Two toddlers

[Ron]

Two toddlers lay quietly in bed when Omaha police officers arrived Monday
morning at the house at 2017 Fowler Ave.




Something horrible had happened to their mother in the minutes before police
arrived, and the children - a 3-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy - may have
witnessed the violence, prosecutor Leigh Ann Retelsdorf said Wednesday.

Between 2:40 a.m. - when a woman's screams during a 911 call sent police
speeding to the house - and 2:44 a.m., when police arrived at the home,
their mother, Tina Williams, was killed.

Williams had been stabbed 19 times, prosecutor Greg Nelson said Wednesday in
Douglas County Court.

Police arrived to find Williams, 41, dead in the bedroom with the children.
The toddlers were unharmed.

The door to the house, which has a screened-in porch, had been kicked in,
and furniture was broken in the room where police found Williams' body,
Retelsdorf said.

Williams' estranged husband and the children's father, Wesley L. Williams,
was charged Wednesday in Douglas County Court with first-degree murder and
use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with Tina Williams'
death.

On Wednesday, Judge Darryl Lowe denied bail to Wesley Williams, 38. He will
remain jailed until his Dec. 5 preliminary hearing.

When Lowe asked Williams on Wednesday if he understood the charges against
him, he said he did not.

"You're charged with first-degree murder. Do you want me to read it out for
you?" Lowe replied.

Williams said yes. Lowe explained that he could face either life in prison
or death if convicted of the murder charge and up to 20 years in prison if
found guilty of the weapon charge.

Neither Tina Williams' family nor Wesley Williams' family appeared to be in
the courtroom.

Public Defender Cheryl Kessell, Williams' attorney, did not return a phone
message left at her office Wednesday seeking comment.

The Stop the Violence Memorial Tree Dedication Committee, a program of Bias
Busters Nebraska and the National Action Network, will dedicate a tree
Friday in Tina Williams' memory, spokesman Sonny Scroggins said.

The dedication and a candlelight vigil will be at 6 p.m. at Bluff View Park,
near Florence Boulevard and Fowler Avenue, he said.

In addition, Tina Williams' family has set up a fund to help pay for her
funeral and to provide money to help raise her children, said Dirk Day, her
cousin.

[Anthony Smith]

"Ron" > wrote in message news:<cE_qb.9973$G7.4526@okepread04>...
> Two toddlers lay quietly in bed when Omaha police officers arrived Monday
> morning at the house at 2017 Fowler Ave.
>
>
>
>
> Something horrible had happened to their mother in the minutes before police
> arrived, and the children - a 3-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy - may have
> witnessed the violence, prosecutor Leigh Ann Retelsdorf said Wednesday.
>
> Between 2:40 a.m. - when a woman's screams during a 911 call sent police
> speeding to the house - and 2:44 a.m., when police arrived at the home,
> their mother, Tina Williams, was killed.
>
> Williams had been stabbed 19 times, prosecutor Greg Nelson said Wednesday in
> Douglas County Court.
>
> Police arrived to find Williams, 41, dead in the bedroom with the children.


Subject: Los Angeles Protest Activities, Victory! LA County Authorities Move
for Title IV-E Wavier!, LA Radio & News Coverage

Dr. Shirley Moore was unable to make the original scheduled KPFK 90.7 FM
Radio broadcast on Nov 11th, but it was taped and will now be broadcast on,
DATE: Friday, November 14, 2003
TIME: 8:30 AM
RADIO STA: KPFK 90.7 FM
GUEST: Dr. Shirley Moore
Persons out of the LA Broadcast Area can tune in via the Internet at
www.kpfk.org. This requires Real Player Radio which can be downloaded free
via the internet.

Included below is information on Planned Protest Activities for the LA Area,
and following that a message I received from Dr. Moore on Our Recent Victory
with the LA County Board Of Supervisors and a New's Article by Troy Anderson
in regards to the Protest Held at the Nov. 5th LA Supers Meeting.
We are also planning gatherings at the Board of Supervisor Meetings in San
Diego County, Riverside and San Bernadino Counties in the very near future.
An Action Alert will be sent on these protest in the near future.
Dennis

Dr. Shirley Moore AFRA Director for the Los Angeles Area will be on the air
to talk about Department of Children and Family Services in the Los Angeles
area and the Planned AFRA Demonstrations scheduled for Nov 16th, Sunday, in
Liemert Park, Crenshaw Blvd. at Vernon Ave.

DATE: Sunday, November 16, 2003
TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
PLACE: Liemert Park in Los Angeles on the corner of Crenshaw
Blvd and Vernon Avenue.

Dr. Shirley Moore (a former MTA employee) won a decision by the 4th
appellate court with regard to the conflict of interest between the Judges
and County Counsel. Dr. Shirley Moore is running for State Assembly.

Protest this Sunday at Liemert Park in Los Angeles concerning the abuses of
the legal system by the county. Financial incentives have resulted in a
sharp increase in the number of citizens involved in the legal system. The
grant money, the court fines, the court filing fees, plus are supporting the
construction of new courthouses.

We will have petitions on hand to be signed asking Honorable Ashcroft to
come into this state and place a consent decree upon the court system. All
cases both criminal and civil that involved the county need to be reviewed
with regard to conflict of interest. We are certainly in a state of
emergency. A statewide is being planned in the near future. Please pass
this on! Please plan to attend the Protest on November 16th 2003, and
December 6th, 2003!

DATE: Saturday, December 6th, 2003
TIME: 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM
EVENT: The Juvenile Justice Centennial Celebration
PLACE: The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
1755 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA

This event is where all the alleged professionals in the Juvenile Justice
system will be gathering. The parents and concerning citizens about the
abuses of the Juvenile Court system will hold a protest outside the event.

PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND MARCH PLANNED

A statewide march will take place in February in front of the federal
Building. This will be held over the President's day weekend. A follow up
event of the same nature will take place in Northern California in May.
Please make arrangements to attend these noteworthy events. This outcry
will certainly get the attention of Honorable Ashcroft. Remember, we have
to act as the people did during the civil rights movement.

Dr. Shirley Moore
America's Family Rights Association
Director AFRA Los Angeles Area

Report from Dr. Moore On Results of LA County Board of Supervisiors Nov 12th
2003 Meeting

As a result of our persistence, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor;s
voted today to ask the Federal Government it they could in fact use a
Federal waiver called title IV-E funds in an effort to keep the children in
their homes as opposed to sending them to foster homes. (The reporter then
asked the director Dr. Sanders if in fact they are going to revisit the past
cases like Dr. Moore had requested. Dr. Sanders said that at this time, he
would go from this point today.) I personally am waiting on the response
from Washington, DC. This has been done in Illinois, and as a result, the
foster care system has been cut in half. I am hoping

County seeking waiver
$250 million would be targeted for families


By Troy Anderson
Staff Writer


A recent state report that found counties earn more money putting children
in foster care than in keeping them out prompted Los Angeles County
supervisors to seek federal approval to use $250 million in child welfare
funds to help solve family problems.

The vote allows the troubled Department of Children and Family Services to
begin negotiating for a waiver that would allow the nation's largest child
protective system to spend a good chunk of its annual $1.4 billion budget on
services to help troubled families.

DCFS now spends less than $30 million a year to help families with financial
difficulties, substance abuse and other problems that bring them to the
attention of child protection services.

The vast majority of the budget goes to pay for the average $30,000 a year
cost of keeping a child in foster care. In some cases, the costs exceed
$150,000 per child.

But the system has long been criticized for the poor care it provides
children in foster care, who are six to seven times more likely to be
mistreated in the system than in the general population.

DCFS officials don't expect a decision from Washington until March.

DCFS Director David Sanders said experts have estimated that as many as half
of the county's 75,000 children in foster and adoptive homes could have been
left in their parents' care if the appropriate services had been provided.

He said the way the system is now funded is inflexible and forces the agency
to provide "ineffective and overly intrusive" services that are "often
detrimental" to children and families.

"Right now, if a family is referred to the child abuse hotline and it turns
out they need some support services, they are often put on waiting lists,"
Sanders said.

Several states are also seeking renewal of their waivers, including
Illinois, which was granted a similar waiver in the late 1990s that helped
it reduce its foster care population in half and improved the care children
receive.

"I think it's a very innovative proposal," said Virginia Weisz, directing
attorney of the Children's Rights Project in Los Angeles.

She said the "Title IV-E" waiver would help DCFS implement a 1980 federal
law that requires states and counties to make "reasonable efforts" to keep
families together if possible.

"Ironically, the federal mandate has not provided funds to do that," Weisz
said.

Miriam Krinsky, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los
Angeles, which represents 20,000 foster children, said there is no doubt
child advocates have "tremendous challenges" in changing a system that has
been in place for decades.

"There are too many children and too many families we bring under the
jurisdiction of the court simply to get services they need," Krinsky said.
"We don't do enough to look at how to give assistance to children and
families."

"There should not be a financial disincentive that causes us to remove
children from their home simply to get them help," she said.

Tony Bravo, president of Service Employees International Union, Local 535,
which represents the county's social workers, said in his 23 years with the
department he has seen far too many children unnecessarily placed and kept
in foster care.

"We feel this initiative is a bold and innovative concept that will provide
a win-win for our clients and the Board of Supervisors," Bravo said. "By
shifting funds to community resources, it will result in a reduction of
(children) that come into the system and lower our caseloads so we have more
time to visit with families and children."

Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985

Parents rip county foster care system
By Troy Anderson
Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 04, 2003 -

In emotionally charged testimony Tuesday before the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors, parents whose children have been placed in foster care
called for an investigation into whether thousands of youngsters should have
been taken from their parents.


The testimony follows the release of a state Department of Social Services
report in September that found too many children have unnecessarily been
placed in foster care because of "perverse financial incentives" that
encourage local governments to earn money by brnging children into the
foster care system.

David Sanders, director of the county Department of Children and Family
Services, said experts have estimated that as many as half of the county's
foster children could have been left in their parents' care if appropriate
services had been provided to the families.

Some of the dozens of parents gathered in the Hall of Administration hearing
room also questioned whether Los Angeles County judges could fairly hear
their cases because the county pays each judge about $30,000 a year in
benefits on top of the state salaries and benefits they receive.

"We believe that every case has been tainted," said Shirley Moore, a state
Assembly candidate and a member of the California Black Republican Council.

A court spokesman did not return a reporter's phone call seeking comment
late Tuesday.

In the supervisors' hearing, no public official spoke in defense of the
child protective services system.

Moore said she and others have gathered nearly 100,000 signatures they plan
to submit to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a request to place the
county's courts under oversight of a federal consent decree. The petition
alleges the courts have lost their integrity due to "intrinsic fraud and
financial conflicts of interest" in civil and criminal cases involving
children's services, eminent domain and probate.

"Too many black children are being taken from their homes in the name of
grant money," Moore said. "This criminal enterprise must stop."

The Rev. Ruby Lynn Brown, an associate minister from Pasadena and a 34-year
employee at County/USC Medical Center, said "relative caregivers" who take
care of grandchildren and other relatives in the foster care system are
concerned about the large number of children they believe were wrongfully
seized from their families.

"There are too many minority children being transported through the system
because of the arrogance of children's services," Brown said.

Brown and Moore said they intend to ask Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger
for a state investigation of the child protective services system.

Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985





The information transmitted is intended solely for the individual or entity
to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged
material. DATE: Friday, November 14, 2003
TIME: 8:30 AM
RADIO STA: KPFK 90.7 FM
GUEST: Dr. Shirley Moore

Dr. Shirley Moore AFRA Director for the Los Angeles Area will be on the air
to talk about Department of Children and Family Services in the Los Angeles
area and the Planned AFRA Demonstrations scheduled for Nov 16th, Sunday, in
Liemert Park, Crenshaw Blvd. at Vernon Ave.

DATE: Sunday, November 16, 2003
TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
PLACE: Liemert Park in Los Angeles on the corner of Crenshaw
Blvd and Vernon Avenue.

Dr. Shirley Moore (a former MTA employee) won a decision by the 4th
appellate court with regard to the conflict of interest between the Judges
and County Counsel. Dr. Shirley Moore is running for State Assembly.

Protest this Sunday at Liemert Park in Los Angeles concerning the abuses of
the legal system by the county. Financial incentives have resulted in a
sharp increase in the number of citizens involved in the legal system. The
grant money, the court fines, the court filing fees, plus are supporting the
construction of new courthouses.

We will have petitions on hand to be signed asking Honorable Ashcroft to
come into this state and place a consent decree upon the court system. All
cases both criminal and civil that involved the county need to be reviewed
with regard to conflict of interest. We are certainly in a state of
emergency. A statewide is being planned in the near future. Please pass
this on! Please plan to attend the Protest on November 16th 2003, and
December 6th, 2003!

DATE: Saturday, December 6th, 2003
TIME: 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM
EVENT: The Juvenile Justice Centennial Celebration
PLACE: The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
1755 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA

This event is where all the alleged professionals in the Juvenile Justice
system will be gathering. The parents and concerning citizens about the
abuses of the Juvenile Court system will hold a protest outside the event.

PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND MARCH PLANNED

A statewide march will take place in February in front of the federal
Building. This will be held over the President's day weekend. A follow up
event of the same nature will take place in Northern California in May.
Please make arrangements to attend these noteworthy events. This outcry
will certainly get the attention of Honorable Ashcroft. Remember, we have
to act as the people did during the civil rights movement.

Dr. Shirley Moore
Director over the Los Angeles AFRA
America's Family Rights Association

Parents rip county foster care system
By Troy Anderson
Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 04, 2003 -

In emotionally charged testimony Tuesday before the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors, parents whose children have been placed in foster care
called for an investigation into whether thousands of youngsters should have
been taken from their parents.


The testimony follows the release of a state Department of Social Services
report in September that found too many children have unnecessarily been
placed in foster care because of "perverse financial incentives" that
encourage local governments to earn money by bringing children into the
foster care system.

David Sanders, director of the county Department of Children and Family
Services, said experts have estimated that as many as half of the county's
foster children could have been left in their parents' care if appropriate
services had been provided to the families.

Some of the dozens of parents gathered in the Hall of Administration hearing
room also questioned whether Los Angeles County judges could fairly hear
their cases because the county pays each judge about $30,000 a year in
benefits on top of the state salaries and benefits they receive.

"We believe that every case has been tainted," said Shirley Moore, a state
Assembly candidate and a member of the California Black Republican Council.

A court spokesman did not return a reporter's phone call seeking comment
late Tuesday.

In the supervisors' hearing, no public official spoke in defense of the
child protective services system.

Moore said she and others have gathered nearly 100,000 signatures they plan
to submit to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a request to place the
county's courts under oversight of a federal consent decree. The petition
alleges the courts have lost their integrity due to "intrinsic fraud and
financial conflicts of interest" in civil and criminal cases involving
children's services, eminent domain and probate.

"Too many black children are being taken from their homes in the name of
grant money," Moore said. "This criminal enterprise must stop."

The Rev. Ruby Lynn Brown, an associate minister from Pasadena and a 34-year
employee at County/USC Medical Center, said "relative caregivers" who take
care of grandchildren and other relatives in the foster care system are
concerned about the large number of children they believe were wrongfully
seized from their families.

"There are too many minority children being transported through the system
because of the arrogance of children's services," Brown said.

Brown and Moore said they intend to ask Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger
for a state investigation of the child protective services system.

Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985


> The toddlers were unharmed.
>
> The door to the house, which has a screened-in porch, had been kicked in,
> and furniture was broken in the room where police found Williams' body,
> Retelsdorf said.
>
> Williams' estranged husband and the children's father, Wesley L. Williams,
> was charged Wednesday in Douglas County Court with first-degree murder and
> use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with Tina Williams'
> death.
>
> On Wednesday, Judge Darryl Lowe denied bail to Wesley Williams, 38. He will
> remain jailed until his Dec. 5 preliminary hearing.
>
> When Lowe asked Williams on Wednesday if he understood the charges against
> him, he said he did not.
>
> "You're charged with first-degree murder. Do you want me to read it out for
> you?" Lowe replied.
>
> Williams said yes. Lowe explained that he could face either life in prison
> or death if convicted of the murder charge and up to 20 years in prison if
> found guilty of the weapon charge.
>
> Neither Tina Williams' family nor Wesley Williams' family appeared to be in
> the courtroom.
>
> Public Defender Cheryl Kessell, Williams' attorney, did not return a phone
> message left at her office Wednesday seeking comment.
>
> The Stop the Violence Memorial Tree Dedication Committee, a program of Bias
> Busters Nebraska and the National Action Network, will dedicate a tree
> Friday in Tina Williams' memory, spokesman Sonny Scroggins said.
>
> The dedication and a candlelight vigil will be at 6 p.m. at Bluff View Park,
> near Florence Boulevard and Fowler Avenue, he said.
>
> In addition, Tina Williams' family has set up a fund to help pay for her
> funeral and to provide money to help raise her children, said Dirk Day, her
> cousin.

[Ron]

Top Post:

And all this has "what" to do with the article I posted Tony?

Ron

"Anthony Smith" > wrote in message
om...
> "Ron" > wrote in message
news:<cE_qb.9973$G7.4526@okepread04>...
> > Two toddlers lay quietly in bed when Omaha police officers arrived
Monday
> > morning at the house at 2017 Fowler Ave.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Something horrible had happened to their mother in the minutes before
police
> > arrived, and the children - a 3-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy - may
have
> > witnessed the violence, prosecutor Leigh Ann Retelsdorf said Wednesday.
> >
> > Between 2:40 a.m. - when a woman's screams during a 911 call sent police
> > speeding to the house - and 2:44 a.m., when police arrived at the home,
> > their mother, Tina Williams, was killed.
> >
> > Williams had been stabbed 19 times, prosecutor Greg Nelson said
Wednesday in
> > Douglas County Court.
> >
> > Police arrived to find Williams, 41, dead in the bedroom with the
children.
>
>
> Subject: Los Angeles Protest Activities, Victory! LA County Authorities
Move
> for Title IV-E Wavier!, LA Radio & News Coverage
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore was unable to make the original scheduled KPFK 90.7 FM
> Radio broadcast on Nov 11th, but it was taped and will now be broadcast
on,
> DATE: Friday, November 14, 2003
> TIME: 8:30 AM
> RADIO STA: KPFK 90.7 FM
> GUEST: Dr. Shirley Moore
> Persons out of the LA Broadcast Area can tune in via the Internet at
> www.kpfk.org. This requires Real Player Radio which can be downloaded free
> via the internet.
>
> Included below is information on Planned Protest Activities for the LA
Area,
> and following that a message I received from Dr. Moore on Our Recent
Victory
> with the LA County Board Of Supervisors and a New's Article by Troy
Anderson
> in regards to the Protest Held at the Nov. 5th LA Supers Meeting.
> We are also planning gatherings at the Board of Supervisor Meetings in San
> Diego County, Riverside and San Bernadino Counties in the very near
future.
> An Action Alert will be sent on these protest in the near future.
> Dennis
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore AFRA Director for the Los Angeles Area will be on the
air
> to talk about Department of Children and Family Services in the Los
Angeles
> area and the Planned AFRA Demonstrations scheduled for Nov 16th, Sunday,
in
> Liemert Park, Crenshaw Blvd. at Vernon Ave.
>
> DATE: Sunday, November 16, 2003
> TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
> PLACE: Liemert Park in Los Angeles on the corner of Crenshaw
> Blvd and Vernon Avenue.
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore (a former MTA employee) won a decision by the 4th
> appellate court with regard to the conflict of interest between the Judges
> and County Counsel. Dr. Shirley Moore is running for State Assembly.
>
> Protest this Sunday at Liemert Park in Los Angeles concerning the abuses
of
> the legal system by the county. Financial incentives have resulted in a
> sharp increase in the number of citizens involved in the legal system.
The
> grant money, the court fines, the court filing fees, plus are supporting
the
> construction of new courthouses.
>
> We will have petitions on hand to be signed asking Honorable Ashcroft to
> come into this state and place a consent decree upon the court system. All
> cases both criminal and civil that involved the county need to be reviewed
> with regard to conflict of interest. We are certainly in a state of
> emergency. A statewide is being planned in the near future. Please pass
> this on! Please plan to attend the Protest on November 16th 2003, and
> December 6th, 2003!
>
> DATE: Saturday, December 6th, 2003
> TIME: 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM
> EVENT: The Juvenile Justice Centennial Celebration
> PLACE: The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
> 1755 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA
>
> This event is where all the alleged professionals in the Juvenile Justice
> system will be gathering. The parents and concerning citizens about the
> abuses of the Juvenile Court system will hold a protest outside the event.
>
> PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND MARCH PLANNED
>
> A statewide march will take place in February in front of the federal
> Building. This will be held over the President's day weekend. A follow
up
> event of the same nature will take place in Northern California in May.
> Please make arrangements to attend these noteworthy events. This outcry
> will certainly get the attention of Honorable Ashcroft. Remember, we have
> to act as the people did during the civil rights movement.
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore
> America's Family Rights Association
> Director AFRA Los Angeles Area
>
> Report from Dr. Moore On Results of LA County Board of Supervisiors Nov
12th
> 2003 Meeting
>
> As a result of our persistence, the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisor;s
> voted today to ask the Federal Government it they could in fact use a
> Federal waiver called title IV-E funds in an effort to keep the children
in
> their homes as opposed to sending them to foster homes. (The reporter
then
> asked the director Dr. Sanders if in fact they are going to revisit the
past
> cases like Dr. Moore had requested. Dr. Sanders said that at this time,
he
> would go from this point today.) I personally am waiting on the response
> from Washington, DC. This has been done in Illinois, and as a result, the
> foster care system has been cut in half. I am hoping
>
> County seeking waiver
> $250 million would be targeted for families
>
>
> By Troy Anderson
> Staff Writer
>
>
> A recent state report that found counties earn more money putting children
> in foster care than in keeping them out prompted Los Angeles County
> supervisors to seek federal approval to use $250 million in child welfare
> funds to help solve family problems.
>
> The vote allows the troubled Department of Children and Family Services to
> begin negotiating for a waiver that would allow the nation's largest child
> protective system to spend a good chunk of its annual $1.4 billion budget
on
> services to help troubled families.
>
> DCFS now spends less than $30 million a year to help families with
financial
> difficulties, substance abuse and other problems that bring them to the
> attention of child protection services.
>
> The vast majority of the budget goes to pay for the average $30,000 a year
> cost of keeping a child in foster care. In some cases, the costs exceed
> $150,000 per child.
>
> But the system has long been criticized for the poor care it provides
> children in foster care, who are six to seven times more likely to be
> mistreated in the system than in the general population.
>
> DCFS officials don't expect a decision from Washington until March.
>
> DCFS Director David Sanders said experts have estimated that as many as
half
> of the county's 75,000 children in foster and adoptive homes could have
been
> left in their parents' care if the appropriate services had been provided.
>
> He said the way the system is now funded is inflexible and forces the
agency
> to provide "ineffective and overly intrusive" services that are "often
> detrimental" to children and families.
>
> "Right now, if a family is referred to the child abuse hotline and it
turns
> out they need some support services, they are often put on waiting lists,"
> Sanders said.
>
> Several states are also seeking renewal of their waivers, including
> Illinois, which was granted a similar waiver in the late 1990s that helped
> it reduce its foster care population in half and improved the care
children
> receive.
>
> "I think it's a very innovative proposal," said Virginia Weisz, directing
> attorney of the Children's Rights Project in Los Angeles.
>
> She said the "Title IV-E" waiver would help DCFS implement a 1980 federal
> law that requires states and counties to make "reasonable efforts" to keep
> families together if possible.
>
> "Ironically, the federal mandate has not provided funds to do that," Weisz
> said.
>
> Miriam Krinsky, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los
> Angeles, which represents 20,000 foster children, said there is no doubt
> child advocates have "tremendous challenges" in changing a system that has
> been in place for decades.
>
> "There are too many children and too many families we bring under the
> jurisdiction of the court simply to get services they need," Krinsky said.
> "We don't do enough to look at how to give assistance to children and
> families."
>
> "There should not be a financial disincentive that causes us to remove
> children from their home simply to get them help," she said.
>
> Tony Bravo, president of Service Employees International Union, Local 535,
> which represents the county's social workers, said in his 23 years with
the
> department he has seen far too many children unnecessarily placed and kept
> in foster care.
>
> "We feel this initiative is a bold and innovative concept that will
provide
> a win-win for our clients and the Board of Supervisors," Bravo said. "By
> shifting funds to community resources, it will result in a reduction of
> (children) that come into the system and lower our caseloads so we have
more
> time to visit with families and children."
>
> Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985
>
> Parents rip county foster care system
> By Troy Anderson
> Staff Writer
>
> Tuesday, November 04, 2003 -
>
> In emotionally charged testimony Tuesday before the Los Angeles County
Board
> of Supervisors, parents whose children have been placed in foster care
> called for an investigation into whether thousands of youngsters should
have
> been taken from their parents.
>
>
> The testimony follows the release of a state Department of Social Services
> report in September that found too many children have unnecessarily been
> placed in foster care becuse of "perverse financial incentives" that
> encourage local governments to earn money by bringing children into the
> foster care system.
>
> David Sanders, director of the county Department of Children and Family
> Services, said experts have estimated that as many as half of the county's
> foster children could have been left in their parents' care if appropriate
> services had been provided to the families.
>
> Some of the dozens of parents gathered in the Hall of Administration
hearing
> room also questioned whether Los Angeles County judges could fairly hear
> their cases because the county pays each judge about $30,000 a year in
> benefits on top of the state salaries and benefits they receive.
>
> "We believe that every case has been tainted," said Shirley Moore, a state
> Assembly candidate and a member of the California Black Republican
Council.
>
> A court spokesman did not return a reporter's phone call seeking comment
> late Tuesday.
>
> In the supervisors' hearing, no public official spoke in defense of the
> child protective services system.
>
> Moore said she and others have gathered nearly 100,000 signatures they
plan
> to submit to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a request to place the
> county's courts under oversight of a federal consent decree. The petition
> alleges the courts have lost their integrity due to "intrinsic fraud and
> financial conflicts of interest" in civil and criminal cases involving
> children's services, eminent domain and probate.
>
> "Too many black children are being taken from their homes in the name of
> grant money," Moore said. "This criminal enterprise must stop."
>
> The Rev. Ruby Lynn Brown, an associate minister from Pasadena and a
34-year
> employee at County/USC Medical Center, said "relative caregivers" who take
> care of grandchildren and other relatives in the foster care system are
> concerned about the large number of children they believe were wrongfully
> seized from their families.
>
> "There are too many minority children being transported through the system
> because of the arrogance of children's services," Brown said.
>
> Brown and Moore said they intend to ask Governor-elect Arnold
Schwarzenegger
> for a state investigation of the child protective services system.
>
> Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985
>
>
>
>
>
> The information transmitted is intended solely for the individual or
entity
> to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged
> material. DATE: Friday, November 14, 2003
> TIME: 8:30 AM
> RADIO STA: KPFK 90.7 FM
> GUEST: Dr. Shirley Moore
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore AFRA Director for the Los Angeles Area will be on the
air
> to talk about Department of Children and Family Services in the Los
Angeles
> area and the Planned AFRA Demonstrations scheduled for Nov 16th, Sunday,
in
> Liemert Park, Crenshaw Blvd. at Vernon Ave.
>
> DATE: Sunday, November 16, 2003
> TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
> PLACE: Liemert Park in Los Angeles on the corner of Crenshaw
> Blvd and Vernon Avenue.
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore (a former MTA employee) won a decision by the 4th
> appellate court with regard to the conflict of interest between the Judges
> and County Counsel. Dr. Shirley Moore is running for State Assembly.
>
> Protest this Sunday at Liemert Park in Los Angeles concerning the abuses
of
> the legal system by the county. Financial incentives have resulted in a
> sharp increase in the number of citizens involved in the legal system.
The
> grant money, the court fines, the court filing fees, plus are supporting
the
> construction of new courthouses.
>
> We will have petitions on hand to be signed asking Honorable Ashcroft to
> come into this state and place a consent decree upon the court system. All
> cases both criminal and civil that involved the county need to be reviewed
> with regard to conflict of interest. We are certainly in a state of
> emergency. A statewide is being planned in the near future. Please pass
> this on! Please plan to attend the Protest on November 16th 2003, and
> December 6th, 2003!
>
> DATE: Saturday, December 6th, 2003
> TIME: 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM
> EVENT: The Juvenile Justice Centennial Celebration
> PLACE: The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
> 1755 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA
>
> This event is where all the alleged professionals in the Juvenile Justice
> system will be gathering. The parents and concerning citizens about the
> abuses of the Juvenile Court system will hold a protest outside the event.
>
> PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND MARCH PLANNED
>
> A statewide march will take place in February in front of the federal
> Building. This will be held over the President's day weekend. A follow
up
> event of the same nature will take place in Northern California in May.
> Please make arrangements to attend these noteworthy events. This outcry
> will certainly get the attention of Honorable Ashcroft. Remember, we have
> to act as the people did during the civil rights movement.
>
> Dr. Shirley Moore
> Director over the Los Angeles AFRA
> America's Family Rights Association
>
> Parents rip county foster care system
> By Troy Anderson
> Staff Writer
>
> Tuesday, November 04, 2003 -
>
> In emotionally charged testimony Tuesday before the Los Angeles County
Board
> of Supervisors, parents whose children have been placed in foster care
> called for an investigation into whether thousands of youngsters should
have
> been taken from their parents.
>
>
> The testimony follows the release of a state Department of Social Services
> report in September that found too many children have unnecessarily been
> placed in foster care because of "perverse financial incentives" that
> encourage local governments to earn money by bringing children into the
> foster care system.
>
> David Sanders, director of the county Department of Children and Family
> Services, said experts have estimated that as many as half of the county's
> foster children could have been left in their parents' care if appropriate
> services had been provided to the families.
>
> Some of the dozens of parents gathered in the Hall of Administration
hearing
> room also questioned whether Los Angeles County judges could fairly hear
> their cases because the county pays each judge about $30,000 a year in
> benefits on top of the state salaries and benefits they receive.
>
> "We believe that every case has been tainted," said Shirley Moore, a state
> Assembly candidate and a member of the California Black Republican
Council.
>
> A court spokesman did not return a reporter's phone call seeking comment
> late Tuesday.
>
> In the supervisors' hearing, no public official spoke in defense of the
> child protective services system.
>
> Moore said she and others have gathered nearly 100,000 signatures they
plan
> to submit to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a request to place the
> county's courts under oversight of a federal consent decree. The petition
> alleges the courts have lost their integrity due to "intrinsic fraud and
> financial conflicts of interest" in civil and criminal cases involving
> children's services, eminent domain and probate.
>
> "Too many black children are being taken from their homes in the name of
> grant money," Moore said. "This criminal enterprise must stop."
>
> The Rev. Ruby Lynn Brown, an associate minister from Pasadena and a
34-year
> employee at County/USC Medical Center, said "relative caregivers" who take
> care of grandchildren and other relatives in the foster care system are
> concerned about the large number of children they believe were wrongfully
> seized from their families.
>
> "There are too many minority children being transported through the system
> because of the arrogance of children's services," Brown said.
>
> Brown and Moore said they intend to ask Governor-elect Arnold
Schwarzenegger
> for a state investigation of the child protective services system.
>
> Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985
>
>
> > The toddlers were unharmed.
> >
> > The door to the house, which has a screened-in porch, had been kicked
in,
> > and furniture was broken in the room where police found Williams' body,
> > Retelsdorf said.
> >
> > Williams' estranged husband and the children's father, Wesley L.
Williams,
> > was charged Wednesday in Douglas County Court with first-degree murder
and
> > use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with Tina
Williams'
> > death.
> >
> > On Wednesday, Judge Darryl Lowe denied bail to Wesley Williams, 38. He
will
> > remain jailed until his Dec. 5 preliminary hearing.
> >
> > When Lowe asked Williams on Wednesday if he understood the charges
against
> > him, he said he did not.
> >
> > "You're charged with first-degree murder. Do you want me to read it out
for
> > you?" Lowe replied.
> >
> > Williams said yes. Lowe explained that he could face either life in
prison
> > or death if convicted of the murder charge and up to 20 years in prison
if
> > found guilty of the weapon charge.
> >
> > Neither Tina Williams' family nor Wesley Williams' family appeared to be
in
> > the courtroom.
> >
> > Public Defender Cheryl Kessell, Williams' attorney, did not return a
phone
> > message left at her office Wednesday seeking comment.
> >
> > The Stop the Violence Memorial Tree Dedication Committee, a program of
Bias
> > Busters Nebraska and the National Action Network, will dedicate a tree
> > Friday in Tina Williams' memory, spokesman Sonny Scroggins said.
> >
> > The dedication and a candlelight vigil will be at 6 p.m. at Bluff View
Park,
> > near Florence Boulevard and Fowler Avenue, he said.
> >
> > In addition, Tina Williams' family has set up a fund to help pay for her
> > funeral and to provide money to help raise her children, said Dirk Day,
her
> > cousin.