youtube girl hair abuse update

[silvergirl]

youtube girl hair abuse update:followup sept 5th

Update on the little bi-racial? girl and her brother.
(This is not about the video of girl getting her hair pressed)
Original thread: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=382646&highlight=youtube+abuse

video reference: originally there were 3 videos which have since been deleted.
video 1:
http://www.zshare.net/video/627262554f524ffa/

ETA : Followup: Sept 5th Post 134
http://yoy50.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/seems-quite-a-buzz-is-going-around/



DISCLAIMER: I did not write this story

story and comments: The rescue.

http://yoy50.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/karma-is-always-at-work-part-3-the-rescue-update/

the story for those that cant click the link:
"
I did not expect the results that I’m so happy to share with you all, but since I did get an update on this issue, I’m posting this lastest news!
I wrote about a little girl who I felt strongly was being abused! Her hair was being torn from her scalp by her “mother”—(I really have been very consumed by this incident too). Although I AM NOT happy about how long it took for the state of Michigan to respond to my concerns, at least they finally did. I will give them credit for that. But in the state of NY (for example)—after what happened with Hedda Nussbaum back in the mid-80’s (please look her up if you are unfamiliar), I guess I assumed that EVERY state would take a complaint of the abuse of a child, more seriously. But I digress… so here’s the latest…
What has been updated to me by the local officials… the “mother” WAS recognized and identified based on the video that she and her eldest daughter posted on the internet. The children (the little girl and her brother—I actually thought the second child in the video, was a little girl at first) have been taken into custody by CPS in the Detroit area. Thank goodness!
Now… I realize that those little children may not know what is happening to them and are probably very confused, but I certainly hope people who read this will pray for their safe mental and physical health. This “mother” really was doing a bad thing to them—I absolutely have no doubts about that. I mentioned in one of the posts I made on this subject that I am prepared to take as much time as needed to see this through to the end—that has not changed. I truly hope people will pray for these children… they will need all the prayers people can manage. I am very sure in my heart, that an intervention was necessary. Now… for the “blasting”!
I contacted the local police department in St. Claire Shores, Michigan directly, as well as in the Detroit area. All gave me the “quiet shove”. I took it a step further and contacted the local news stations there additionally. While they (TV stations) took my information, went online to view the blog and review the footage of this abuse, I actually never got the complete follow up necessary. There was one station that did call back, but they were only trying to identify or confirm the blog—I’ve never heard from them again either. My assumption after that; this story was not “ratings grabbing or newsworthy enough”! The stations were, WXYZ, WDIZ and WJBK. All of them get a complete FAIL for their lack of “journalism and reporting” on this subject! I have my personal phone records that show exactly how many times I actually contacted each of them before any source returned my calls. Now here’s the real kicker in the pants…
I’d contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) in the Detroit area from the start and I actually never got a response at that time. With my follow up the other day, I was finally advised to contact the local FBI, yes… the FBI! Well… I thought that was a sort of strange route to take, but unsurprisingly, I got what I’d expected from their office too—yet another number to contact! Hey—I followed thru anyway because the only thought on my mind was this poor little girl in the video! And if this is what it takes to rescue her somehow—I will go through their motions/processes. Unsurprisingly, the local FBI routed me to yet another office– the Sheriff’s Department. Strangely, that did yield results in rescuing these two little kids! So here’s the twisted “upside” to that outcome…
About 30 minutes after that call, another call arrived, and it was from a Sgt. Hannon (like cannon is what she said to me). She was actually rude, abrasive and hung up on me in our less than 20 second conversation, but I did note her name. Finally, another Sergeant (I believe his name was Sgt. Harvey) at the Macomb County Sherriff’s Department called to say the following: “We’ve reviewed the video and your complaint, and someone here has recognized this person—the children are now in the care of CPS”!!! He followed that statement by saying this: ” here is the number for you to contact their office for further information”. A BIG SIGH OF RELIEF is all that came to my mind!!! I was actually no longer mad or upset in that moment!
Now… I don’t know if this is the process with every state, but I do think that it is tragic for it to have taken over 3 weeks to have some intervention for the safety of a child! I refuse to focus too much on the negative of this outcome, because this little girl and her brother were (and still are) my only concern in this effort and they were eventually rescued. But why can’t each state have a response system that is in a more expeditious manner? Really—more than 3 weeks to be able to get some assistance for a child? Is any state for real with this type of process?!!! Is that what our government and local/state officials have determined for children who need their help? I am especially disappointed with the local television stations there because all THEY needed to do is research the information I provided and air the video the very first time I contact them. (I know about media… it’s not that this process is painstaking!)
So… in my effort to lift the conclusion of this journey back up to a more positive ending… the children finally did get the help they needed. But (oddly) something tells me that is has not fully concluded, therefore, I will be updating this information when it is necessary. I am simply so very happy to know and be able to report, that these 2 children have been rescued for the time being. Who knows… I may actually being talking about two kids that I will adopt one day very soon.
So a special note to that little girl and her little brother: there are people who care. Love is NOT pain and your thick curly hair is beautiful!!! God did not make a mistake on either of you! I personally will do everything I can to continue to make sure you both get the care that you need and DESERVE.
The captain of THIS ship and the “Why O’ Why” Family!!!"

 

[msa]

I was really happy when I found out about this (there was a thread in OT). Hopefully those kids can be placed in a better environment until the mom gets it together.

Other folks on YouTube need to pay attention and stop posting foolishness before the same thing happens to them.

 

[Dominican09]

AWESOME!! but three weeks though?? and the FBI!!?? OMG! anyways, the loops that she had to go through is so predictable; however, I am super happy that the kids are safe and are going to get the help they need. Also, the mother is learning a lesson!

 

[bestblackgirl]

That mother deserved it... I was hoping the state took those kids away from her...
We need more people like that lady in this world. Went through all those troubles. I would have given up

 

[infojunkie]

Thanks so much for this post and perserverance. I've never forgotten that baby and wondered how I could find out what's going on with her.

May God richly bless you for all your efforts.

 

[Geminigirl]

I am happy and sad at the same time.

I am happy because they were taken out of a bad situation.

I am sad because I guess the system out there is pretty bad.
I hope they end up in a better situation.
This is crazy!

 

[Dee-Licious]

sorry, but those kids will far WAY WORSE being in foster care than from the harsh hair combing


you see how backed up their system is that it took 3 weeks for them to get involved

 

[Still Sexy Stewardess]

I feel so sorry for those kids. Being taken away from your mama is rough -- even if she's a bad mama.

 

[kandake]

I have mixed emotions about this whole thing.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I'm very conflicted about this whole situation. I'm very glad that the OP is so adamantly supportive of those childrens welfare, but at the same time, no matter what the situation is, being taken away from your mother forcibly is very traumatizing for a child. My hope is that the mother learns from this situation gets her life together and regains custody, psychologically any possible resolution with the birth mother will be the healthiest solution.

I mean, my mom didn't know a THING about caring for my natural hair, I would cry while she was ripping thru my dry kinky hair it would take a full day for her to style my hair, she'd always straighten it with an outdated over the stove hot comb that I was terrified of even though she was gentle and soothing then she'd tell me she always wanted me to stay natural and never get a perm I think some people just genuinely don't know

I think this mother is just extremly hood and undereducated. I hope she sees the error in her ways and does what it takes to win back custody and be the kind of mother that fosters high self-esteem in her children.

**ETA: I wrote this thinking this was about the pressing video, its not and its clearly abuse, I think many of us had the same mistaken impression.......just FYI

 

[ceebee3]

What that mother did to her child was terrible, but I can't believe that foster care is better.

I don't know how to implement a good solution to this story. The mother needs help, I would hope they try to provide some sort of assistance to her as well.

 

[loolalooh]

I'm very conflicted about this whole situation. I'm very glad that the OP is so adamantly supportive of those childrens welfare, but at the same time, no matter what the situation is, being taken away from your mother forcibly is very traumatizing for a child. My hope is that the mother learns from this situation gets her life together and regains custody, psychologically any possible resolution with the birth mother will be the healthiest solution.

I mean, my mom didn't know a THING about caring for my natural hair, I would cry while she was ripping thru my dry kinky hair it would take a full day for her to style my hair, she'd always straighten it with an outdated over the stove hot comb that I was terrified of even though she was gentle and soothing then she'd tell me she always wanted me to stay natural and never get a perm I think some people just genuinely don't know

I think this mother is just extremly hood and undereducated. I hope she sees the error in her ways and does what it takes to win back custody and be the kind of mother that fosters high self-esteem in her children.

I completely agree. And with the foster care system the way it is, who knows whether those kids will get adopted, separated from each other, etc.

 

[Yellowflowers]

Silvergirl, Thanks for posting this. Lord only knows what else they were going through.

People in this country talk a lot of crap about the safety of animals but seem to not care much for the children who are suffering, being beaten and abused in these families.

Pleople still believe it's OK to beat children and are too ignorant and lazy and angry to learn other ways of discipline but you can go to jail in a heartbeat and do some serious time for beating and abusing an animal.

They need to make that mother get counseling and take child care classes before they return thier children back to her. She is so ignorant.

That's why so many children are being abused. People think children are worse off in foster care or being removed from the home so they do nothing. A lot of times intervention saves lives.

 

[isabella09]

Thank you very much for the update.

 

[Neith]

This wasn't JUST harsh hair combing.

She was cursing at that child, literally climbing on top of the kid while pulling her hair out, berating her, having the other children hit her and GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE BEHIND THE SCENES?

I cannot believe that some would just leave a child in an environment like that and feel it's okay.

I also HIGHLY doubt that CPS would have taken the children without an investigation.

It's a hard life... at least the child has a BETTER CHANCE for someone to take care of her. At home, what chance did she have? To wake up and be tortured physically, mentally and emotionally everyday?

Thank God she got some help. Many children from abusive homes just have to endure.

 

[msa]

This wasn't JUST harsh hair combing.

She was cursing at that child, literally climbing on top of the kid while pulling her hair out, berating her, having the other children hit her and GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE BEHIND THE SCENES?

I cannot believe that some would just leave a child in an environment like that and feel it's okay.

I also HIGHLY doubt that CPS would have taken the children without an investigation.

It's a hard life... at least the child has a BETTER CHANCE for someone to take care of her. At home, what chance did she have? To wake up and be tortured physically, mentally and emotionally everyday?

Thank God she got some help. Many children from abusive homes just have to endure.

EXACTLY.

What happened in that video was clearly physical (ex: sitting on her) and emotional (yelling, screaming, talking down to her) abuse. It was crystal clear.

Maybe some of you don't know how foster care is supposed to work. If the investigators found nothing they would not have removed the children. The reason it took a few weeks for them to take the children out is because they I'm sure they were investigating all sides of the issue.

Also, the first goal in a case plan, after safety, is reunification with the family. I'm sure as part of the requirements to get her children back this mother will have to go through parenting classes, which she obviously needs.

Foster care isn't all roses but at least the children aren't going to be getting beat and yelled at by someone who is clearly stupid enough to think that her actions are acceptable and that they should be recorded and posted for others to see.

 

[msa]

People in this country talk a lot of crap about the safety of animals but seem to not care much for the children who are suffering, being beaten and abused in these families.

Exactly.

Folks were so up in arms and incensed about Michael Vick abusing some dogs but actual human children should stay in the home with their abuser?!?!

GTFOOHWTBS.

 

[Hairsofab]

If CPS took them in, I bet there were other abusive incidents that have been reported before. I still thought about this case a lot. Hopefully, the kids can be placed with another family member or with the mom after counseling or something.

 

[BostonMaria]

I hope that the mom gets help and learns from this. I really hope that with some counseling and anger management classes this mom can one day get her kids back. I'm sure that she will be watched for a while.

As far as foster care, I hope they gave the kids to a family member. This must be traumatizing for them.

 

[Neith]

Exactly.

Folks were so up in arms and incensed about Michael Vick abusing some dogs but actual human children should stay in the home with their abuser?!?!

GTFOOHWTBS.

I know! If this was a dog, everyone would agree that it should be removed from the home.

That's a shame.

I really wonder where some people's heads are when it comes to this issue.

It's NOT okay for anyone to endure abuse. If it's something that you wouldn't want done to yourself, it should not be done to a child.

How many adults here want to be cursed out while being pulled to the floor by the hair and have someone 100+ pounds more than you sit on your chest and rip your hair out with a brush? And most likely, that's JUST the tip of the iceberg.

Just because it's a child, it's okay to do these things?


I hope the best for the family. If the mom can be helped with counseling, I'm all for it. but the way things were going was NO GOOD.

 

[Dee-Licious]

i don't care about dogs.

and MANY kids in foster care are physically, mentally, and SEXUALLY abused.

 

[Neith]

i don't care about dogs.

and MANY kids in foster care are physically, mentally, and SEXUALLY abused.

So that means you don't even attempt to help children that are being abused?

It's better to be 100% sure that she will be abused by her mother/family?

 

[loved]

EXACTLY.

What happened in that video was clearly physical (ex: sitting on her) and emotional (yelling, screaming, talking down to her) abuse. It was crystal clear.

Maybe some of you don't know how foster care is supposed to work. If the investigators found nothing they would not have removed the children. The reason it took a few weeks for them to take the children out is because they I'm sure they were investigating all sides of the issue.

Also, the first goal in a case plan, after safety, is reunification with the family. I'm sure as part of the requirements to get her children back this mother will have to go through parenting classes, which she obviously needs.

Foster care isn't all roses but at least the children aren't going to be getting beat and yelled at by someone who is clearly stupid enough to think that her actions are acceptable and that they should be recorded and posted for others to see.

ITA. There may enough on that video for CPS to intervene, monitor and offer services, but maybe not enough of an emergency to remove the child from the home immediately as if there were exigent circumstances.

I used to handle these types of cases and CPS probably had to proceed with a court case based on what they saw in the tape and what they may have uncovered during their investigation.

Foster care is not great, but there are a lot of wonderful & caring foster parents. Hopefully, mom can get the help that she needs so that she can successfully reunify with her children.

 

[PeanutButterandHoney]

CPS didn't have to take those children on this incident alone. They could have provided the family with a case manager and referrals to community resources such as counseling and child care/parenting courses. These interventions should be mandatory and included within a case plan, but to break up a home is really uncalled for. I always though Child Protection was more willing to cure broken homes than to break them.

 

[mrsjohnson75]

If the children were removed from the home it wasn't JUST because of that video.

 

[msa]

i don't care about dogs.

and MANY kids in foster care are physically, mentally, and SEXUALLY abused.

People always love to throw that out there.

At any given time there are 500,000 kids in the formal foster care system. Yes, some of them do end up being abused again once in foster care, but that's not the norm. And, from having been in foster care and working an agency and foster families, I'd say about 80% of the abuse claims are blatant lies, 10% are exaggerated, and only the other 10% are actual abuse cases.

CPS didn't have to take those children on this incident alone. They could have provided the family with a case manager and referrals to community resources such as counseling and child care/parenting courses. These interventions should be mandatory and included within a case plan, but to break up a home is really uncalled for. I always though Child Protection was more willing to cure broken homes than to break them.

CPS wouldn't have taken those children out of the home if they didn't find sufficient reason to do so. Since this video made national news, they couldn't stand by and do nothing and I'm sure they did everything by the book because other people are watching them.

What happened in the video was enough to remove the children actually. The family is still going to get all the interventions necessary. But in this case the home is already broken so taken the children out doesn't make it anymore so.

 

[RadiantBeauty]

..........What happened in the video was enough to remove the children actually. The family is still going to get all the interventions necessary. But in this case the home is already broken so taken the children out doesn't make it anymore so.

SO TRUE! I am happy the authorities stepped in, that "mother" should not be allowed to raise children period!

 

[RadiantBeauty]

If the children were removed from the home it wasn't JUST because of that video.

EXACTLY! There was definitely more than one occassion of child abuse going on in that home.

 

[bedazzled]

WELL IDK if a child should be removed from their parents because of the mother not combing the kids hair properly...im sure this nonsense goes in tons of black houses. I found that it crossed the line when she was cursing at her child, demeaning her child, allowing the other children to bully her..to me thats the abuse. Verbal abuse is just as IMPORTANT as physical abuse & I think by pulling her away from that household & hopefully placing her into a BETTER environment (a good portion of foster care SUCKS and the kids come out of worse off than before) she will have a chance to grow up and NOT be like her mother and do better. Other than that the mom looks like a typical hoodrat who probably needs services offered in helping her with parenthood.

 

[Shandell]

This entire situation is disheartening; there was definitely more evidence of abuse, however, the video added fuel to the flame and the persistence of outraged viewers demanded that the state act quickly. Having worked with abused children for several years and having a grandmother who took in several foster children it is true that some are abused, murdered, raped and treated harshly, so foster care is not the cure all here, hopefully the children will be placed with loving relatives until the mother does whatever is necessary to be a better mother for her children. She was wrong, but thank God the woman can be redeemed and be the mother she needs to be to her beautiful babies.