New York City has made an incredible transformation in the last 20 years. NYC is now a wealthy thriving metropolis that is the envy of the world. The top talents of any field are here. As a result, many families are struggling financially because of skyrocketing rents. This is especially true in the black community. This is where ACS is most aggressive. ACS workers target single black mothers at an alarming rate. It has been called the new family Jim Crow. ACS workers are quick to tear apart black mothers from their children and place them into foster care and place the mother into a shelter. Many single black mothers are told, "quite your job, you can go to a shelter." This adds to the ACS statistics and allows millions of dollars to flow to ACS and the foster care system.
Where are the courts in all of this? Largely, the vast majority of Family Court judges are intimidated by ACS. It is politically easier for them to rubber stamp an ACS request then it is to actually help a family. The single black mother's only sin is that she cannot pay for a private lawyer. When white parents appear before a judge with their private lawyer who actually does her job, the outcome is much different. There is no presumption that white babies are better off in foster care. This rule only applies to single black mothers. Each day we receive calls from women at shelters whose children have been removed. We try and help as many as we can. But it is not enough, Single black mothers deserve the same protections as married white mothers. I urge you to contact our hapless mayor and demand reform.
Where are the courts in all of this? Largely, the vast majority of Family Court judges are intimidated by ACS. It is politically easier for them to rubber stamp an ACS request then it is to actually help a family. The single black mother's only sin is that she cannot pay for a private lawyer. When white parents appear before a judge with their private lawyer who actually does her job, the outcome is much different. There is no presumption that white babies are better off in foster care. This rule only applies to single black mothers. Each day we receive calls from women at shelters whose children have been removed. We try and help as many as we can. But it is not enough, Single black mothers deserve the same protections as married white mothers. I urge you to contact our hapless mayor and demand reform.
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