In the News

Don't you just love this headline:

Cops & CPS Seize Child From Parents For Mistrusting Government

A family in Williamson County, Austin have lost custody of their 7-year-old son as part of a Child Protective Services investigation because the parents taught their children to mistrust the government, an action that deemed them to be “unsuitable parents,” according to charges leveled by police officers in CPS documents.

The story gets a little murky with this little tidbit:

“Once in the couple’s home, officers discovered a small amount of marijuana and charged the Coopers with Class B misdemeanors, resulting in both their arrests. Each immediately bonded out of jail and paid a small fine. Days later, while Candi’s youngest son was visiting his father in east Texas, Child Protective Services contacted the Coopers, revealing that the incident could cost them not only custody of the boy, but also their freedom on felony child endangerment charges,” writes Stephen C. Webster of True Slant, who has been following the case.

I lost sympathy for the parents because of the drug use issue. But, even so, something sounds a bit off in the official report.

On page five of the CPS case report, police level the shocking claim that the Coopers are “unsuitable parents” because they teach their children “the government is out to harm them”.

On page six of the report, police accuse the Coopers of being “aggressive to authority” because they will not allow government employees to enter their house without a court order.

If the courts can use this criteria to remove children from homes, my family is at great risk. (If you are interested, the entire CPS report is included at the end of the article.)


This article has some more details:

‘KopBusters’ Couple Lose Son Over Misdemeanor Pot Charge

Barry and Candi Cooper, a married duo well-known in the world of drug reform activism, have temporarily lost custody of Candi’s youngest child due to misdemeanor charges stemming from a recent “KopBusters” sting operation against a police officer in Williamson County, Texas....

In the document, an affidavit in support of ex parte relief filed with a court in Upshur County, Texas, Mr. Johnston contends that because of Barry and Candi’s standing as nationally-known marijuana activists and their high (no pun intended) level of comfort with the drug, they pose a danger to Zachary. He cites articles on the duo’s exploits published by Cannabis Culture and Maxim, noting in particular that when Barry and Candi met, she was his “pot dealer.”

This is a hard one. Drug use in the home does put children at risk, no matter how much the parents want to pretend it doesn't. As a foster parent, I've seen the damage of "casual" drug use. The mother and step-father are more concerned about their own agenda than about the welfare of a child. I absolutely care less that a parent who routinely uses illegal drugs for recreational purposes may lose custody of their children.

But even if drug use is a legitimate reason to remove a child from a parent, packaging it with the "mistrust of government" charge is a risk to all of us.

---------
Technorati tags: parenting, children