NATIONWIDE CLASS-ACTION LAW SUITS BEGIN!!!

[AS WELL AS, OTHER LAWSUITS AGAINST THE CURRENT CHILD "WELFARE" SYSTEM]

[Lawsuit #1 - NEVADA]

National Center for Youth Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tracy Schroth, NCYL

August 30, 2006

National Center for Youth Law Files Lawsuit in Nevada to Improve Child Welfare System, Las Vegas

The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) filed a class action lawsuit today against Nevada Gov. Kenneth C. Guinn, state Health and Human Services Director Michael Willden, and Clark County officials for failing to protect the health and safety of children in Clark County’s child welfare system. The suit charges the defendants with causing serious harm to many children in the system, and calls for sweeping, system-wide reform. The county is responsible for the welfare of more than 3,600 children.

“Virtually every aspect of the county’s child protective services and foster care system is failing the children and youth it is charged with protecting,” according to plaintiffs’ complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas by NCYL and the law firm of Wolfenzon Schulman, co-counsel in the case.

During the past several years, the county’s failures have resulted in harm to an untold number of children:

#1: A recent state report indicates that since 2002, at least 79 children have died of abuse or neglect at the hands of their parents, foster parents, or other caregivers while under the watch of Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS). These victims include children who were left at home or in a foster placement after a substantiated report of abuse.
#2: A series of federal, state, and county reports have documented the county’s failure to protect child abuse victims and children in foster care. This documentation includes a letter from federal officials to state DHHS Director Michael Willden stating that “the manner in which the continuum of child welfare services is managed in Clark County should be a grave concern to the State.”
#3: For years, the county child welfare system has continuously avoided scrutiny by hiding “behind a veil of confidentiality meant to protect children and families, but which the county has used to shield itself from oversight and criticism,” according to plaintiffs’ complaint. For example, the county continues to violate federal law requiring public disclosure of findings and information about child abuse victims who have died or suffered near fatalities. Nevada and its counties receive millions of dollars in federal funds to provide child welfare services and are, therefore, required to comply with federal mandates. According to the complaint, Nevada spent more than $79 million on child welfare services in 2004, of which $44 million was federal money. The lawsuit identifies the following systemic problems with the Clark County child welfare system:

a) Severe overcrowding and unsafe conditions at Child Haven – an unlicensed child care facility. The facility houses infants and young children with older children with serious behavioral problems, posing a danger to the younger children; has children sleeping on floors and in gymnasiums, and fails to meet the mental health and other medical needs of children
b) High caseloads and inadequate child protective services caseworker training
c) Inadequate investigations of child abuse reports, resulting in children being left in dangerous situations
d) Insufficient foster parent recruitment efforts, inappropriate placements, lack of foster parent training or preparation, and little or no support or monitoring of foster parents.
e) Lack of responsiveness to complaints of children being abused or neglected in foster placements. At the same time, the county retaliates against foster parents who advocate for services or disagree with the agency’s plan for the child.
f) Lack of representation for children in dependency court proceedings
g) Failure to provide appropriate educational services

“The suffering of these children has gone on long enough. For years, state and county officials have known of the serious deficiencies in the system and the resulting harm to children, and yet the situation keeps getting worse” said Bill Grimm of the National Center for Youth Law and lead counsel on the case. “The lives of thousands of children are literally hanging in the balance.”

The National Center for Youth Law, based in Oakland, CA, is a national non-profit law center that advocates for poor children. Wolfenzon Schulman is a private law firm with offices in Las Vegas, Reno, San Diego, and Phoenix.
# # #

For more information about the National Center for Youth Law, please visit their website at www.youthlaw.org

The information above was taken from a Press Release from the NCYL. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle that lost a child due to the unconstitutional acts of Child Protective Services, and you would like to join and/or support others also affected by CPS, PLEASE visit www.squidoo.com/abolishcps/ (scroll down to Get Involved!!!). Thank you in advance for your participation!

[Lawsuit #2 - California]

Robert R. Powell

PRESS RELEASE

November 27th, 2006

The Law Offices Of Robert R. Powell will be holding a press conference at 6:30 p.m. on November 27th, 2006, at the Clarion Hotel, located at 1355 North Fourth Street, in San Jose, California regarding the death of Jaime Ceballos while in foster care with Monterey County on November 27th, 2005.

The Law Offices Of Robert R. Powell will be filing a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Northern California (San Jose) on the 27th of November, seeking damages for the wrongful death of Jaime on behalf of Megan Allen, Jaime's mother. The complaint also alleges the unlawful removal of Jaime and his three siblings from Ms. Allen by Monterey County Child Protection Services social workers.

At two years of age, Jaime and his siblings were removed from their mother after Ms. Allen contacted the police to make a report about allegations by daughter that she had been molested in some manner by a family relative. There were no allegations of abuse by mother of any kind.

After the children's removal by Monterey CPS, they were placed in a foster home, where Jaime was later found deceased in a hallway of the home on November 27th, 2005. At the time of his death, Jaime had multiple bruises all over his body, a depression of his skull from some unknown blunt force trauma, and had suffered a series of blows to his abdominal area, with one or more blows delivered with enough force to tear his colon and rupture other internal organs. He died a slow agonizing death, without receiving any medical treatment. Amazingly, the Monterey County Sheriff concluded the death was "accidental."

Jamie's sister had been removed from the home not long prior to Jaime's death for alleged abuse against her by the foster parents which was deemed "substantiated," and CPS had received numerous complaints of abuse of the children, not only from the mother, to whom the children reported abuse during visitations and revealed visible marks of their injuries to visitation supervisors, but also from third party witnesses, including neighbors of the foster family.

In addition, Jaime and his siblings were placed in a foster home that was carrying more than the allowable number of children under state law, and was not properly licensed and/or qualified for providing services to "special needs" children, a description Monterey CPS executives have claimed fit Jaime at the time of his death.

When Jaime was found in the hallway of the foster family's home early on the morning of November 27th, 2005, no attempts were made to resuscitate the child.

To contact the office handling this case, please send your letters to:

Robert R. Powell
925 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95126

The Kidnapping of Geneva Johnson

The kidnapping of this then 13-year-old child is a Must Read!!!

An order of removal was signed to remove my niece Geneva Johnson from the premises of her grandmother Annie Lackey on 2/2/05 base on a lie by an ACS case worker (Angelica Reyes). It was determined that an emergency removal was necessary because the case worker claimed that her grandmother exhibits bizarre behavior; and the absence of furniture in her home with the exception of a dresser and a few chairs.

Supervising Judge Susan Knipps of family court (60 Lafayette st) signed the emergency removal order for Geneva Johnson with insufficient proof and no professional testimony, no legal representation or examination of the alleged victim who was 13 at the time. In fact on 2/3/05 the next day the Judge did not allow Geneva to speak in court, and her Law guardian (Natalie Albert) did not represent Geneva’s best interest in court concerning the innocence of her grandmother. Instead they plotted to place her into a DRC facility and have her mentally evaluated and medicated. The Judge violated Family court act 1028 by directing Ms. Lackey’s newly appointed attorney Ms. Baronoff not to have the 72 hour hearing that she is entitled to get Geneva back home.

In fact no family resource was contacted nor were any services offered as required by the NYS family court act to avoid removal of Geneva or placement into foster care. Ms. Lackey and Geneva are both dedicated Christians of Jehovah witnesses and neither has any history of mental illness, abuse or criminal activity. On 2/17/05 I went to family court with the hopes to get Geneva placed into my care until this tragedy passed over. I was informed by Angelica Reyes and Natalie Albert: “that the only way I can get Geneva placed into my custody is to go thru an ICPC which can take upwards from anywhere to 3 to 6 months and until then she will have to remain in foster care.”

I knew what they were telling me did not make any sense; we’re living in America, and the law cannot possibly be that screwed up, I remembered reasoning to my self. I next challenged the allegations against my mother and asked for an explanation. I was informed that my mother was believed to be mentally ill and my niece was removed for imminent risk to life and health. I immediately asked for their proof to this ridiculous allegation and they replied it was confidential and that I’m not a party to this case (docket no: N-1301/05 NYS family court 60 Lafayette st.)

The Judge informed my mother that she and Geneva will have to see the court psychiatrist to determine her mental status if she wants her granddaughter back. Ms. Lackey never has been to a clinical psychiatrist, thus without professional diagnosis what is the basis for the Judge to account for an assessment? Ms. Lackey will not comply with the Judge’s wishes because it’s obvious that the courts doctors will find an unfavorable diagnosis to support the courts claims especially since the removable was done on very deliberate and questionable grounds. The burden of proof should fall on the accuser not the accused.

On 3/24/05 Elvis Liburd and Robert Griffith of the dept. of social services petitioned the Supreme Court ex parte motion part (index 400985/05) for an order to gain access into Ms. Lackey’s home. They claimed that she was mentally impaired and exhibits psychotic, paranoid, schizophrenic behavior and that she has auditory hallucinations amongst other things. On 3/30/05 Mr. Griffith and 6 NYPD officers and a psychiatrist showed up at Ms. Lackey’s residence in a failed attempt to force my mother into psychiatric care. I immediately went down to confront Mr. Griffith about the fictitious claim he bought against my mother and threatened the dept. of Social Services with a lawsuit. They later dropped their case against my mother (foajm.2645851). I later discovered that I can apply for legal guardianship for Geneva; a right that was deliberately withheld from me by ACS, family court and Geneva’s law guardian.

On 6/13/05 I was denied the right to file for legal guardianship for my niece Geneva by family court clerk Thomas O’Connor who I immediately reported to the inspector general office with no satisfaction till this date in writing. During Geneva’s stay in foster care, ACS has failed to enroll her into school or provide home schooling for her. In fact Geneva has been neglected and abused in most of the foster homes they placed her in; all her cries for help fell upon deaf ears when those crimes were properly reported to ACS officials, her law guardian, and the mayor’s office. I have even written to the Governor’s office, John Mattingly (ACS), the Mayor, various politicians and all law enforcement agencies on her behalf and explained in full detail about the seriousness of the crimes and the abuse that she is suffering each day; nobody did anything.

Geneva grew tired of the educational neglect and the lack of help she was receiving from those who were supposed to be protecting her. It really bothered her that she has been to court more than 18 times and was not allowed to have a voice in court from the Judge even though she is now 14 years old. She was concerned as to why her fact finding hearing did not start as of yet and she grew weary of the psychological conditioning that they were subjecting on her each day. Geneva decided to leave ACS custody after a failed rape attempt at one of their facilities. She returned back to the safety of her family late in the summer of 2005 to escape the many abuses she endured during her tenure in ACS care.

On 12/19/05 ACS workers Sophia Nunez, Michael Navas and 6 officers from NYPD came to Ms. Lackey’s residents and forcibly removed Geneva, painfully handcuffing her in the process while refusing to present or leave the court order they claim they had to justify their actions. Geneva knew she had to get away from this callous agency that did nothing but abuse her and try to force medication on her. She returned home to her Grandmother the next day and went to the hospital for her sore wrist and shortness of breath and filed a complaint against the police officers. A little over a week later on the 28th ACS worker Charles Emanuel along with officers from NYPD Came to Ms. Lackeys home to remove Geneva. This time Ms. Lackey refuse to open the door until they show their court order, instead they chose to break down the door and swarm into her apartment. P.O. Pitts (shield # 2457) threatened to shoot Ms. Lackey on the spot if she moved and ordered her to shut up and get off the phone. Ms. Lackey refused because she was calling for help. The officers began to push her around and then P.O. Cano (shield # 8153) pulled the phone wire out of the wall then pushed Ms. Lackey who is 64 years old out into her hallway barefoot.

Geneva was in the bathroom taking a bath when this entire ruckus started. She was frozen and very scared and did not want to leave her grandmother. Geneva was ordered out the bathroom by the responding officers and she informed them that she was in the bathtub. Next, under Sgt. Caruso command, a Swat team from the 19th precinct with laser guided weapons and full body armor bust down the door and pulled Geneva NAKED out of the tub in full view of the 20 or more police officer’s and the ACS worker, all who were MEN. The officers then painfully handcuffed Geneva and wrapped some sheets around her out of the linen closets and marched her away barefoot in the dead of winter crying like she’s a savage animal or some crazed killer. Next, they took her to Metropolitan Hospital where they injected her with some type of medication while she is still handcuffed with her hands behind her back. Then they put her into a straight jacket and placed her into a psych ward at a DRC facility on 17th street & 2nd ave. The cowardly, thuggish and terrorizing actions of the police officers were reported to the civilian complaint review board (case # 200515422), Internal Affairs, the Mayors office, the Governors office, Don Mattingly (ACS), Robert Morgenthau-District Attorney, FBI, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and a host of others. Nobody did anything but just let the case die down.

Geneva continued to stand firm and returned home to her grandmother on the 30th of December, 2 days after her tragic ordeal. She wrote letters to the Mayor pleading for help, and got nothing, no satisfaction, not even a reply. On 5/7/06 they came back again and took her upstate and locked her up in some type of mental institution. Why is New York City government protecting ACS and Family Court for the obvious crimes they have committed? How many innocent children and parents are subjected to psychiatric evaluation; and are unnecessarily administered mood- stabilizing drugs as a condition to retain the rights of their children?

ACS and Family court is being run like a plantation. It’s a profit-driven industry, a subtle continuation of institutionalized slavery which violates the 13th amendment against slavery and involuntary servitude. Family court has been used to “legalize” this racketeering scheme to rubber stamp ACS state sponsored child & family abuse/neglect cases, and terrorize & subdue underprivileged mothers and their children; mostly Afro-American and Latino. What do they want with Geneva so badly? She did not commit a crime so why do they treat her so? Why are they not educating her? Is this some type of behavior modification experimentation? Why are these individuals being allowed to operate like a secret cult with total impunity within our government?

Constituents of New York please VOICE your OUTRAGE. Today they are targeting mother’s that are considered underprivileged, tomorrow it may be your kids. Please stand up and make the guilty party accountable for their crimes. This is CHILD ABUSE of the worst kind. Please make copies of this document and help pass the word. Their strength is in their concealment. My niece is being used as a sacrificial lamb for their sadistic experiments; and she needs your help. Please make this case public!

For your convenience, simply click on the title above "The Kidnapping of Geneva Johnson" and you will automatically be redirected to a petition -- PLEASE sign it! We are also asking that you sign the following petition, as well: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/492374273.?ltl=1156924805

For additional ways to get involved, please visit www.squidoo.com/abolishcps/ and scroll down to Get Involved!!!

And These Are the People Watching Our Children!

A Santa Clarita California attorney allegedly used the Internet to solicit sex from teenaged girls, as we have seen oh too often on Dateline lately. By the way, has anyone conducted an investigation into the lives of the pedophiles nabbed by Dateline and Perverted Justice, during their many episodes of To Catch a Predator? I personally would like to see some honest and true, unbiased investigative reporting into the home life of these predators. I guarantee you, MANY of them are licensed foster care providers or live in the home with licensed providers and OUR children! I sure hope Dateline will follow through and report on the TRUE lives of the teachers, homeland security officers, religious leaders, emergency room physicians, actors, group and mental health counselors, sunday school teachers, airport security officers, EMT workers, government employees, etc. that were caught in its dragnet. If you would like to see a list and photo of these child predators, please visit: http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=6785&z=3&p=. I would also like to know how many of their own were caught but the public will never know about – I’m sure being a cop has its advantages!

A Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles County sentenced 45 year old Arthur Crabtree, an attorney, ex-Glendale California Cop, and “family law specialist,” to five-years and eight-months in prison. This while being allowed to remain out on $100,000 bail while awaiting trial. I am familiar with a domestic violence case, in which the male perpetrator was held on $500,000 bail … and this was a domestic violence case, not child molestation! Can you believe that Ole Crabby received a lighter sentence than my then nine-year-old son who was allegedly slapped in the face while in an apartment he did not even live in! (please see: http://abolishcps.blogspot.com/2006/06/call-to-action-my-personal-story.html). This guy gets less than ten years after allegedly committing very heinous crimes against children, but receives less time than me and my son ... and we were clearly victims of several crimes, to which we had no control over. Lets face it, a crime is still a crime if committed by an alleged perpetrator or subsequently by those sworn to serve and protect ... i.e., a corrupt and crooked police officer and/or social worker(s).

Although Arthur was convicted of five felony counts and five misdemeanor counts, he received less time than most drug dealers, burglars, and petty thieves. There are a few cases worth reading when examining the injustice and unfairness when issuing sentences in our California courts -- number one, the guy serving a 50 year sentence for stealing about $150 worth of video tapes from Kmart. The second is the guy in prison for life because he stole a slice of pizza ... not even the whole pizza, but a slice! To read about these two cases and other issues caused by California's broad sentencing laws, please visit Three strikes and You're Out at http://www.threestrikes.org/smct_0.html. And lets not overlook the battered woman who has spent the last 27 years in prison on Failure to Protect charges because HER BOYFRIEND killed one of her two daughters (see: http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/USATODAY/2005/05/27/871163?extID=10026). Or the mom who lost her son because HER BOYFRIEND allegedly slapped the child while they were visiting the boyfriends apartment (once again, read my personal story ... link provided above). And most disturbingly, Arthur received less time than the thousands of innocent children forced into foster care to serve out their entire childhood! If anything, he should have been given extra time due to the esteemed positions he held in the community as Cop and Family Law Specialist.

Now unless I missed some REALLY important legislation here in California … the last time I checked California was still a three-strikes and YOU'RE OUT state! If someone out there in cyber land is familiar with three-strike laws, please enlighten me. Until then, I will assume that this pedophile in sheep’s clothing … or should I say ex-badge wearing, certified family law ‘specialist,’ will now be able to get out and become a re-offender a few more times before the state of California strikes him out.

According to the Pasadena Weekly (see: http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=3108&IssueNum=3), Arthur may have even molested his own adopted niece! I wonder if this girl was one of many “abused and/or neglected” foster children BLESSED to find an educated and affluent “forever family.” I strongly recommend that you visit this link because it gives very graphic details of Arthur's acts. I would also be interested in finding out what happened to Arthur’s two sons … were they under aged at the time? If so, did the police and CPS immediately step in and remove the children from their home to protect their "welfare and safety?" I am willing to bet the answer to this question is a resounding NO! Why? Not only was Arthur an attorney, ex-cop, and family law specialist … but his wife was a police sergeant with the Glendale police department. Did I also mention that Arthur was chief executive of California Professional Realty in Santa Clarita, according to published reports -- sorry, I almost forgot to mention this. So you see, the Crabtrees were pillars of the community!

When you visit the Pasadena Weekly web site, please pay close attention to paragraphs 18 and 19. Just in case you decide to forgo visiting the site, I will summarize the two paragraphs. Another Glendale sergeant, who was also an attorney and shared an office with Arthur, ran a pornographic web site out of the Glendale Police Department’s watch commander’s office. And what do you think happened to THIS officer/attorney? Let me tell you … he received a 12-day suspension and has since been promoted to head the department’s internal affairs division! This mimics CPS in that the more crooked and corrupt the social workers are, the quicker they seem to climb the ranks and are promoted to supervisor or manager. Perhaps this is the old ‘scratch my back, and I’ll scratch your back.’ It appears that regularly committing felony perjury in juvenile court, violating county, state, and federal laws, and turning a blind-eye to the internal, criminal mechanisms of CPS is not just desirable but encouraged and rewarded.

Arthur being the lying attorney that he is, defended his alleged illegal actions once busted by an undercover cop by saying “he knew he was dealing with the police but wanted to taunt them.” Well, I guess he taunted them enough to bring him up on charges! Arthur’s defense attorney defended his client’s actions by saying that he “was angry over the manner in which his police career ended.” Arthur resigned, according to published reports, in 2001 due to harassment charges filed by female colleagues – this case cost the city nearly $4 million.

After sentencing, Arthur’s attorney allegedly told the Associated Press that if his client would like to file an appeal, “I’ll give it to him, if he wants to file it”… hint, hint, you’re an attorney, file it yourself! If this statement was actually made, I see Ole Crabby having legitimate grounds for appeal. Who knows, the now convicted pedophile may get out of prison even earlier!

To view the related published report, simply click on this stories title above or visit http://www.metnews.com/articles/2006/crab072006.htm. Also, if you visit the link to the LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com/ci_4067815), you will see the following: Ex-Cop Given Prison Term, however, the content item you have requested is no longer available. I tell you … the privileges of being an attorney! Anyone in cyber land know how long it takes to disbar this guy?

TMajor
www.squidoo.com/abolishcps/

If you believe that foster care should be reserved for children that are orphaned, or have TRULY been abandoned by their parents and ALL extended family members; If you believe that children in foster care should actually be victims of abuse and/or neglect, once proven by a judge and jury NOT a social worker with a God complex; If you believe in the Constitution and civil rights for all, no matter what their economic, social, or cultural group may be – Please sign the petitions referenced at www.squidoo.com/abolishcps/ (scroll down to Get Involved!!!). Thank you in advance for your participation!