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“The Squeaky Wheel Always Gets the Oil”
2008 Democratic Candidates Respond to the Hard Question By Tiffani Howard May 9th 2008
A diverse mix of over 75 attendees at the Meet Greet the 2008 Democratic Candidates included everyone from current seat holders, incumbent candidates, as well as first time hopefuls and the general public like myself. The Young DEMS of Georgia sure know now how to put on a successful affair and they always create a comfortable accessible atmosphere for continuants and seat holders to interact. However I was there for the business of thousands of parents who need the hard questions posed to these candidates, and I was able to personally ask each one the same query, "What is your position on the corruption in DFCS and more importantly what would be your recommendation to fix the numerous issues such as children being taken with unsubstantiated evidence, children being abused and dying while in custody, the misallocation of federal funds and the burdens on tax payers and the severe emotional damage simultaneously done to both parents and children?” Yep and I said it just like that and the responses were interesting to say the least. Don’t get discouraged, I am using interesting in a good way.
Out of 16 Georgia candidates only one declined to comment and I will fill you in on that person later in this report. However the consensus was remarkably the same, IMMEDIATE CHANGE IS NEEDED. There was also other valuable points made and to consider, which is the moral issues within DFCS. It was voiced to me by Fulton County Superior Court Clerk candidate William Wright that he has heard great distress from employees within DFCS. Complaints of one worker being overwhelmed by being responsible for close to 300 cases within a month, a virtually unattainable task. “With each case being different in nature, complexity and having daily court appearances for all, it is impossible to provide the attention needed for the daily care for a child and the special needs of children taken into custody. All the while workers are defeated by the demand their caseloads while they are simultaneously psychologically destabilized by the fact that most don’t make over $25,000 a year.” He stated “That is even more the reason why it is more logically sound to make the assuming of the custody of these children a last resort and each situation should be considered on a case by case basis and when needed services put in place to assist the family while the child remains in the home.” Was my response to this evident piece of the broken pie called DFCS.
Then there was the well considered response of District 44 State Representative Candidate Dr. Steven Lee who was well versed on the issue armed with hands on experience and mental health credentials to boot. When I told Dr. Lee of the intent to change the current legislature that empowers DFCS this is what he had to say, “The issue is not to change legislature because the legislature is put in place. The solution is to force the people to act on that legislature. We need not waste 44 weeks of session to fix the problem. We need to immediately set up a DFCS oversight committee to hold them accountable and we must work together, work quickly and get the job done. I have been on both sides DFCS and the parents and I am well aware of what is going on.” He explained. And to a certain degree Dr. Lee is correct. I have been able to read DFCS policy and what I have read makes a great deal of sense, however my personal experience and that of many Parents who are in this situation is that DFCS does not comply with its own policy. Most times you wonder if there is some kind of secret training class unknown to the public that the employees refer to, because right now 2 thousand people who have never met one another yet have almost identical experiences of fabricated stories, perjury, retaliation, custody intimidation and abuse are not dreaming the same nightmare.
Lee’s opponent in the District 44, incumbent Sheila Jones declined to comment and was the only one out of the group that I had previously mentioned that declined to do so. District 44 encompasses Collier Heights which is located off of old Hightower Road and near Martin Luther King which is an area where many families have been affected by DFCS intrusion. I also met Attorney Richard Nadler Campaign Manager for District 8 Candidate for Congress Robert Nowak, who was attending another affair but did not let this one go without someone from his staff representing him. Mr. Nadler listened intently and offered some very helpful advice and he too had experience dealing with the State in family law litigation cases. District 93 House of Representative candidate KaTesha Sagers realized that the children were changed after they enter the system and when they come back they have an even greater time adjusting to be being home and dealing with their parents. She empathized with every family who have become unnecessarily involved with the State. District 93 encompasses North DeKalb which is also an area populated by many who have been affected.
Everyone took time to listen to me and some stated that they were not aware of these issues and wanted to know more, which to me was a fair statement. Better to admit not knowing than to step on your own tongue and it is even better to have a willingness to learn. I will say that all in all our participation in this affair was very effective, because a wise man told me that the squeaky wheel always gets the oil. Well this wheel is signing off for the night and will get back rolling tomorrow.
If you would like to know more about any of the candidates mentioned in this report follow the links below:
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