratory infections and chicken pox to spread.

If there is substantiated cases of abuse then by all means, proper methods should be utilized to investigate and prosecute if warranted. But to allow this evil agency to effectively override the entire legal system, when most are armed with only 80 hours of training, should have you all furious and called to action to behead any government agency operating in this manner on our dime no less.

Brenda Scott has called for reform in CPS:

“1. State statutes need to be revised to more precisely define abuse and neglect.

2. Anonymous tips should not be considered grounds for intervention….

3. Every interrogation of a child should be video taped in its entirety, and a copy of that tape should be made immediately available to the defendant. CPS workers should not be allowed to badger the child, relentlessly pursuing an accusation….

4. The use of polygraphs, penile plethysmographs, anatomical dolls, and aggressive questioning should be banned….

5. Confidentiality laws are being abused to protect CPS from proper investigation. These laws should only limit revealing the names of the parties involved….

6. There must be accountability within the system. Independent review boards should be set up in each state to hear complaints from parents and other parties who have been accused….

7. Child protective agencies should be stripped of their police powers. If an initial screening of a complaint indicates that further investigation is warranted, then the case should be turned over to police officers trained in objective investigation. At all times, the rights of the accused, as well as the alleged victim, should be respected.

8. Children should only be removed from their homes if their physical safety is seriously jeopardized by remaining home during the investigative stage. Family preservation should be attempted in all but the most violent cases….

9. In the case of a charge of sexual abuse, if the accused parent leaves the house, the child should be allowed to remain in the home, in the custody of the other parent.

10. If a child is removed from the home, relatives should receive first consideration for foster care….

11. While in foster care, daily phone calls and visits should be allowed….

12. Children in foster care should be placed as close to home as possible, and siblings should be placed together whenever possible….

13. Eliminate the policy of some counties to require therapy for everyone entering the system….

14. Eliminate standard strip-search as part of the initial interview. Children are horribly traumatized by being stripped, photographed, and poked at by a stranger….

15. Instruct that CPS will operate under an assumption of innocence until guilt is proven….

16. The charge of educational neglect should be dropped.

17. CPS should not be allowed to order separations or divorce without a hearing….

18. No name should be placed on the Central Registry until he or she has willingly confessed to abuse or until he or she has been found guilty….

19. Allow the accused the right to choose his own counsel, his experts, and review all the evidence.

20. Require higher educational requirements of therapists and social workers and stricter standards for foster homes….

“The current CPS system is morally bankrupt, and drastic changes are required to protect children and families.”

Get past the emotional aspect of it for a moment, and think, “what if this happened to me”?

There, I said it.

[http://www.dequalss.com/wp/2008/05/a-rare-moment-of-justice/]

posted by Fred Martinez @ 11:46 PM