Voice of DCF Victims
August 9, 2006
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A Florida father, Greg Pound, has
assembled an hour and a half of video of parents recounting their
experiences with Pinellas County (St Petersburg) DCF.
Among the reasons cited for taking children from their parents:
- a neighbor's dog bit a child
- prescription drugs mimicked illegal drugs on a test
- a vindictive neighbor's complaint
- a dad tripped on a cord, accidentally breaking his
son's leg
- spanking
- A Christian mother kept her eighth grade daughter
from last chance dance
- a young mom left six-month-old twins with her
sister, treated as abandonment
- a dad had a heart attack, after recovery DCF wants
to keep his child
- refrigerator under repair
Some of the stories included:
- A lawyer told his client not to go court because of
a postponement. The client was criminally charged
for failure to appear.
- A parent was required to prove that he taught a
six-year-old child about lesbian and gay sex.
- A mother said all evidence against her family was
lies, except the names.
- A mother requesting how to get her children back was
told by the DCF lawyer in court: "She knows she has
a problem, so she should know what to do".
- A mother in the maternity ward was told to sign
adoption papers for her newborn, or her other
children would be taken. The workers told her:
"They both had blond hair and blue eyes, and they
would go quick".
- A six-year-old boy remembered his grandmother's
phone number, now contrives to get into the
hospital, the only place he can make a call.
- A mother reported her daughter was taken into state
care, got pregnant, was denied pre-natal care, the
baby boy was premature, and died shortly after
birth.
- A father reported seeing his baby son in a nursery
with dozens of other babies, cared for by teenagers.
The boy was soaking wet from poor care. Police
would not rescue the baby.
- Therapists reported on a grandmother, before seeing
her.
- A mother spent years jumping though hoops to get her
children, but they were not returned.
- A mother reported her previous criminal history was
limited to an expired dog tag. Her husband was
forced out of the house, and eventually driven to
suicide. (a real shotgun divorce).
- A mother spent six months in jail, then charges were
dropped.
- A 17-year-old boy was before a juvenile court judge
for a half hour, subjected to such abuse that he
passed out and had to be carried away from the
courthouse by ambulance.
- Foster parents who were addicted to drugs sent the
foster kids out to steal in support of their
habit.
- Several parents reported abuse of their children
while in foster care. Older kids run away from the
foster homes.
- A boy was charged with felony possession of a toy
gun.