CA justice organizations advocate for child welfare reform

California justice organizations focused on ending mass incarceration, reforming the criminal justice system, and easing reentry for formerly incarcerated people gathered on the west steps of the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Courthouse on May 4, 2022 to demand a radical transformation of the child welfare system.

The purpose of the rally is “to demand that California and all its counties dismantle policies and practices that continue to harm our families and communities,” said Vonya Quarles, Founder and Executive Director of Starting Over, Inc. “Three of my children were adopted out, and it was challenging to get my grandchildren out of the CPS system some twenty years later. It’s generational—I was in foster care, my children were in foster care, and my grandchildren—the harm the system causes over generations proves it’s not working.”

Those leading the protest stated the Child Protective Services—which currently operates as a family regulatory system, with its current practice of criminalizing poverty and treating low-income families as neglectful—should work towards ensuring that all children have access to their families and that all families have free access to the resources needed for children and parents to thrive.

Existing system demands, such as counseling sessions, mandatory drug testing (even in cases with no substance abuse), housing demands, and class requirements cost time and money, a challenge for low-income families who often must work multiple jobs to provide for their families. “The CPS system places demands on parents that are often impossible to meet,” said Diane Figueroa, an All of Us or None Organizer with A New Way of Life. Reflecting on her experience of abuse as a child within the foster care system and later losing custody of her children as an adult, Figueroa continued, “Families are treated like animals—the system breaks us.”

Rally participants discussed the need for a system that recognizes the strength and importance of family, community, and culture in a child’s life and prioritizes family members as the first option for the placement of children. “The care of my daughter by my aunt made it a lot easier for me to be involved in her life and gave me the strength and encouragement to get myself together,” said Chantell Waterhouse, an All of Us or None Organizer with A New Way of Life. “This is what all parents and children deserve.”

The rally consisted of over 35 community activists and members of the public and was organized by A New Way of Life Reentry Project, All of Us or None, CripJustice, Family Reunification, Equity & Empowerment (FREE), Underground Scholars, and Starting Over, Inc.