Michigan: CPS Invasion - A Homeschooling Mother Does The Right Things
Typical of Child Protective Services (CPS), two social workers showed up in a Michigan homeschool parent’s front yard with a collection of shoddy accusations. The surprised mother was in the middle of renovating a house they’d recently moved into. Though she wasn’t prepared for the surprise visit she remembered not to allow government agents into her home without a warrant.
Apparently some idiot had accused her of homeschooling, having illiterate children (ages 7 and 9), plus lack of utilities, water, heating. Homeschooling, she hastened to remind the social workers, is legal in Michigan as it is in all fifty states.
As the other trivial and spurious charges were leveled at her, she managed to deflect each of them with proof of her innocence. For example, she grabbed a bottle of antifreeze from next to the car and had them demonstrate their reading abilities. These children were reading at advanced levels, so it was clear that the person who called CPS didn’t know much about the family.
If each family could be trained to respond as wisely to a Child Protective Services investigation, most of our problems would be over. The people coming to this site after making bad decisions on how to handle a Child Protective Services investigation are the ones with problems that are difficult to resolve.
What this country needs is an intensive program of education to train parents to react to Child Protective Services investigations wisely.
Source: A Visit From CPS by Kathleen Rundle (please read this!)
One other very wise thing Ms. Rundle did was that she wrote an article about her experience and circulated it to the media. She also emailed me to let me know about her article. The fact is that the thing Child Protective Services social workers hate most is publicity. If you’re dealing with a case where you’re innocent of spurious charges, consider letting your local newspapers know. In fact, you might want to let everyone know exactly what is going on.
The public needs to know that Child Protective Services is pursuing cases that do not involve actual abuse or neglect, and that Juvenile Court judges and referees are allowing children to be taken for trivial things. They need to know their tax dollars are being wasted by the family destruction industry.
How can you let people know about your situation in a way that will make them sit up, listen, and care?
These homeschooling folks have it together. They have established an active, competent legal arm that disseminates information to their group and stands ready to answer questions and to go to bat for them.
I urge anyone with any kind of like connection, a disabled persons group (federal law makes it nearly impossible to infringe upon the rights of the disabled), a religious group, Native Americans, Senior Citizens (AARP) and any other group that you might be a part of. Research the organizations within your group and seek out whatever legal counsel those groups might offer and ask your questions now.
As much as possible, arrange to speak to parents’ groups in your neighborhoods, senior citizens groups, the PTA!, your elected assemblypersons, state senators, city council persons, congress etc. to get the word out.
Noone ever believes it can happen to “them” but no person, no family is free from this tyranny.
Maggie
Comment by MaggieC — August 22, 2008 @ 10:44 pm
On or about 11-21-07 Jessica Brewster my baby’s mother was admitted to Parkview Community Hospital due to complications related to being a diabetic and tested positive for marijuana,and gave birth on 11-25-07 to my daughter Marilyn Jenaya-tyler Brewster Glover that tested negative for any and all drugs.on 11-26-07 I Joseph K.Glover signed parental rights papers,Jessica Brewster signed a safety plan and was released from the hospital 11-28-07 at 8:00pm and proceeded to be tested which was negative.On 11-28-07 I Joseph K. glover complied to be tested also resulting in a negative result,which has been omitted from file.On 11-29-07 during a feeding visit Eve Garcia asked Jessica and Joseph to step out of the room at which time both were informed that their baby was be placed into protective custody.The actions and/or inactions Of C.S.W.III Eve Garcia were in violation of their 1st,4th,8th and 14th Amendment Rights.Eve Garcia acting under the Color of Law violated including but not limited to Title 18,U.S.C.,Section241 Conspiracy Against Rights,Title 18,U.S.C.,Section 242 Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law,Title 18,U.S.C.,Section1001 Fraud and false Statements,Joseph K.Glover has been Deliberately and indifferently treated vilolating 8th Amendment.Eve Garcia claimed that Jessica was not in conpliance of safety plan when in fact Eve Garcia is in breach of the safety plan contract.Jessica was released from the hospital at 8:00pm and the baby was taken into protective custody at 11:00am.Eve Garcia had Jessica to live with a aunt that never agreed to allow Jessica to live with her and told this to Eve Garcia.there was no exigent circumstances whatsoever to justify placing Marilyn Brewster-Glover into protective Custody.As a result of the action and/or inactions of Eve Garcia Joseph Glover has sustained irrepairable damages
Comment by Joseph K.Glover — August 31, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
I am so glad I found this site! I am a single mother, a recipient of food stamps, and I think I was targeted by nosy neighbors, a retaliating landlord, or an overzealous case worker.
I recently received a visit from CPS, and wasn’t prepared. I didn’t know I didn’t have to let her in until AFTER she finished questioning me. I didn’t realize I didn’t have to cooperate until AFTER I cooperated. The charges were, of course, unsubstantiated, but they were pitiful and not worthy of investigating in the first place.
My plan is to get my records expunged, since they were unsubstantiated. I also want to pursue prosecution of the informants, since the information they provided to CPS was false.
I also want to file a charge against CPS for not informing me of my rights until after being questioned. There should be Miranda-type rights with CPS.
I am now on a quest to help fix this ridiculous system that TERRORIZES parents by threatening them in their own homes. It’s hard to keep your wits about you when you feel like your children are in danger. This happened a few days ago and I have a hard time sleeping now. I have to protect my daughter from criminals AND the government now.
Thanks again! I’ll be alerting the media as you suggested.
Comment by Theda K. — August 31, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
I have witnessed four children be illeagaly taken from their parents.Toi is the daughter of Joseph Glover who had been working in compliance with C.P.S close to 2yrs and until Joseph K.Glover cussed out Toi’s social worker because he was discussing having breast implants around his grandchildren.Two days later he returned with police and illegaly placed her three children into custody,1.Toi had exceeded the 18 month time statue allotted C.P.S to investigate a case.2.there was no extigent circumstances or immediate danger to any of the children.3.Toi’s .social worker has been terminated for undisclosed reasons.Bottomline is that Toi’s three children were taken as a reprisal of her father cussing out her social worker and being escorted out the house
Comment by Joseph K.Glover — August 31, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
Last Friday I was at home an two police cars and a state car pulled up in my driveway. I went out and asked what was going on. They asked who I was, and then if I had any weapons on me or in the house. I answered and they patted me down. I asked again what is this about, at which time the lady from the state walked up and said, “we have a report that your abusing your wife and molesting your children”. I almost fainted I could not believe what I was hearing. I immediately thought of my neighbor that had lost his house and who really did not like me and my wife because his wife was fiends with us. He is a wacko. So I cooperated with CPS and the police and they allowed the children to go to there aunts house. Thank god they were at school so they had no Idea of what was going on. On Wednesday CPS had the children interviewed by a forensic psychologist and they passed with flying coloers as I knew they would. So the worker calls and says you can call you children but you cant take them home till the police finish there investigation and call her. Well the officer is off till Friday she wont call me back and My kids want to come home. Also when me and my wife were separated and questioned they said just tell us anything that could come up. Well we had a fight the week before and my wife slapped me and I pushed every thing off the dryer on the floor. She left and took the kids to eat and I cleaned up the mess and we wrote each other an apology letter to each other saying that it was wrong and that it was a low in are relationship If that fight would not have happened we would have had nothing to say about violence in the home. The police took a copy of the letters. Well CPS is going to open a case on us for domestic violence. I said on who my wife slapped me and she didn’t even mean to hit me in the face. And that we may have had things get out of control like that 3 times in the 16 years we have been together. I feel like there trying to justify there existent at the expense of me and my family. I don’t abuse my wife and she does not abuse me. The thing that really makes me angry it that they wont go after the person that made the totally bogus claim even though I told them who it was and they now it was him It has to be. Every one that was involved that day said that it was my neighbor and the police asked my a bunch of questions about him. A friend of mine lives next to his friend, and my friend told me that he thought it was really strange that his neighbor was asking about how I was doing, and what has been going on with us. I told the worker all this. but I don’t think that she will investigate it.I understand that they are looking out for my kids but It is scary as hell that someone can call and lie and they wont even look into were they are getting there information before ripping apart a family, or after if the clam is found completely false. Where is the justice in that. The police have to risk there lives to come here and my kids get taken away and were at there mercy, and they wont even look at the person who made the false clam. I am ready to move out of this state. Im afraid of the government
Comment by steve thompson — September 25, 2008 @ 8:37 am
I divorced my drug addict and abusive husband 4 years ago. He only had supurvised visitation with our three kids. He went to prison shortly after the divorce, I started to let his mother take the children every other weekend. The kids kept coming home saying awful things about me and misbehaving, so I eventually told my ex-mother in law that to see the kids she would have to come to my home and visit. This of course wasn’t good enough for her, so she call CPS to report that I was neglecting the kids. A social worker came to my home she was very nice and spoke to me first, I had no idea that I didn’t have to let her speek to the kids in private until it was over. After speeking to the kids she appologized for wasting our time and closed the case. Then about three years later I was engaged to be married again and had my fourth child. All six of us were living in a upper duplex above my cousin and her two children and boyfriend. An altercation occured between myself and the boyfriend downstairs and he had assulted me. The police came and about a week later CPS came to my cousin’s home to take the kids because her house was discusting. The lady from CPS told her that they had a report from the police and one other person. She automatically assumed it was me. I tried to tell her that it wasn’t me, my sister had addmittied calling it right in front of her. I knew nothing before this. Well in retaliation she contacted CPS on me and accused me and my soon to husband of abuse and yet again neglect. A lady came but this time she didn’t even want to speek to the children in private she spoke to all of us together. This case was closed also, but by this time I was fead up with CPS coming in for obvious false accusations. I asked the social worker if there was any actions I can take against the accuser. She replied with a simple no. This agravates me because even though both of these malicious accusations were proven to be false I still look like a bad parent because CPS has come to my home on two occations.
Comment by Stacy T. — October 2, 2008 @ 5:56 am
Theda:
Of course, you were INNOCENT. That is why CPS gets away with predating on innocent folk. They do not realize ( not street smart)
that basically initially, CPS has no right to question you or kids unless * imminent Danger* can be found.
The best way is to network within your state and alert other parents. Innocent folk who are hard-working may not know their rights.
Take a look at:
http://www.familyrights.us
Under Site Content ( L of Home Page)
To: Members and Friends
To: your state. Usually Len puts state groups and phone # at top of state pages.
There are other groups, too.
Best. F.
Comment by Fern — October 2, 2008 @ 7:59 am