I was in the foster system so I thought I'd give you all a little insight into what really happens there. First off I'll give you my story... I was taken into the foster system by choice from my mother who was an abusive, possibly schitzophrenic alcoholic. The first place I arrived was Polinsky Children's Center. ( http://www.wic.org/orgs/polinsky.htm ) Its a high security group home. They bring you in, make you wait for a while, take a mugshot picture, (quite literally a mugshot) then take you to your cabin. When i first arrived, i was scared to death. I was placed in one of the houses at the group home for teen girls. There, the girls were extremely violent, some just plain psycho. If you yelled, were loud, or generally out of line, you were restrained, and sometimes forced medication. Luckily I kept quiet so this didn't happen to me. if you tried to run away (called AWOL in the foster system), you could also be restrained. This restraining was very violent and would result in bruises and cuts and injuries usually because one teenage girl would have five adults chocking her down to the ground if she refused her medication. At Polinsky they have an oh-so convient clinic on the grounds. There I was given various shots and a full cavity search, including an inventory of any markings, scars, noticable features on my body so they could identify me should I escape. Google Earth the place, and you'll see that the entire property is blocked off with 12-foot high walls and barbed wire. Visiting family or friends was a privledge. If you got in any trouble, no seeing your family. We were all required to carry around point cards where we were marked off if we misbehaved. While there I met various interesting individuals, both bad and good. For example, a 13 year old girl, 9 months pregant, convinced she would become mother of the year. One of the good people I met was someone ironically a meth/crack/ acid addict who was known to commonly AWOL. She was actually a very intelligent, bright, beautiful young girl named Star. We were walked to school (also on the grounds), to lunch, etc. in groups of three at a time, with a staff behind and in front, as if we were prisoners. That's what this place was; a prison. Kids were brought in and treated as if they were criminals. Two weeks later I moved to Casa De Amparo ( http://www.casadeamparo.org/ ), an all girls group home. Actually, it really was a hallway with some bedrooms and a kitchen. There, you couldn't be restrained, thank goodness, but that's when i realized that foster kids were guinea pigs for psychiatrists. Everyone was required to meet with doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. and if deemed appropriate, put on meds. This was never a choice. This place too, was a prison. You were allowed very little contact with the outside world, outside of contacts deemed appropriate by your social worker. If you wanted to see anybody; family, even friends, they had to go through a full background check and usually weeks of paperwork. And even then, if the psychiatrists and staff deemed that you weren't ready to see friends or family (like if you refused medication), you couldn't. On the rare occasions that we went on outings, we weren't allowed to talk to anybody. Not even cashiers, etc. I made the mistake one day of asking someone if they had change for a dollar, and I was quickly whisked away and punished for making contact with someone not approved. Later I was moved to San Pasqual Academy ( http://www.sanpasqualacademy.org/ ), a group home / high school. Relatively low security, lower than even Casa De Amparo, but still this place had its perils. once again, the care takers and doctors were very pill happy. By this time I was on various mind numbing "medications" for anxiety and PTSD, which left me tired, numb, and lifeless; what the staff noted as "obedient and well-behaved". Once again, if someone refused their meds, usually all other privledges were taken away as well. Though the place advertises freedom and independence, this was usually a facade and not the case at all. Rooms were often searched by drug dogs, and privacy was unheard of. I eventually moved up into a transitional living program ( http://www.sanpasqualacademy.org/alumni.htm ) which wasn't much better. it was advertised to us as "the only way" we could make it. Rent was cheap, but our income and spending was strictly monitored and controlled. Once again, we were strictly controlled by the pill doctors, only this time if we refused, we were subject to being kicked out of the program; kicked out on the street. Luckily, that was a few months ago, and since then I am doing a lot better. I ran away, escaped to another state, and I'm now living independently and happily. I'm free to do what i want, live how I want. I offer you all this story as a glimpse into the foster system, so that people may understand just what happens. I'm lucky I never went into a foster home with foster parents, for I've head much worse stories about those. I've always wanted to tell this story of my life, but I've never had the courage or the audience. Thank you for taking your time to read this.
shit. that sounds horrible. if someone adopted one of those kids could they get out of the system? ive always said why have more kids when you could adopt a kid who already is alive and needs a home.
I actually asked one of my staff this question when I was at Polinsky and saw all the kids, babies, and toddlers, not yet traumatized and hardened by the system. Adoption is sometimes an option, but you see, there's a problem. I never had this problem myself (my mother was more than willing to give me up), but many parents will not stop putting up a fight, even if they have no chance of getting their kids back, and they know this. Even if there's no way in hell they could get their kids back, as long as they keep fighting it, the child stays a ward of the court. Many parents are selfish and would rather fight and keep their kids in horrible group homes than see them with another family, even if the family is better, simply because they are selfish and possessive. Another problem is the same problem the human society faces. People want kids young; the teens are often troublesome, have emotional baggage, are hardened and mean. People would rather have the young kids, preferably toddlers or babies who are too young to remember their real parents or have any major emotional problems yet.
God! thats awful! The whole thing. So you just ran away and now your just living life as you want. (finally)
Find the book "Hopes Child" written by an attorney who grew up in the Foster Care system. He survived it, educated himself and is now an advocate for kids. He goes after the system like a junk yard dog. He's one of the lucky ones though. Lot of kids do not survive the system to go on to healthy lives. What you describe, Bloodynail, is well documented by this guys book. I have been a licensed foster parent for over 30 years. Just kids, living here on the farm with me. Not a huge group thing, 4 or 5 of us at a time, just us as a family. I adopted five of the guys, got 'em out of the system. The system is as fucked up for us as parents as it is for the kids we try to help. We are constantly suspected of being pervs. If a kid gets pissed at us all he/she has to say is we touched them wrong and we're done. We get to have little say over what happens to "our" kids. Some one in the system makes decisions based on who knows what. Thats why I started adopting my sons. No SOB can mess with my kid once I get them adopted. All of my kids and now their families live close by. Grand kids are all over the place. The whole system is just fucked up beyond belief. I've had a lot of kids live here a few months to a few years. Too often, as you note, the kids couldn't be adopted. I still see a lot of those guys that were in foster care. Most went on to an OK life...some did not. All of my sons were older when I adopted them. Some had been in places just like you describe. They rarely would talk about what happened there...sometimes it just came screaming out...PTSD stuff.... Then I'd sit up all night and hold an overgrown 15 or 16 year old who is crying like a baby...me too, usually... Jesus, the Rage. Rage in the kids, rage in me. Bloodynails, I do understand your hatred of the system... do something with that anger. Educate yourself so that you can work with the kids who are still trapped. I was able to adopt my sons because there were a few good folks in the system. I hope you find peace in your life, I hope you can add your voice to making a change for the ones still trapped.
The ppl that actually apply for those jobs/careers in the whole array to that system where they can control other ppl in dead obvious wrongful ways like it's all OK have got to be the most vile kinds of ppl. Cool to see you straight up escaped that bullshit. Kind of remined me of me as an escape artist. My motto is when facing a living hell use self-defense which is as an escape from what's harmful. Like to what RATM sung "Deliver the bad, then you chosen life!" I never told my story...I was actually put intentionally stuck in a state hospital because of the ATF and the dead wrong doctors who didnt evaluate me--no, they did what the AFT wanted which was to have me commited. I wasnt mentally ill either, but they lied to make it seem so even in court. But it's bigger than that. How they got away with that in court I know how and believe me they will be dealt with including the judge who they somehow put in on it too with my lawyer. Can you believe that? My own lawyer was working for them. How I know? She didnt ask whose dna and if it matched mines. That alone, since I know I didnt do the crime, would have set me free. I got word by some court guard that the president was going to watch the case as I was in the hallway on the bench to the court room just before I was up to enter. The president Bush I meaning! ATF had some big time shit that they made seem I did. Obviously the matter brought attention to a national security issue. The Judge on the case did some OBVIOUS AS DAY SHIT he shouldnt have did. If the president was paying attention, then he'd have saw what was going on as bigger than me. I dont know if he did, but all I know is I was left in a hospital, being medicated againt my will (though I played the role like I was willing in hopes to get out), and no one got me out based on the fact it could not have been a matching dna. See how the AFT and on up the latter did me? This is why I hope countries like Russia bomb the U.S. Things like that would cause actual change to where anarchy would rise forth of who's left. And you know not another liar or controling wicked person would be safe when ppl get free from the law and its enforcements. Anyhow, it turned out I would only be sent to a group home when ever I get released. I went to one. I escaped it and got to grey hound bus station and left to different states under my name first then under a different name since they dont match IDs with tickets. Oh yeah, when I was in the hospital I escaped twice but got brought back. At least there is a way to escape. I remember the day the Aft first came to a house I was living at... I was on the internet and the computer changed in somehow and I knew I it was being monitored as I was online. I even posted something suggesting I know. It was on this very site back then too when I was spied upon.
No, he wasnt there in the flesh. He was to watch the case. By video I think I can remamber the guard said. I dont know if it was live or taped, but I do know they have capability to do it live. If there was a camera it must was above up the wall like how it is in a movie theater 'cause it wasnt on the floor from all what I remember. That lawyer that was given (appointed since I couldnt afford a lawyer) lied to me when we met at the hospital. I asked for a jury but she was like it would go faster if I went with a judge, but I insisted to her again very firmly I want a jury and she was like OK. Now she supposed to listen to me if she's my lawyer, but when the time came for me to be at court I saw she lied cause I didnt get the jury I requested for. That's how I know she was in on covering something big up and was on the side on the AFT to help make it look like I did the crime I didnt do. My character and name was assassinated. The other woman that acted for asuring I be commited to the hospital in court lied too right in front of me, the judge, the AFT agent, and to whoever else up the latter to even asure the agent's lie stuck in court. So I know she was cooperating with the AFT in a crookid way. So I know it was a big deal that they made me go down as ill to have done the crime in a way that saves someone else. The thing to me is, how could someone mentally ill pull off a sophisticated(sp?) type crime like it was I was being made to look as having done? Also why come they commit me when by law I'm supposed to be a danger to others or myself when I wasnt either of that? What bullshit. They pulled a big one on me. They buried and sealed me in from all angles.
It had to do with bombs being put around. Involving someone with the ppl in the authorities and in courts from all over. ^^That's what they let me read from a letter they made seem I made as a threat. When I was in court thy made it seem like even more letters than one that were threats to the nation. Hell, the ppl in the authorities and in the courts must was hiding something major for them to bury me in that bullshit.
