Justice for Victoria Petition
To appeal to our State Agencies to follow protocols and place children with their biological families and not in the foster care system when there are family members ready, willing and able to care for these children.
Do not allow these entities to make decisions not based on the law but on their own personal decisions. That is NOT JUSTICE!
You cannot allow our rights and the rights of these children the state is supposed to protect be violated. Do not allow a child be taken away from a family, and given to another because our system failed.
The Palm Beach County Court System & the Palm Beach County Department of Children and Families and any and all state and judicial entities that uphold our laws.
Corruption sadly, is everywhere. Shamefully those in power take their positions to the extreme and develop a God-like complex in which they truly believe the law is in their hands to do with as they please with no consequence.
Well it is high time we (the people) say NO to this Injustice.
My sister Jessica was struggling with substance abuse and in 2013 her daughter Victoria was removed from her custody days after birth and placed in the foster care system. Most of us in the family had no knowledge of this until it had already happened, I didn’t even know my sister was expecting another child until all of these events unfolded. For the past three years I have had custody of my niece, my sister’s eldest child. My sister and I came to an agreement to allow me to take custody of my niece so that we would prevent her from placed in foster care as I was able to provide her with a safe, stable and healthy life.
When Victoria was 3 months old my sisters father Carlos, Victoria’s biological grandfather made his first attempt to contact the (DCF), Department of Children and Families to have his granddaughter placed with him. He complied with what was requested of him and was eager to welcome his granddaughter home.
But despite complying with the state and being told everything was in order and that the home visit was approved the case grew cold. The months passed and the case worker assigned to the case began to act strangely. Carlos and his wife grew worried and began contacting supervisors and I suggested they hire an attorney. The response to them from the DCF was unprofessional, they were rude and had nothing but excuses and would not be clear about what was happening. By the time they made headway and were given access to visit my niece Victoria was 11 months old. It took the DCF, 8 months to allow our family to see Victoria who had been in foster care all that time. And yet they could not prove without a reasonable doubt that Carlos and his family could or would cause harm or endanger Victoria in any way.
As soon as the visitations began we were informed that the DCF would be petitioning to have my sisters parental rights revoked so that the foster caregiver could adopt my niece. And that was where the case spiraled out of control.
Unfounded accusations began to surface, the foster caregiver would cancel visitations at the last minute, and her demeanor was rude towards our family and possessive toward my niece. The caregiver would snatch Victoria from my family’s hands and once even raised her voice as she snatched my niece and stated “Give me back my baby”. It was very obvious that something was very wrong here.
At the court hearing my sister’s defense lawyer as well as the lawyer Carlos had representing him could not get a word in. It was pure prejudice, the more I witnessed the more it became apparent that this was a personal attack and had nothing to do with Victoria’s best interest.
The original case worker was removed from the case but not before she issued a threat to Carlos and his wife that she (the caseworker) was going to do everything in her power to make sure Victoria would never be placed with her biological family. And despite all the complaints to her superiors this case worker was never investigated for her threats, it was covered up like the many other facts that are associated with this case.
Time continued to pass and the situation became more aggressive with each passing day. This has been an emotional disaster for all of those involved.
My sister proceeded to have another child December 2014, a little boy and he was also removed from my sister’s custody because my sister was still struggling with her addictions. But this time they were in Orange County, Florida, where Carlos lives when this happened. The way in which this particular case was handled was the way Victoria’s case should have been handled.
The next of kin family relative immediately stepped up to have the child placed with them, that was Carlos, the biological grandfather. A home visit was performed and a court hearing was attended where the child was placed with his maternal grandfather and family, and this is where he has been for the past 8 months with no incident. He is loved, happy and healthy; he is exactly where he should be and where Victoria should have been placed from the beginning.
One of the most compelling truths of this situation was that the Orange County DCF, did not try to take my sister down. No. They are helping her, placing my sister in a court ordered rehabilitation program where she has been for the past 6+ months. Where she checks in to the courts weekly, goes to counseling and even attends parenting classes. And has visitations with her son which are safe and productive.
The Orange County Department of Children and Families are doing what their mission is to do, to keep families together. To help those in need to regain their healthy lives for the betterment of their own lives, their families and our communities.
Despite all of this progress the Palm Beach County Court Systems and Department of Children and Families refuse to allow Victoria be placed with her family. They refuse to allow her the right to grow up with her brother and sister and the rest of her family.
Victoria is the first child placed with the Caregiver, this person knew that becoming a Caregiver in the foster care system is temporary placement; it does not guarantee her an instant family. We cannot allow this to happen, we cannot allow caregivers to fight a family who has a legal right because they were not able to detach themselves from a child.
The Palm Beach Court system nor the Department of Children and Families, directly Michele Marchan who I have been in contact with have been able to prove that it is not in Victoria best interest to be reunified with her family. This case has changed its direction from being what is best for Victoria to what is best for the Caregiver, and we must stand against this injustice.
How has America allowed this injustice? If you look it is happening all over the US, this has to STOP. They cannot continue to take children away from their families, not when the child has the opportunity to remain within that family unite where they will be in a stable environment, healthy, safe and loved.
We cannot allow people who work for the government, state or county do whatever they want. Here is a child who has family and her family is fighting hard for her but the system wants to give this child to someone else, just because this person wants to adopt her. What about the family that has been fighting for her all this time?
They argue that this action of denying Victoria her right to be with her family is in her best interest. If they truly cared about her best interest they have made family reunification a priority as it is what they promote. They would not deny her or her family the right to be together.
Please join my voice, it only takes one person to make a difference in the world but think of the impact we could have when we are many voices!
Join me in rising up against this injustice, help us bring Victoria home. This is America, land of the free and where justice always prevails. I want to fight for justice, how about you? Will you join me?
I am taking this public, to every outlet of state, every organization and media available that is willing to help us! I appeal the Judge to please look at the evidence in this case and allow Victoria to return to her family where she is loved, and where she will have stability and be healthy and happy always.
Our goal is to bring Victoria home and to educate our society so that families know they have rights and that justice will always prevails.
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My Dance in the Rain 