We've all heard of the dead babies buried on the Ranch, the stash of weapons, the crematorium and the broken bones. We've also heard (From the State) of the "Kind and gentle" treatment the children and parents received from the State during the attack and the 8 weeks of hell the children were dragged through with the States stated intention of NEVER returning them to their parents.
Here's the REAL story from the children, the folks in charge of those children, and the parents who actually had to endure the sadistic, intentional infliction of pain and sorrow by having their children literally ripped from their arms by these ghouls called "Child Protective Services".
INSULIN REFUSAL LETTER
Hello Bill,
Thanks for your fast response. I have a CPS story to tell that happened in the Texas raid. I wasn't sure where to post it, so I thought you would be the best one to tell.
First I want to tell you "Thank You", for your kindness to the FLDS, and how much you are doing for us. You are a real blessing to us, and we thank Heavenly Father for all you are doing.
This story was told by one of the fathers in the raid.
When the mothers and children were taken, the CPS took all the herbs and medicines from them. One young girl, a diabetic, was not even allowed her insulin. She was suppose to go to CPS and ask for the insulin when she needed it. This young girl went up to them to get her insulin. CPS dropped the vial, and it broke.
The mother of this girl said, "You need to get her another one." They said, "No we don't!" She said, "Yes you do." CPS again answered, "No we don't!" Again the mother said firmly, "Yes You Do!" And once again CPS answered, "No we don't."
The mother said, "You're going to have a dead little girl here if you don't!"
CPS still refused!
There was a doctor on the scene. He talked with CPS without any luck. CPS would not buy anymore insulin for her. The doctor left. When he returned, he had four vials of insulin with him. He had charged them to his credit card, at $100.00 a piece. This kind doctor gave this young diabetic girl the vials of insulin she need so dearly. They never saw this doctor again. Anyone who was good to them was never seen after they had been kind to any of the FLDS.
I feel the stories need to come out, about the real child abuse CPS did and is doing to these children.
Thanks Bill, keep up the great work you are doing.
--- On Tue, 6/10/08, wjm2644@aol.com <wjm2644@aol.com> wrote:
Thanks for your fast response. I have a CPS story to tell that happened in the Texas raid. I wasn't sure where to post it, so I thought you would be the best one to tell.
First I want to tell you "Thank You", for your kindness to the FLDS, and how much you are doing for us. You are a real blessing to us, and we thank Heavenly Father for all you are doing.
This story was told by one of the fathers in the raid.
When the mothers and children were taken, the CPS took all the herbs and medicines from them. One young girl, a diabetic, was not even allowed her insulin. She was suppose to go to CPS and ask for the insulin when she needed it. This young girl went up to them to get her insulin. CPS dropped the vial, and it broke.
The mother of this girl said, "You need to get her another one." They said, "No we don't!" She said, "Yes you do." CPS again answered, "No we don't!" Again the mother said firmly, "Yes You Do!" And once again CPS answered, "No we don't."
The mother said, "You're going to have a dead little girl here if you don't!"
CPS still refused!
There was a doctor on the scene. He talked with CPS without any luck. CPS would not buy anymore insulin for her. The doctor left. When he returned, he had four vials of insulin with him. He had charged them to his credit card, at $100.00 a piece. This kind doctor gave this young diabetic girl the vials of insulin she need so dearly. They never saw this doctor again. Anyone who was good to them was never seen after they had been kind to any of the FLDS.
I feel the stories need to come out, about the real child abuse CPS did and is doing to these children.
Thanks Bill, keep up the great work you are doing.
--- On Tue, 6/10/08, wjm2644@aol.com <wjm2644@aol.com> wrote:
Hello Mother,
How can I help you?
Sam at the Ranch always knows how to contact me, but, my phone number is
239 826 3831 and now you already know my e mail address.
How can I help you?
Sam at the Ranch always knows how to contact me, but, my phone number is
239 826 3831 and now you already know my e mail address.
THESE ACCOUNTS COME FROM THE VERY PEOPLE TEXAS PUT IN CHARGE OF THESE PEOPLE TO HELP THEM.
CPS FIRED THEM FOR BEING "TOO COMPASSIONATE".
Observations in San Angelo at the FLDS Shelter
April 2008
I arrived at the pavilion on my first night and was startled by my feelings of admiration for the women and protectiveness for the children. By the second day, I was ready to run in front of CNN cameras to shout that there was a travesty happening inside those walls. I could not fathom the thought of removing the children from their mothers. Of course I was cautioned not to interfere in a “crime scene investigation”/
The Mothers:
The mothers were patient, attentive, and sweet with their children, working within the crowded and difficult environment to keep some control over the behavior or their children, their intake, and there schedule, on the first days I was in the Pavilion, women thanked me for all we had done and did not complain for the mistakes that had been made. They were grateful for our attempts to get air mattresses for the pregnant mothers. Some were friendly and engage in conversation, while others did not welcome our efforts to visit. Some who were previously sullen or reluctant to speak would brighten when they learned we were not CPS; others said they been lied to by everyone and would not alter their viewpoints about our team either.
I sat with Audrey while three of her children were removed for six hours of questioning. She cried but then apologized for crying, saying she did not want to be “burden” to her sisters. She also denied feeling angry, even though her eyes flashed at the CPS worker who had denied her ability to speak to her children as they were lead away. She said that remaining serene and polite through such a trial would only serve to make her stronger in her faith. While she waited for news of her children, she returned to her cot and to her other children. Amazingly, none of the other mothers acknowledged her or come to comfort her. (My interpretation is that Audrey has been trained not to fell her true feelings, and that the other woman were afraid to be seen as associating with someone whose children may have revealed secrets.) At the end Audrey (pregnant) was ferried to the shelter while her six children were split among three placement locations. After she was whisked away I sat with her oldest child, Rose, age 12, while we labeled her mothers additional belongings in a bag and hoped it would be delivered to her. Rose was obviously distraught and not eager to trust anyone, though she did tell me that she had heard from her lawyer about the sites where the children would be sent the following day.
I saw Jeannette rocking her 4 month old baby boy in a chair on the afternoon of April 23.
I could see what I interpreted as anguish on her face, so I approached her and asked how she was. She began to weep almost immediately and I invited her into a screened area where the woman could nurse their babies. She was terribly distraught, and I gave her information about the effects of stress, the likelihood of depression and the possible treatments. Her eyes revealed pain but they welcomed me to continue. I comforted and tried to find some hope for a speedy resolution. I did not get to see her the following day when she and her infant were separated from her older children. This woman’s mental health status is in grave danger, in my opinion.
On Wednesday, April 23, I also visited Pauline who told me that she intended to leave the ranch and to move to the closest city to her children, wherever they were moved, in order to be able to visit them as much as possible. She was more committed to her children than any convenience for herself. The next morning 40 woman boarded the bus to the shelter, including Pauline. To my knowledge none of these women actually wanted to leave her home on the ranch, but they felt they had no option if they wanted to see their children.
Some of the supposedly underage mothers spoke to me, revealing that they were indeed over twenty but the judge had declared that they appeared younger so they also must stay. Some did indeed look very young, and I also thought they might be underage. One extremely pretty young mother talked to me and said there her name was the same name as her mother. I asked if it wasn’t customary for a woman to take her husband’s name when she married, and she said she couldn’t talk about that and quickly turned away. I had stepped into a sensitive area of conversation.
Many complained that this was only a way to prevent them from practicing their religion. They quoted Bible verses and said they had expected to be persecuted for their religion. I told them that we too learned Bible verses, and that despite all their training otherwise, there are some good people out in the world, some who care about these women and their children’s welfare.
Children
The children were sweet and well-mannered upon our arrival. They obeyed their mothers and appeared to be healthily and well-nourished. They were curious about us and asked questions about nail polish, hair-cuts, jewelry and about how we spoke. They wanted to be busy and asked to rake, sweep or wash windows, since without toys in their society, these were the “fun” activities open to them. They played awkwardly with balls that had been given to them, though as the days progressed, I saw the children having a wonderful time and developing some skill as they played actual games with CPS workers. The children laughed easily and gave eye contact. They had none of the traditional withdrawal common in abused children.
On the last day of my stay in the coliseum (April 24), the mothers had been removed, with the exception of those who were minors or suspected of being minors. The children had cried bitterly on the removal of the mothers, and they were now with strangers. The noise level went up several decibels as crying and running and screaming took over. Children were grabbing toys from others and using toys as play weapons against each other and their “captors.” In my estimation they were acting out their fear and anger. One little boy of about four was frantically running from CPS workers, avoiding capture in every way he could. Once caught, I held firmly in my arms while he wept that he didn’t want them to take his mother
Child Protective Services (CPS) Personnel
I personally did not see some of the individual acts of rudeness or intolerance viewed by some of the others in our group. I did see some wonderful interactions with CPS and some of the children, as they read stories and played comes. One young man sat two hours, comforting a toddler after his mother was taken. However, some of them seemed to be thoughtless in their dress or in their blunt demeanor. Some were totally invested in the CPS philosophy and others had questions about the wisdom of the plan. However, the CPS philosophy itself was the primary problem. I also saw a woman I know personally had been a prison principal now employed with CPS. She seemed to have retained an attitude that these people were inmates!
The philosophy is one that removes ALL children from a home in which only one child is suspected of being abused. Since this sect lives in such a communal setting, CPS interpreted all 460+ children as being in one family. They believed they were rescuing the children from abuse and that the mothers were also guilty since they had not protected the children from the suspected perpetrators. CPS had their primary focus the sexual abuse that was alleged, rather then the emotional abuse that I felt they were creating.
CPS said they were worried about safety, so numbers of events occurred in which centered on very strict interpretation of safety. For instance, a mother’s request to use a blender to make baby food was denied, since the blender was considered dangerous. Toddlers standing on their cots or babies covered with blankets in their beds were considered safety hazards and CPS commanded the mothers to alter the situation. The mothers had not been charged with a crime, and yet their cell phones were removed, since, I presume, CPS had determined that there might be conversations with outside individuals to plan to kidnap the children. Also as a safety caution, the children in the coliseum were not allowed to go to the neighbor’s football field to play but were kept on a small, dusty corner of the grounds.
CPS showed a disregard and disrespect for the mothers’ culture in various ways. We were advised to dress in ways to build trust and foster communication, but obviously CPS had not been so advised. On the morning we arrived at the Pavilion, a CPS worker in snug red capris was given the responsibility of photographing each child and each mother prior to their physical examinations. Tight, revealing cloths were worn daily by many of those in the Pavilion, and bare arms, feet, and legs were standard, even though FLDS custom is to stay covered except for hands and face.
The living quarters at Fort Concho and the coliseum were crowded, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. The cots were to close, allowing infections to spread rapidly. Quickly many children became sick with upper respiratory illness. There was no privacy for even a moment of conversation or solitude. The food was sufficiently different from their normal diet causing digestive upsets. Mothers requested that some of the sugary treats be put away since the children were indiscriminately sampling all through the day. Showers were few in number, generously manned by volunteers from Texas churches. The families had not had enough clothing g for more than two days. So dirty laundry was a constant problem, and again the facilities were meager. One mother told me that CPS had allowed her only one bag to pack herself and six children. I was told that on one night the laundry failed to return the washed sheets and blankets to one of the barracks, and the group had to sleep on bare cots on a very cool evening.
Sleeping was very difficult, with great numbers of CPS workers there to watch every move and record all activities. One woman told me that the mothers were afraid to sleep because they feared the children would be removed while they slept. Therefore the mothers arranged for some of their own group to stay awake all night to monitor the CPS workers! The woman told the they were particularly uncomfortable with how many men were assigned to watch them. Nap times were also very difficult, since the light level remained too bright, and the noise level was always too high for most people to be able to fall asleep.
On the Thursday morning, April 24,2008, I witnessed a young mother named Rosinith be required by CPS to board the bus back to the ranch, though her young child was in the hospital with 104 degree fever and even though the child’s physician had personally requested the mother’s presence at the hospital. This event haunts me still, and I cannot imagine such a heartless act.
I spent hours contemplating the scenes I had witnessed, and I listened with an open ear to the news commentary and special documentaries on television. I believed in a free and democratic society where woman are equal to men and are allowed to make choices and even mistakes on their own. I believed older adults should protect young men and woman and not take advantage of their youth and inexperience for their own sexual pleasure. I do not believe in polygamy and I see that as a proof that the men in this sect see woman as property. I do believe that we should do what is necessary to convince this community to abandon these practices as non-essential to their religion. However, I also know the research on long-tern consequences o removing children from loving parents. I do believe that the emotional abuse of 460+ children must be weighted in the equation.
I went the 7th and final week. First day when I got badge was given Tip Sheet on rules & how to handle this population. Upon entering the Coliseum noticed several mothers coming at to our group and hugging them (they remembered them). The 1st family I met the mother knew the older children were taken the day before & she was preparing/packing her things. She allowed me to Interact with her children & read stories to them. One of the daughters looked at my badge & went & told mother. Mother knew I was not CPS & allowed me to take her children to the find scotch tape. CPS worker stopped me & checked my badge. At least 3 CPS workers circled us pretended to pick up items off the floor right in front of us while I read to these children.
Met another mother who was nursing her son, whom I’d, met & interacted with before, was trying to nap & was restless due to coughing. Asked her if I Could pat his back & help settle him. CPS worker came up to me inquiring about his mother; Worker went up to her with clipboard & said, “You need to take him to nurse right now.” This mother was breast feeding at this time. CPS worker would not let me take him. I spent time with her & other children. She was animated, scared, telling me, “It’s like CPS is dangling something over our heads.” Other children came up to us & all wanted to know what was going to happen & why was this happening & letting me know CPS was mean.
Met 2nursing mothers who were breast feeding & let them know I was there to help. Saw them next day at Seton House in San Angela & they came up & hugged me & were grateful they got to stay with their infants & small children. At least 5 mothers reported that at night CPS circled their beds, held flashlights in their faces & then would sit inches away from them as they tried to sleep. Mothers reported they were scared CPS would take their children during the night thus leaving them & their children exhausted. Reports of no privacy & interruptions at pray time were given, as well.
Observed CPS in coliseum sitting in chairs some were sleeping, talking to each other, circling the families, facing the wall not even looking at families. Families reported being cold at night & did not get to go outside, “I wish the tornado would come and blow us back home”, one child stated to me. Mothers were gracious, kind, scared, worried, etc. Children had colds, 7 were arguing at this point over toys CPS brought in.
On the bus I was not allowed to help Children/Mothers get off or help carry any of their items. Children without mothers were crying, one asked me, will I at least get to stay with my brother, and he was weeping. It was heart wrenching & an experience I will never forget but, am humbled & grateful to have been apart of.
When first arriving at Fort Concho in San Angelo we were debriefed about “The Guests” at the fort; the “guests” were the women and children from the Eldorado Ranch. During the debriefing I learned that these women and children came from a culture very different that ours. I heard that they would likely not talk to us, make eye contact with us, and that they were brainwashed.
Within the first two days of being among the women and children from Eldorado I learned though observation and interactions that the initial information we received was false. The women and children did make eye contact; Things stuck me immediately.
These women carried themselves confidence; they were polite and respectful; they displayed what we would consider a great deal of self-esteem.
An incident happened that helped me understand how brainwashed we all are; in my professional opinion brainwashed is the same as conditioned and/or socialized =; and we all have been socialized/conditioned in our respectful cultures, subcultures or societies.
A woman requested to be escorted across the parking lot (from the shelter) to the make shift clinic were an EMS vehicle had pulled up because she believed a child of a close friend was hurt. When we asked CPS staff permission to escort the woman we were told no, she can not go there. We told the woman she was not allowed to leave the shelter area. I later regretted having asked the CPS worker for permission to begin with; I wished I had simply accompanied the woman across the parking lot to the clinic.
This incident made me aware of how conditioned/brainwashed I am. I was obviously afraid to challenge the rules because I might have painful consequences for me. I actually pictured myself being stopped by a law enforcement person and possibly removed for the premise and/or accuse of interfering with legal proceedings.
The entire experience at fort Concho and the Coliseum was sure-real; at times it felt like these woman and children were prisoners;
I head some people wonder out loud if this was Nazy Germany? The thought had struck me too. Is this what it was like for the people in concentration in Germany? The women and Children from Eldorado were lied to and deceived on several occasions.
I often felt helpless; I also felt in awe of the grace, and self-confidence in which the woman behaved. My culture, my society could learn from these woman and children; they have my at-most respect.
Eldorado-San Angelo Incident
Week #1: April 8th – April 10th (Fort Concho)
• We attended a briefing on the status of the situation upon arrival. We were told that the encounter with the FLDS women and children would be unlike anything we had ever experienced. We were informed that they would be dressed very strangely, but in clothing of the highest quality and cost. We were told not to expect any of them to engage with us, and if by chance they spoke to us it would be to tell us to speak with their lawyers. We were told that even the children were directing all outsiders to contact their lawyers.
• We were informed not to wear anything red, even nail polish. When I asked someone about the significance of the color red I was told that they believed it represented evil. Later we learned that red signifies the blood of Christ and is therefore sacred.
• The next morning I was assigned to Shelter #6 at Fort Concho. Upon arriving at the site I noticed a building set apart from all the others with a large handwritten sign designating it as Shelter #6. When I approached the building I could find no one with which to check in and proceeded to circle the building. On the backside, away from everything, was a small group of men sitting before a closed door. At my approach several of them arose and came toward me. When I started my purpose in being there I was immediately told I was in the wrong place and to return to the other buildings. When I pointed out the sign identifying the building I was again told to leave and return to the group of the other buildings. We later learned that the adolescent boys were being housed there, although we seldom saw any of them allowed outside.
• Returning back to where we had been earlier I learned that there was another building designated Shelter #6 for mothers and children. I located the CPS shelter supervisor and identified myself. He informed me that the building housed four women and sixteen children, but they were not likely to engage in any way. Since the door was open, I knocked on the doorframe and entered. I introduced myself and initialed conversation to build rapport. The children were quiet, but openly attentive and inquisitive. The women were guarded, but readily identified themselves with their first name when I introduced myself and the names ages of their children when I inquired.
• The one room they were staying in was approximately 20’-25’sq and built of rock walls with no insulation, unfinished wood plank floors, and had two windows - only once of which opened. There was a large potbellied wood stove in the center of the room and the four walls were lined with their twenty cots. There was no storage for their clothing or other belongings and it was neatly piled on cots and in the floor.
• The door to the room was almost constantly open. Even when the women closed the door to reduce notice during naptime or to dress themselves or the children, it was almost immediately opened again. At one point when the door was closed, a CPS worker stated that she did not know how she was supposed to “watch and supervise these people if they keep closing the door.” The women eventually dressed themselves and their children in the public restroom in order to have privacy.
• At on point I heard toward the public restroom and was immediately grabbed by the arm by a CPS worker who told me to use the port-a-potties outside the rock wall, “because we didn’t know what kind of diseases the people might have and we don’t want to catch anything from them”. I was later told that it had been determined that STDs were rampant among the women because of their promiscuous lifestyle. I did not believe that information since I knew none of the woman had submitted to examination.
• On the second day, the shelter supervisor (a man) entered the shelter (housing four adult women and their children) without knocking. Several men and a group of Teas Rangers followed him. I levered myself through the group in order to observe what was happening since I had already learned that the woman and children were being reacted discourteously and disrespectfully at best, with some observations of verbal abuse and emotional threats. I could not get close enough at first to hear what the shelter supervisor and his entourage were saying to them, but finally heard them ordering the women to submit their children for physical examinations. I also observed the Texan angers’ interactions with the oldest woman of the group. The Rangers were respectful and polite. The Ranger in charge of the group, a young woman named Wendy, squatted down to eye level with the woman, and greeted her by name. She returned the woman’s cell phone to her and told her that plans were being made to reunite the entire group.
• Although the women were not charged with any crimes, they were not allowed to communicate with the women in other shelters or with the outside world and their cell phones had been confiscated. Shortly after one of the mothers in Shelter #6 had a cell phone returned and was openly making a call, a CPS worker ordered a DPS officer to take it away from her. The DPS officer confronted the woman and asked her where she had gotten the phone. Se told him that the Teas Rangers had returned it to her and I backed up her explanation.
• The CPS worker were openly rude to the mothers and children, yelled at them for trying to wave to friends and family members in surrounding shelters, threatened them with arrest if they did not stop waving to others, continually reminded them that the women were guests only and could be made to leave if they did not cooperate, threatened the mothers with never seeing their children again if they did not cooperate, and ignored requests for anything. The mothers began asking if everyone who approached them was CPS or not
• CPS workers became irritated when the mothers requested brooms and mops to clean their surroundings. One broom, on mop, and one bucket were finally provided and were shared by neighboring shelters.
• CPS workers carried clipboards and continuously took notes of everything said or observed, sometimes writing while a mother was still talking to them.
• Mental health workers were treated rudely and their presence was discounted at every turn. We were repeatedly told that if we interfered in any way with CPS directives to us or to the guests, we would be arrested and charged with interference with a public servant in the performance of their duties.
• By day three, it became obvious that both the mothers and the mental health workers were being lied to and/or ignored. Even the simplest request was discounted. At one time a mother told me she wished she had some peppermint or chamomile tea to give to her toddle daughter for her runny nose. I approached the shelter supervisor with the request. Later his supervisor cam to me and told me that herbal teas were medication and could only be approved by a physician the request was denied.
• The mothers complained about the food and snacks provided for them. One mother told me that her children were accustomed to nuts fruits from snacks, not commercial fried pies. Chicken was served almost every meal with a little eor no seasoning and no flavor. Vegetables were scarce and everything was highly processed – very different from the women and children’s typical diet of homegrown organic and unprocessed foods. Very quickly, many of the children developed diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems.
• I observed that their clothing was indeed well constructed in a variety of styles and pastel colors, but was homemade. They were very modest in their dress and no skin was ever visible except hand and faces, even on small children. I learned that some women were known for their seamstress skills while others sewed little at all, so a group of woman sewed for everyone as their contribution to the community
• The Children were amazingly clean, happy, healthy, energetic, inquisitive, well behaved, and self-confident; while the mothers were consistently calm, patient, and loving with their children. Discipline was firm and consistent, with never a hand or voice raised. There mother’s parenting skills were textbook child development strategies. The children did not bicker among themselves and seldom cried. If a child did cry, his or her needs were met immediately and the crying stopped.
May 7, 2008
Our experience in San Angelo during the “Eldorado Incident” was unique is that it was very different from what we expected, or from anything any of us had every experienced. It was frightening to watch women and children being herded and separated like cattle with no regard for human rights or the needs of the group or individual. How could this happen in America? How could this happen in Texas? If this had happened in another country, our government would have tried to prevent it! Old films of Concentration Camps came to mind.
The first night we were there, we worked to get air mattresses for the pregnant women who were sleeping on army cots with no padding. That first week was spent being a friendly face to the women and children. It was a relief to them to be able to speak with someone who was not writing down and reporting everything they said, and who would try to help get their simple needs met. We developed trusting relationships with them and came to respect and admire them.
They needed decent food such as vegetables, whole grain bread and meat instead of candy, cookies and processed foods, the sugar and additives were making the children sick because they had never eaten junk food. The boys and woman and girls had to share a bathroom and there were no showers available for several days. Then a shower trailer was moved to the parking lot and they were allowed to go there to shower, always under guard by CPS or DPS.
CPS workers were everywhere and these people had no privacy. CPS intruded on their every activity and conversation, and even followed us around and made notes on everything we said. They noted everything we said even when we were outside of shelters if they heard us.
We provided arts and crafts and school lesson for the children to the extent that CPS would allow us. There were very few things they were allowed to have as CPS had designated almost everything “weapon”. Obviously they did not know these people at all. Violence is not a part of their culture of belief. If they had been given a truck load of weapons they would have not used them.
These lovely women and children were gracious and kind always. They tried to cooperate with every request, even when terrified that they were going to be separated from their children. The mothers are incredibly loving and patient with the children. The children were well socialized and well behaved and interacted willingly and happily with us. All of the children were healthy when they were taken from their home, but when herded into extremely crowded quarters with an artificial environment (lighting on 24 hours a day, no fresh air, no sunlight, strange food, uncomfortable beds, surrounded by strangers watching there every move) they became ill.
Chicken Pox ran rampant through the children, diarrhea, respiratory conditions and other illness created grater discomfort and even hospitalizations.
The woman were lied to and denied access to their attorneys. They were told that they were going to be moved to another location so families that had been torn apart during the move from the ranch could be reunited, but when the got off of the bus at the new location the mothers of children ages 12 and older were taken through a door and loaded on another bus to take them back to the ranch. They didn’t even get to say goodbye to the children.
The children that were left behind were cared for by the mothers with younger children who remained.
Living conditions in the coliseum were not conductive to good health for anyone, and the presence of hostile CPS workers who spied on them constantly, kept them awake at night by shining lights in their faces and talking and laughing created enormous stress for the mothers and children. None of them slept well or enough.
One the awful day that they separated the mothers and children the level of cruelty and lack o respect for human rights was overwhelming. Crying, begging children were ripped away from their divested mothers and the mothers were put on buses to either return to the ranch or to go to shelters. Most went to shelters because they were told they would be able to see their children if they did not return to the ranch. This, of course, was another lie.
Try to imagine all these children from ages 1 year to 12 years, left in that coliseum with only CPS and DPS to care for them. The only others were the mothers who CPS decided were under 18 and kept in their custody along with their children. The floor was literally slick with rears in places. A baby was left in a stroller without food and water for 24 hours and ended up in the hospital. A 4 year old boy was so terrified that he snuck away and hid and was only found after the coliseum and been emptied the next day.
I witnessed a small boy, maybe 3 years old, walking along the rose of cots with a little pillow saying “I need someone to rock me, I just want to be rocked, I want to find a rocking chair.” Two CPS workers were following him and writing in their notebooks but not speaking to him or comforting him. Sally and I started toward him but his 8 year old brother came and picked him us saying, “I will take care of him.” He took the child to a rocking chair a held him in his lap. That little boy will always be in my mind. How can a beautiful healthy child be taken from a healthy, loving home and forced into a situation like that, right here in America, right here in Texas?
It would take a book to tell about this “incident”. There was so much that happened. This situation was a tragedy and surely illegal. Please pray fro these mothers and children every day.
Events in San Angelo
• We were told before we ever saw these woman that they would not talk with us and that they were dressed “fancy” and had the best of everything. That they would only respond to us with “You will have to talk to my lawyer” This was an absolute lie and it was to “brain wash” MH to think like CPS. I never heard talk to my lawyer once while I sat and talked and played with the children. Everyone was polite and nice but very upset and confused... They were gracious and tried very hard to not be afraid and nervous.
• We were also told to observe only and not to help. We were told we were surrounded by DPS and there were snipers on the buildings for out protection. Our badges were checked constantly by CPS to make sure we were not in the “wrong place.”
• The women and children were placed in barracks built in 1800 with no air and no indoor plumbing, 80 women and children on cots side by side, even pregnant ladies.
• Separated from older children (12 and up) and for days not even allowed to wave at them across the open field- told they would never see them again if they continued to wave-threatened with jail for waving at them.
• Constant reminders that the adult women were only guests and that they were not in charge of the children and what CPS did to them. They belonged to CPS now and they could talk, interrogate, separated and treat them any way they wanted. This included physical exams and x-rays without adult supervision.
• Not allowed to talk to the outside world.
• Women were constantly lied to about where their children where and when they could see their lawyers and about when they would be reunited with their children.
• No consideration for their diets so all the children had diarrhea for days.
. No consideration for food, (meals served as late as 8pm, when these children were used to going to bed by then) clothing ( Only 1-2 sets of clothing) or cleaning of sheets and clothing-washers were brought but others had to do the washing.
• The more uncomfortable they were the more CPS thought they would talk.
• We were told that if we interfered with any o the investigation we would be arrested and handcuffed and placed in jail. This was said often to MH workers.
• There were no baby beds or high chairs for days and often our woman had to go buy this for the women.
• The entire MH support staff was “fired” the second week; we were sent home due to being “too compassionate”.
• The children and women learned quickly who to trust and if you did not have a CPS badge they would talk with you.
• After being removed the women stopped talking to CPS and we were “begged” to come back. When we returned we were told again to not interfere but “to do what we did best”. THE WOMEN HUGGED US AND STARTED TALKING AGAIN. Then they sent them all home with no children.
• The children were kept inside the arena for 23 hours a day.
• The children arrived healthy and happy and left sick and crying.
• Mothers and children were watched like they were criminals and every word or deed they did was written down by CPS.
• CPS yelled at the children & would not allow the women to talk with their lawyers, deprived them of sleep and constantly accused them of things most of them did not understand.
• Never once did I see a mother loose her temper, strike out at a child or discipline a child in an inappropriate manner.
• The last 2 days were the worst- over 100 State troopers surrounded these women and children taken away from them and only the nursing mother’s could keep their children. They were then escorted to a bus by a CPS worker and a DPS officer.
• Again we were warned if we interfered or helped the women we would be arrested, place in handcuffs and would go to jail.
I am thankful I was able to go and see all of this. Never in all my life, and I am one of the older ladies, have I been so ashamed of being a Texan and seeing what and how our government agencies treat people. Thank God for the Mental Health field, who have not forgotten what compassion looks like and still tries to help everyone.
This must stop somewhere and somehow. This invasion of their property and disruption of their lives could happen to anyone anytime if all power and authority is give to CPS. Remember this was an anonymous phone call.
I participated in the San Angelo Incident for three consecutive weeks in April 2008.
When I first received notification from my supervisor to participate in the incident, I was anxious to take part as I had just received my licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor, less then seven days prior. However, when I arrived on sire with the women and children, I quickly realized that there was nothing in any textbook that could prepare me for what I was about to experience. To sum it up, I felt as if I was working with my hand were tied behind my back, a blindfold on, and I was leading going on human instinct. I tossed all of my years of experience and textbook knowledge as I merely tried to engage in conversation with the women and children to build a rapport to gain their trust, and help them process what they were going through, and what they were going to experience in the days to follow. It ultimately boiled down to treating people with human respect. And you do not have to have advance training to bigher education to do that.
When I arrived in San Angelo the first week and participated in the debriefings, I was taken back by the information that was given to us by the representative of the Command Station. We were informed of how resistant and difficult this population of woman and children were. We were given instructions to “merely observe”, and be prepared for responses such as “I want to talk to my lawyer or not without my lawyer”. The information given was quite the contrary. We informed that our shifts would be twelve hour shifts, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
The first week in San Angelo, I found the women and children to be quite pleasant. They were reserved, yet friendly when spoken to. Much of the women’s first comments were, “when are we going home?” or “what is going to happen to us?” All I could say was, “I’m not sure, but I can inquire and pass on the information when it is available.” Much of the women stated that the children were missing their school lessons and their fathers. They also asked when they could get their personal cell phones retuned to them. The informed me that their cell phones had been taken from them. When I attempted to ask the shelter manager for a phone or if I could let the woman use a cell phone, she commented to me (with the woman present, behind me), “I already told you, no cell phones”. The representative further stated to me “she is being manipulative; I’ve already told her no”. I was embarrassed when I turned around to speak to the woman because she heard the CPS worker’s comment.
The first three to four days that I was present at the Concho Valley Fort, the women and children were all well mannered and extremely cooperative. The unit of the Pavilion where I was stationed, my task was to offer comfort and support the women and children, referred to as “guests”. I worked alongside to BCFS workers and at least four CPS workers. Four CPS workers were stationed at the two doors of the unit. For the most part, they sat y the doors and observed the “guests” who were either discreetly breast feeding their children, on their cot, schooling/teaching their children, or feeding their children with food, drinks, and snacks. I was asked by the unit leader to sit outside of the unit, to monitor who was coming and going out. Most of my day was spent taking shift with MH workers due to the hot sun.
The second week I participated with the San Angelo Incident, the “guests” were housed at the Pavilion and Coliseum. My task on the second trip was to comfort and offer support to the children who were escorted to the Coliseum, and separated from their mothers. Most of the children stayed united with each other. The older children comforted the younger children when they began to cry and ask for their mothers. The older female children took on the role of mothers. They hugged and consoled the smaller children. It was touching to watch the intense bond these children had, regardless of the fact that they were not all blood siblings, but difficult at the same time. I found it extremely difficult to do my task of consoling and offer comfort when I was an emotional wreck myself. Even to be an observer at the facility was difficult. I could see the women and children being escorted by a string of law enforcement into the facility. They were escorted for the Coliseum into the Pavilion. CPS workers approached the “guests” and asked the women to follow them into another room while the children were asked to follow CPS workers and escorted them to the other end of the facility. As the children became scared and realized that their mothers were not going to return to them, they began to cry and became emotional. CPS responded by placing (bed) cots upright and building a was so that the children could not see what was going on at the other end of the facility. At one point, when the children were all separated, one male child who was about 9 years old, broke away from the rest of the children who were all hurtled say, “you’re the police, help us. Help me get my mother back. She has done nothing wrong”. The police officer could only respond by saying, “I can’t do that”. Once the children were gathered in one half of the facility with wall-to-wall cots forming a was, there were at least four policemen, over eight CPS workers and myself and another MH worker. Our job at that point was to merely observe, as the children found relief and comfort among themselves, and it seemed intrusive to disrupt the grieving process that was occurring. Within about an hour, our next task was to help CPS workers escort children in pairs of two to the restrooms, a few feet away from where they were to the restroom. For about thirty to forty-five minutes, I made repeated trips to the restroom with children and then escorted them back to their area. I also found it intrusive to go into the restroom and wait for the children to finish.
The third week in San Angelo was perhaps the most difficult. My main task was to escort the “guests” to the different shelters for both women and children. The bus I was on had two women and the rest were children ranging, form infants who were nursing to children ages 7 & 8 years old. The women were escorted on to the bus first and they were settled in with their infants. The children then joined them, in tears running to the two women. Within seconds, the two women had five or six children they were comforting. After about ten minutes on the road, the children were no longer crying. They were in awe of the bus and the sites on the way to San Antonio. One woman on the bus had a notebook and she documented all of the names of the workers on my bus were helping the two women and children on the bus. At one point, I joined a conversation of two young and relatively new CPS workers. They were upset with their lead on the bus because they believed they were asked to purposely mislead the women about if and when they could get the custody of their children back. Although the bus ride was only about three hours, the trip seemed much longer than that. Children were throwing up on the bus and the smell was unpleasant. The smell coming from the restroom was noticeable from the middle of the bus. Each bus had at least one EMS worker. A police officer, six CPS workers, one lead CPS worker and two mental health workers, and guests.
One of the MH workers from the Bexar County informed be on the way back to San Angelo from San Antonio that she was helping a child on the bus when she was interrupted by a CPS worker who told her she was told not to allow MH works interact with the children because they (MH workers) did not want to work with the children. The MH worker interjected and said that was not true. They only thing she did not like was the fact that she was not allowed (by CPS) to work with the children.
Overall, the opportunity to work with this population of people was invaluable. It was unique in the sense that I was able to observe the grieving process, dailiy, for several hours per day, for at lest three weeks. And thorugh it all,, the “guests” managed their grief with dignity and grace, given the circumstances. In the grand scheme of things, there was evident deterioration with regard to behavior, nutrition, anguish, health, etc.
However, the “guests” never showed any signs of disrespect to anyone, even if they were not given the respect, in return.
Once the above reports were sent to Perry's Office, he promised that an investigation would take place.
It never did. It never does. Texas CPS and CASA routinely abuses, rapes and kills it's foster and adoptive children with complete immunity.
