Citizen action opens CPS case to public..

Chihak: Citizen action opens CPS case to public
MICHAEL A. CHIHAK
Tucson Citizen

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/56773.php

We went to court this week to petition for an open hearing in a case of
public importance.
It wasn't the first time the Tucson Citizen has done so, and it likely
won't be the last.
The good news is that the past two times we challenged a Pima County
Superior Court judge's closure of proceedings, we succeeded in getting
them reopened to the public.
Part of our obligation as stewards of the First Amendment is to ensure
such openness. The U.S. Constitution guarantees an open justice system,
but as we have seen locally and nationally, it isn't always so. Rather,
we must insist on it, sometimes using legal means.
The latest insistence by the Citizen came in a case involving Arizona
Child Protective Services and a child's death.
The case is of high interest to the public because of several child
abuse cases whose details have been disclosed this year.
The public has a right to know about the performance of this important
agency and its employees, and thus we have focused on it for coverage.
So when one case involving CPS and its performance was taken behind
closed doors last month, the Citizen took legal action to get it reopened.
The case involves the death March 22 of Brandon Williams, a 5-year-old
whose mother, Diane Marsh, and her roommate have been charged with murder.
Brandon's care was supposedly being monitored by CPS. An autopsy
attributed his death to a fractured skull, and it listed other injuries
and an excess of a sedative drug in his system.
His father, Melvin Williams, has petitioned Superior Court for Brandon's
CPS records.
CPS, represented by the state Attorney General's Office, has objected on
several grounds.
A hearing on the matter was under way June 18 when Superior Court Judge
Paul E. Tang ordered two reporters, including the Citizen's Sheryl
Kornman, to leave the courtroom. Tang cited state law that keeps CPS
records confidential.
The problem was that no CPS records were to be revealed at the hearing,
and Tang did not undertake procedures required before closing a hearing.
The Citizen's lawyers, David Bodney and Chris Moeser of Steptoe &
Johnson in Phoenix, prepared a motion asking that the Citizen be allowed
to intervene and that the case be reopened to the public.
"The public has an acute interest in knowing whether CPS, the state
agency charged with promoting the health and safety of Arizona children,
adequately protected Brandon Williams from abuse or neglect," the motion
said.
Judge Tang held a five-minute hearing Monday and then ordered the
proceedings open to the public. He also said a transcript of the June 18
hearing should be made available.
It's a seemingly minor blip in the case, but it is a significant example
of the diligence we must undertake to maintain the people's rights and
freedoms.
That includes a justice system open to scrutiny by all. Count on the
Tucson Citizen to help with that maintenance.
Call Michael A. Chihak at 573-4646 or e-mail .





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 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.

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...