How interesting. I was just having a look at the list where the highest percentage of children who are taken away from their parents and I see that all of these states are states which are mentioned often enough during "Election Season."

I moved away from the USA 10-years ago. I knew as a kid that there was something wrong. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. It seemed that the neighborhood used to be a great place to live. I flew home to see my parents about four years ago. It felt different. It isn't home anymore.

The homes are falling apart. The people dress like one might expect a homeless person to dress. They are hopeless and unhappy. The steel mill in Cleveland shut down. There is crime and homelessness. The mortgage crisis doesn't help. I wouldn't move back for anything in the world. I used to think the USA was a great land.

Desegregation, mistrust and all the laws, which regulate so much, causes much tension in poor neighborhoods. What will it be like in 20-years when our children grow up? I do not like the technocratical childbirth norm in the USA. I had all three of my children at home. The experience was empowering.

I hope the problems in America will be worked out. Every member of my immediate family holds a GED certificate. I was the only graduate and the only one to make something of myself. I feel so sorry for their weaknesses. I wish that people like them had taken schooling more serious. You have to play by the game rules in America. If you don't play by the rules you will be imprisoned. That's my opinion. Honest people hardly have a chance. I wonder what life is like in rural areas and if the children are also frequently taken away?

What of the Amish people; the ones who live naturally or homeschoolers and mothers who choose home birthing? Who fits the profile? What has to happen in order for them to get involved? Seems like Russia or East Germany. You know, they ratted each other out. They were so poor, they would actually call up on their neighbor and get them in trouble with the law if they were doing something out of line. Those people would be promptly arrested and interrogated! I've seen many documentaries. Psychological wars!

Well, my heart goes out to you; all of the people who have to fight to keep their children. Giving birth isn't enough...you have to fight daily for custody of your flesh and blood offspring. They expect women to work (we cannot be only a Mother) and they take the kids early on for "educating" them in their system. Pre-school!

When does it end?

~Sabrina

Labels: Cleveland, CPS, natural childbirth, Ohio, parental rights, poverty

A hundred years ago in institutions, anonymity left many at the mercy of the powerful and hidden from the view of society. Today that anonymity is reincarnated under the guise of confidentiality and the siren song of a right to privacy. I believe that confidentiality does not serve the disabled and disadvantaged, but rather serves to maintain the power of the "professionals."

The best interests of those like my brother, who has Downs Syndrome and my adopted son, who had Reactive Attachment Disorder, are served by complete openness in everything that involves them. For my brother and son to be fully genuine and free in who they are, they must be in plain view to the society at large. The reality of our existence must be visible, regardless of our situation, for any of us to be truly genuine and free in who we are, and for others around us to really connect and accept us as ourselves. Human worth is intrinsic and equal for all regardless of individual circumstance. There is no shame in how God made us or in the circumstances that befall us, but only in how we then exercise our freedom of choice in response.

The bureaucracy of those who describe themselves as the "caring professions," thrives out of the sight of the general population and holds "non-professionals" to a standard to which the bureaucracy exempts itself. The "professionals" seem infected with an arrogance born of a of lack accountability. In the internet age, websites like "Kidjacked" help shine the light of accountability into the dark corners of the bureaucratic machine. However, there is also "Sunshine" that can be brought to bear in the form of Public Records Laws and Open Meetings Acts.

Public Records Acts

Many states have "Sunshine Laws" that allow citizens to delve into the workings of the bureaucratic machine. Public Records Acts and Open Meetings Laws are important tools when dealing with the power differential that parents, foster parents, and adoptive parents often face. There are large limitations to what information is available to the citizenry, because "Sunshine Laws" often list many exemptions of information involving children and of trial preparation records. However, receipt of agency policy manuals and other general information can shrink the power differential by holding bureaucrats accountable to the laws as they were written.

When I first searched for - Sunshine Laws Ohio - on the internet, the two most useful references that came up were the applicable law itself, Ohio Revised Code 149.43, and the State Attorney General's "Ohio Sunshine Laws Update." The Ohio Publics Records Act is a short code that is straight forward and easy to read. The "Ohio Sunshine Laws Update" explains the law by answering questions to both basic and more complex questions in a manner that is assessable. It also provides case law citations included in the answers to the questions someone using the law might have.

Unraveling a Mystery

In Huron County Ohio, where the Gravelle's live, Public Records were useful in unraveling the story of how county officials handled the case of a disabled man and his sixty-six year old mother, who was charged for purportedly threatening staff at a sheltered workshop for the disabled. The case caught my attention in a story in the newspaper and since something did not seem right, I was prompted into checking what facts could be gleaned. The story can be found here.

Public Records requests provided the court records of the case, the police interrogation CD recording, the police incident reports, the sworn statements of witnesses, the fact that Mrs. Dennison's Public Defender was a former President of the Board for the staff that had made the charges, and that the staff of the sheltered workshop were allowed into the jail to see the woman when her family and pastor were not.

The basics of the situation, as I understand them, are that management at the County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) wanted to commit Shirley Dennison's son to a state institution rather than do the work necessary to provide for his needs. Mrs. Dennison did not want this to happen since she had bad experiences with a state institution when her son was a child. Mrs. Dennison's signature as guardian was required for the commitment, but the state institution could not know she was against the plan, or they would refuse the placement of her son.

Mrs. Dennison finally agreed to sign the papers after being told that if she did not sign to commit her son, then the funding for his care would be stopped. (The Medicaid funding could not be stopped and there are at least two mechanisms to increase funding if her son's needs had increased.) However, she wanted to go along with her son to show support and planned to sign the commitment papers while at the institution.

Staff at the workshop spent the week prior to the placement trying to secure her signature without her going to the institution. Those efforts culminated on 11/2/07 with multiple phone calls until finally Mrs. Dennison left her house to get away from the harassment. She was then called on her cell phone while shopping and finally became angry telling staff to leave her alone and that she wanted to be rid of all of them.

The staff then called the police and said that Mrs. Dennison had threatened to shoot them. Mrs. Dennison was interviewed by police at her home when she returned from shopping and was eventually arrested on a felony charge of inciting panic at the workshop, although the call to police was not a 911 call. One of the staff witnesses said Mrs. Dennison was blowing smoke and that she made threats to no other staff, but a staff supervisor conflicts that statement and yet stated she was really concerned about the day Mrs. Dennison's son was to be placed in the institution rather than the present.

The sworn statement of the first staff member also said the purported threat was toward someone who was never interviewed. Combine that conflicted picture with the counsel of Mrs. Dennison's Public Defender, who was a former Huron County Board President with a son in the system, and an initial felony charge of a powerless and nearly destitute woman can almost confidentially find its way through the court system in thirteen days.

I had called the Public Defender's Office before leaving for an out of state trip to tell Ms. Dennison's Public Defender that I had documentation that addressed workshop staff credibility. I was told that her attorney had yet to be assigned. I was also told that nothing would happen in the case until after my return and I could show her attorney my information at that time. When I returned not only had the case been completed, but Ms. Dennison's son was in the state institution. Further, the workshop Superintendent's admission to see Ms. Dennison while she was in jail on a charge forwarded by workshop staff, when the case was still pending, is troubling (particularly when Ms. Dennison's family and pastor were refused access).

These types of conflicts of interest definitely need a dose of "Sunshine." I urge anyone reading this to look into their own state's Sunshine Laws and to do all they can to shine the light of truth into similar ethically outrageous situations.

Mrs. Dennison's son has returned to his home, but I do not know if his return was based on the institution's assessment that he shouldn't be there, or because of the pressure that the pursuit of the facts has generated. I do know that people concerned with the power wielded by the "professionals" in the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities field and the child protective bureaucracy should use all means available to inform the general public, and thereby create greater accountability.

Sincerely,
David Cook

Ohio Laws for Citizens

• What You Should Know about Ohio's "Sunshine Laws"
• Understanding Ohio's Sunshine Law
• Ohio Sunshine Laws 2008
• Ohio Sunshine Project
• Ohio's Public Records Law

Labels: FOIA, Huron County, Ohio, Open Records, Sunshine Law

Portage County OH Update from Family Defense Network of Ohio

Here is the latest update on the Portage County case where a rookie social worker ripped an eleven-year-old girl from her parents because she had a "black eye" and a "bruise" on her back. Even after proving that the black eye occurred in gymnastics class, and the so-called "bruise" was a birthmark the girl had on her back since birth, the DCFS still has the girl in foster care.

As usual, the truth doesn't matter to social services. When the mom sent me a synopsis of what had happened during the past several days, she wrote, "You will not believe what they pulled today... Well, you probably will, but not anybody else." Believe it folks, here are some of the shenanigans going on in Portage County.

The Ohio revised code demands that when a child is taken from their parents by social services, the DCFS must first attempt to place that child with a relative, if there is one available. If the social worker decides that the relative is unfit, then they must submit to the court, in writing, why the child is not being placed with that relative. The actual law reads as follows:

§ 2151.314 Detention or shelter care hearing.

(B)(2) The court shall determine whether there are any relatives of the child who are willing to be temporary custodians of the child. If any relative is willing to be a temporary custodian, the child would otherwise be placed or retained in shelter care, and the appointment is appropriate, the court shall appoint the relative as temporary custodian of the child, unless the court appoints another relative as temporary custodian.

If it determines that the appointment of a relative as custodian would not be appropriate, it shall issue a written opinion setting forth the reasons for its determination and give a copy of the opinion to all parties and to the guardian ad litem of the child.

Here is another example of how the law means nothing to social workers. When the parent's attorney submitted a request that the dad's brother and sister in law be assigned as custodians of the girl while the case was pending, social services started their antics.

First, social workers went to the uncle and aunt's home and did a white-glove inspection. Then they did their background checks. When they could find nothing wrong, they insisted that an inspection needed to be conducted by the fire marshall, an electrical inspection was required, and the water needed to be tested for safety. And it all had to be done within 24-hours!

So the aunt and uncle went to work. They got the inspections the social workers demanded and had their water tested to make sure it was safe for human consumption. Well, that didn't satisfy the social workers. The social workers told the prospective custodians that they needed to come to the house themselves and draw the water to have it tested (the implication being that the aunt and uncle "switched" vials, much like a dishonest drug addict at a random urine test). So that test was conducted, and walla... the water was safe.

So after jumping through all of the hoops like little puppies trying to please their master, everyone found out today that social services never intended on placing the girl with the aunt and uncle. Can you guess why? (Keep your paper bag handy, you can either use it to keep from hyperventilating or you can barf in it).

The reason the girl was not placed with the aunt and uncle is because they do not believe the girl was abused by the parents!

You may as well take the entire Ohio Revised Code and throw it right out the window with these people. They didn’t bother to submit their reason in writing, either. But then again, did any one of us expect them to follow the rules?

Detective Robert R. Surgenor (Retired)
Family Defense Network of Ohio
Office Box 26348 Cleveland, Ohio 44126
Phone: (800) 438-8277

Labels: child abuse, CPS, FDNO, Ohio, Portage County

Sharon Gravelle responds via e-mail to questions that were asked of her. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the original e-mail, only her response. But it sheds a great deal of light on the proceedings and answers some questions, which have been asked here.

I don't care if you post articles about Elaine Thompson but remember she is the only social worker that I know who left CPS and went out on her own because of the corruption within the agencies. She is also the only social worker we ever found to help us without drugging our children.

The only reason she is being charged is because she came to our defense in the court and then Russ Leffler the Huron county prosecutor made the public statement that "some people don't know when to keep their mouths shut" and that is why he charged her with all those counts.

Russ Leffler is also making it known that he will not charge the Huron county social workers and the sheriffs who lied and made falsified statements to get a search warrant. In the signed affidavit it as stated that the beds were 24"x18"x30" and locked -- in order to obtain the search warrant. To add insult to injury Judge Earl McGimpsey suppressed the fact that the search warrant was illegal and that the county officials lied to obtain it during the trial and refused to allow testimony to that effect.

They falsified documents, lied in the depositions, juvenile and criminal trials in order to take the kids. The prosecutor was heard in the bank across from the court bad mouthing the Gravelles and the judge... he has done this since the case broke and the judge did nothing to him.

Russ Leffler even yelled during the criminal trial that Michael Gravelle should not try to represent Moses leading the people out of Egypt but since it is CHRISTmas Michael should try for a Jesus complex....again the judge did nothing. Russ was in the hall during court breaks calling Michael's lawyer a motherf--er and also told him to go f--k himself, when Drucker asked him why he was doing this.

When Drucker asked Leffler why he was not separating the prosecution's witnesses Russ Leffler (prosecutor) began to crow loudly outside the court room doors like a chicken. The list of injustices goes on and on and on and when they take our "internationally televised" case and win then there is not much hope for those that follow us in court.

I also have a two-hour video with retired FBI investigator Donald Parsons, who knows the corruption in Huron county and names the people---prosecutors, judges, lawyers, etc. who are involved in these cover-ups and I don't know how to air the thing.

I was even told by one of the people that taped the DVD that the cameraman was going to sell it - maybe even to the county for a profit to keep it from being aired. I have seen the DVD and it certainly does name corrupt county workers, prosecutors, judges, etc. but how do I get it on the air?

I have had several organizations tell me that if we just don't take a plea then they will be there for us... at least until they had Michael's biological daughter get on the stand and testify that he molested her... and they have signed documents to prove it. I have seen the documents and they were not signed by him. But those will never be shown to the public will they? We tried to get a copy of the police investigators report, where it states that allegations were unsubstantiated but the policeman has since retired and the "paperwork" is in a cardboard box somewhere in the evidence room and no one has the time or inclination to find it.

All the evidence we have to prove ourselves innocent is in a box somewhere or the prosecutor will hold it until after the case is over.

He did that in 1993 and sent a man to jail for murder even though all the evidence says James was innocent. The prosecutor Russ Leffler even admitted in the media that he forged subpoenas to get medical records and then when asked by the same Judge McGimpsey about it, Leffler said, "It doesn't matter because I didn't use the records to convict James.

This is the same corrupt system we are fighting now.

This is the same prosecutor that said he doesn't care if Huron County social workers or sheriff's department lied or falsified records. Now the commissioners are saying they are proud of their workers and the head of CPS said he is proud of his workers and will not file any charges against them.

By the way the head of CPS (DJFS here) is also being charged with sexual harassment again. I think this is the 3rd time if I have been told correctly.

Here is one for you -- I was told by someone out of the county engineer's office about how many felonies and misdemeanors I would be charged with before the trial was even over. I was also told by some of the people who work with some of the jurors that #162 was going to get on the jury to make sure we get put into cages -- he made the jury.

One juror told a friend of mine that he was an alternate before, he was "randomly" drawn by the judge, with the use of envelopes. Go figure.

Most of the jurors knew either the prosecutor, judge, social workers, or witnesses for the state or they knew several of the prosecution team but Judge McGimpsey said they could still be jurors -- a jury of impartial peers---I think not!!!

The problem for us now is that sentencing is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. and I have no way to show the DVD nor can I expose any of this without the money or time that an appeal would afford us.

So, remember that Elaine Thompson was on our side and fighting to help the Gravelles and keep the family together. oh! They also came to take our kids after being informed by CPS that she was on a plane to Paris so they came as she was getting on the plane -- do you think that is coincidence? I could write all night, if you have any way to get a DVD online let me know.

Sharen

More Information

• Watch the Two-hour video
• Watch The Real 'Children in Cages' Story

The Gravelle's need $4,000, in order to start their appeal. The family has received $2,200, toward that goal, as of Feb. 26, 2007. Please consider donating to their defense.

You can show your support for the Gravelle family by sending a donation in any amount to:
Gravelle Family Defense Fund at Key Bank,
11 West Main Street,
Wakeman, Ohio 44889
Phone: (440) 839-2555

Labels: cages, CPS, Gravelle, Huron County Court, Ohio

Many people are wanting to blame Huron County social services, but for the wrong reasons. To put it very simply, the highly trained social services people did not suspect criminal activity by the Gravelles because they witnessed no abuse.

The case started as a media circus, with countless anti-Gravelle people jumping on the bandwagon for publicity sake. The sheriff, prosecutor, sundry case workers, guardians, the local/national media, and even the judge started seeing "cages" when there were none.

I visited the Gravelles and saw homemade, artistically decorated bunk beds which had doors that were added to do the obvious (obvious to everyone except Huron County's powers that be) - protect the children. Paid expert witnesses were bussed in by the hundreds, it seems, to prove how much more they loved the children, who no one but the Gravelles could care for.

There are too many contradictions in this case to mention: improper search warrants; inaccurate description of the bunk beds; not cages; very questionable children's testimonies; faulting the Gravelles instead of Huron County Job and Family Services; the media frenzy; expert witnesses who have been proven to distort and exaggerate such cases since the infamous McMartin daycare case in California; the children diagnosed as developmentally disabled and then, suddenly, they were not so disabled.

The Gravelles should have been commended, not convicted, for taking on such an overwhelming task.

If the HCJFS had noticed or heard or witnessed anything that indicated abuse of the children, they could have conferenced with the Gravelles - who even hired their own personal social worker for oversight - instead of running like the proverbial bulls in the China shop led by antihero, prosecutor Leffler.

The fact is that the Gravelles took care of children under the watchful eye of those people who know more about parenting than even parents, the HCJFS, and gave them a home when no one else would.

Prosecutor Leffler certainly reminds me of the prosecutor who falsely indicted the Duke Lacrosse students on frivolous charges in Durham, North Carolina. The jury was naturally mesmerized for the "sake of the children," and did not give the Gravelles any benefit of the doubt. May I even suggest that some jurors had to get home on time for Christmas, and that the prosecutor was hurried to visit a relative overseas for the holidays?

Unless this sort of witch-hunting is stopped, other Huron County citizens can expect (and I know of some) to be proven guilty - even before a trial. The System is not working.

In Summit County, where I live, we ordinary citizens have had to be relentless in purging our Social Services. Perhaps, citizens of Huron County need to do the same.

Do not support any future levies for these people until they learn that parents have rights too. Write letters to the editor, write to State Of Ohio agencies who oversee your local social services. Complain to the Bar Association about malicious prosecutors. Elect only judges and prosecutors who have some semblance of reason and who are not easily manipulated by the status quo and social workers, and expert witnesses who have one agenda: justifying and perpetuating their employment, not justice. Get involved, or you could be next.

I have been wanting to comment on the Gravelles for some time, and have been told by some Huron County locals that the media has not been printing many of the pro Gravelle letters. Is that the case?

Sincerely,
Joe Clarke

Related Articles

• Gravelles file for acquittal
• More Gravelle News
• Gravelle Family Petition

Labels: cages, Gravelle, HCJFS, Ohio