Palm Beach -- New stalling by Florida on care for a little girl

New stalling by Florida on care for a little girl

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion...issa_1104.html

Palm Beach Post Editorial

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Ten months ago, Gov. Crist and Department of Children and Families
Secretary Bob Butterworth correctly excoriated their predecessors'
"delay just to delay" stance against Marissa Amora, a permanently
brain-damaged 8-year-old whom the state alternately fought and ignored
since being ordered in 2005 to pay $26.8 million for neglecting her as a
toddler.

Now, though, the governor and Mr. Butterworth also appear to be wavering
on the state's commitment to pay for Marissa's care.


Days before a crucial Oct. 29 hearing, required before the Legislature
will consider Marissa's claims bill (Senate Bill 46), DCF requested a
postponement. The report generated from the hearing by special masters
for the House and Senate could decide the amount of money legislators
consider paying. "There's no stall at all," Mr. Butterworth said in an
interview. "This will not delay the claims bill."

He's right that the Legislature won't vote on the claims bill until
spring, but he was evasive about the reason for the delay until Nov. 27:
"There probably could be a disagreement as to the exact dollars."

What disagreement? In 2005, a Palm Beach County jury determined that DCF
employees could have prevented Marissa's near-fatal beating in 2001 if
they had just followed their own rules and properly investigated her
mother and living conditions. At the time, Marissa's home was Lake
Worth, and her name was Moesha Sylencieux. She now lives west of
Tallahassee with her adoptive parents.

Mr. Butterworth pointed out that the state in February finally released
$100,000, the maximum it can pay without legislative approval, but "her
lawyers let it sit in a trust fund." In fact, the money was unused until
October, but the state shares the blame.

Two months after sending the check, the state still held Medicaid and
other liens against its use. Marissa's attorneys - who already had
deferred their fees - still had to set up guardianship through the
courts, which took longer than it should have.

Now, most of that money has been spent replacing the wheelchair Marissa
had outgrown ($4,946), a stroller ($1,313) and an adapted van ($54,499).
If the Legislature ignores the jury's order to pay Marissa
$26.8''million for the state's neglect, the remaining $39,000 could be
all that she ever gets.

That amount would be less than a 10th of a percent of what the state's
own expert, testifying during Marissa's trial, valued her life-care plan
to cost (about $20 million). If that happened, the state would have paid
its private attorneys eight times that much ($300,000) fighting
Marissa's case through an appeals court, which upheld the verdict.

Mr. Butterworth vows: "That case is definitely going before the
Legislature this year," but he adds, "if the Legislature takes it." We
join Marissa's mother, Dawn Amora, in asking: "How much more are they
going to abuse this child and get away with it?"





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.


CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...