By John Schafer – Director, Grandparents’ Rights Association of the USA
What happens when the state decides it is better at parenting than parents and family? Very seldom anything good. The only people I have ever talked to, who believe the state can do a better job, work for the state. We have here, just one example of what does happen when the state does what the state does. While you read this, recall the words of Ronald Reagan; “The scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help”.
A grandmother in Detroit, Michigan, had just won custody of her granddaughter, so, she needed to go to St. Louis, Missouri, to actually pick up the 23 month old girl and exercise her legally binding order. When she arrived at the house, that wonderful decision maker, the state, stepped in. When she was not allowed to take the child, the police were called, and because the court order was not from a Missouri court, they did nothing. Also, in spite of seeing a valid order, Social Services did nothing. A date was set for a Missouri court hearing, but before that could happen, a precious, 23 month old child was murdered by her step father, and the mother knew what was happening.
Now that the all knowing state has proven what a good job IT does at decision making, what happens now? It is too late to help this little one, but what about thousands of others? The Social Services systems in all states have serious problems. It’s a badly broken system that needs to be either fixed, or rebuilt from the top down, from scratch and with new management, and new rules and laws. There are so many problems in so many places, the second option would most likely be the easiest, and least expensive plan. Why is new management needed? That’s easy, look at the great job the current people are doing. Ah, but just try to see what is really going on. These agencies operate on Federal funding and using the excuse of protecting the privacy of the children, are completely secret about what they do, and HOW they do it. Even with a Freedom of Information Request, DSS will not release any real numbers on child deaths while in custody, or any other numbers that might be used to cast the agency in a bad light. Don’t believe it? Try it yourself, and see what happens.
In the case of this particular child had the grandmother been allowed to be what a court had already decided she should be, she would be alive today. Here are the links to the two news stories about this crime committed by the state of Missouri.
http://fox2now.com/2014/02/11/police-investigating-childs-death/
http://fox2now.com/2014/02/12/grandmother-says-she-tried-to-get-custody-of-murdered-toddler/
According to Missouri Case Net, this case 1422-PR00050 – JABRIA TANAE PHILLIPS MINOR (E-CASE) shows the following entry
| 01/23/2014 | Order | ||
| Order allowing Petitioner to proceed in forma pauperis. | |||
Of course no further entries will be necessary, because thanks to the inaction, or mis-action on the part of the St. Louis Police and Missouri DSS, the child is now dead.
If we want things like this to stop happening, it is time for American Grandparents and families to demand the laws be changed. Families are being destroyed and this is partly how it is being done. Laws that do not allow family members to step in and protect children when they are needed immediately.
