State, CPS & D.S.S. Out Of Control? Is This Who YOU Want In Charge Of YOUR Life?

[ConcrndCitizen2]

This is an old news story pasted below from Dec. 2002, but the disabled person who died in a Md. D.S.S. group home as a result is still currently dead making this story just as relavent as the day he died. Maryland D.S.S., and particularly Calvert County Supervisors, are still also currently either ignoring or are actively participating in the abuse of the children and/or adults in group homes lisenced soley by D.S.S., ( which negligence caused this same death in a Maryland P.G. County Group Home last Dec. ), meaning 2 things to their captives forced to live in these residences:

1) there is no outside government office above the county supervisors of each D.S.S. to which one can complain and free the residents of abuse, ( the complaint simply goes back to the desk of the government supervisor who then throws it in the trash ), and

2) "all law enforcement officials have been ordered to not investigate this", ( state corruption ), as reported by both Gov. Glendening and Ehrlich's administrations. This leaves not only children in foster care wide open to abuse, but also the disabled adults in the same position in the state's care.

See the related story regarding Md's D.S.S. Group Home Abduction and abuse of Senator Roy Dyson's own cousins at :
http://forums.somd.com/showthread.ph...078#post118078

One very serious result of state government abuse of power is the usage of psychotropic drugs to "control/sedate" everyone from children with autism in foster care to the teenager and adult in group homes, to the elderly with alzheimers, also in these group homes:

Personal & Medical Assoc. Abuse Reports :
http://www.liebermannursinghome.net/
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000301/1437.html
http://www.ahcpr.gov/research/apr96/dept6.htm
http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/...a/dc030603.htm

Montel William's Show On Forced Drug Usage By The State:
http://www.montelshow.com/show/past_..._3_15_2003.htm

Md's doctors recommending the defeat of Bill # SB 854 :
http://www.psych.org/pub_pol_adv/mdn...0301_41101.cfm

2 Yr. Old's Now Get Psychotropic Drugs :
http://www.lifefellowship.org/-Updat...ticles/53.html

DAC4VA's Reports On Deaths In New Jersey Group Homes :
http://members.aol.com/dac4va/newjersey.htm

Florida's Abuse Of psychotropic drugs in D.S.S. Licensed Homes :
http://www.vachss.com/help_text/arch...criticize.html
http://www.vachss.com/help_text/arch...r_workers.html


More links to other abuse stories in other states will follow this story by the Post. Please note below that where-as The Maryland Disability Law Center investigated the situation in Prince Georges County as detailed below, ( after the state's investigation was described by them as only "cursory" in nature ), The Maryland Disability Law Center has steadfastly refused to even investigate the abduction and abuse of Robert and Michael Dyson, who were very high-functioning Virginia Adult residents never needing drugs in their life! Yet , after being forced into their situation, and agressively rebelling against being kidnapped from their very loving home, as reported in the story/thread above, their caregiver threatened them with these drugs to stop their agression against their abductors!

This makes one wonder why there is so much secrecy surrounding Robert and Michael's situation and it's "Never-Ending Story".... Could their last name have any bearing upon it? Perhaps if their last name were Smith they would be home by now. The threats and usage of psychotropic medical research on group home residents as guinea pigs is not the only secret The Md. and U.S. Dept.'s of Social Services is hiding in regards to the treatment of the disabled in D.S.S. lisenced homes as The Post article and listed URL's below report :

Maryland News
Probe of Death at Youth Home Faulted

Thursday, December 19, 2002
Jamie Stockwell
Washington Post Staff Writer

An advocacy group for the disabled has criticized Maryland officials for what the group said was a flawed investigation last year into the death of a 17-year-old resident of an institution for emotionally troubled youths in Prince George's County.

In a report to be issued today, the Maryland Disability Law Center said it conducted a more thorough inquiry into the May 2001 death of Carlton E. Thomas, who suffered cardiac arrest after being placed in a restraint hold by a staff member at the state-licensed Edgemeade-Raymond A. Rogers Jr. School in Upper Marlboro.

The state investigation, which the group described as cursory, did not recommend the barring of restraint holds to subdue unruly residents at the school. When Thomas became involved in a scuffle with staff members, one of them grabbed him around his chest. An autopsy found that the oxygen flow to his brain was cut off, resulting in cardiac arrest. A staff member was later prosecuted on manslaughter and child abuse charges and was acquitted.

The group's report recommended the banning of such restraint holds.

The report also said that Maryland's Office of Health Care Quality, which conducted the state inquiry, did not report its findings to the school, did not speak with any witnesses and did not take into consideration the results of a police investigation.

"Beyond the individual tragedy, there's a way to look at it and ask how to avoid this in the future," said Lauren Young, the disability group's legal director. "There are organizations [such as hers] set up to do that. ... Outside review is called for. But then the system is so secretive."

Carol Benner, director of the office, said yesterday that her team "conducted a very thorough, very complete investigation," including many interviews. "We know darn well we are under intense scrutiny whenever a death like this occurs, and we will most certainly investigate it," Benner said after reading the report, titled: "Fatal Restraint: The Death of a Student at a Residential Treatment Center."

The 25-page report highlighted what the advocacy group called the "enormous risk of physical and psychological harm" associated with the use of restraint holds.

But Benner said her office's "regulatory investigation" found that there were "no violations in regards to the use of restraints."

"Our job was to make sure the kids were okay and weren't in any kind of jeopardy, and we determined they weren't," she said.

She said her team, which included a child psychologist, interviewed staff members and residents and studied incident reports and personnel records. "The bottom line is, was there a problem and is it now getting fixed? Any time something like this happens, the facility will learn something and move forward."

By law, Benner said, details of the state-run probe are confidential. She said the investigation found some "deficiencies" at the school, but she would not disclose what they were. She said the problems are in the process of being corrected.

Besides her office, Benner said, several state and county agencies visited the school. None found a reason to eliminate the used of what the school calls a "therapeutic hold," in which a staff member wraps arms around a disruptive student.

Jack Kovacs, director of Edgemeade, did not return phone calls yesterday.

Copyright 2002, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved
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Florida and Illinois reports of Social Service Failure To Properly care for the very children for which they are prosecuting their parents for neglecting to adequately provide :

Florida DCF deaths:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...ys/5701164.htm
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...rs/5701184.htm

Missing Kids in Illinois :
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-dcfs29.html

Foster Care Abuse And Settlements In Illinois:
http://www.vachss.com/help_text/arch...ed_foster.html

Washington, D.C. Failures reported :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...&notFound=true
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...&notFound=true
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...&notFound=true

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Do not think this is not happening in your own backyard. Doreen McKenzie and Gary Anderson of Calvert County Social Services have documentedly known about the abuse of Robert and Michael Dyson for approximately 33 months. God only knows what else has gone on under their "watch" regarding other foster care and group homes...

If the citizens and voters of Southern Maryland do not scream out for files to be made public, then you have no one but yourselves to blame when your children or grandchildren are abducted and abused by The State also.

Here is the solution. Please demand it of your law-makers :
Florida's Privatization Of Most D.S.S. services :
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...te/5725637.htm

Privatization is the way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone : it not only increases jobs in the private sector, but , by so doing, it slays the Levathian of Big Government, and it's abuse of power as such. Give the power back to the people and save the children at the same time. It may also save your life when, and if, you, too, must enter a nursing/group home under D.S.S. lisencing. Make them safe before it's your turn to swallow Maryland's "bitter pills" used to control you when YOU rebell against their abusive treatments....