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County bullies in full revenge mode

December 24, 2013

Dan 2OPINION: By DANIEL BLACKBURN

It was a casual get-together of professional women, mostly from the South County and Santa Maria, and the tone was cordial until one of the ladies happened to mention that she had read an article on CalCoastNews.

“The mood of the gathering changed instantly,” she later recalled. “The contempt was palpable.” The room went to ice, and the subject was dropped.

CalCoastNews has been loathed by a segment of county readers since its inception five years ago. That goes with the territory; every newspaper for which I have worked was roundly reviled by the local population. Competent investigative reporting has a way of upsetting fat cats and moral midgets intent on exploiting the status quo.

But my friend wanted to emphasize: What she heard expressed at that gathering was deep, raw, visceral… pure hatred.

News outlets don’t often become the target of anonymous, ongoing, compensated character assassination, and see its reporters probed by private dicks in the hire of public officials.

Nevertheless, it’s all still just part of the job, I guess.

But there’s nothing in the job description about placing one’s family in jeopardy of governmental kidnapping.

That’s the simplest and most accurate way of describing what has happened to the grandchildren of CalCoastNews co-founder and publisher Karen Velie.

(For those of you familiar with social media terminology, the linked article already has been “shared” by 1,536 readers, and is probably CalCoastNews’ most widely read article, ever.)

Velie has been prohibited by order of the court to discuss her family situation, so those of us who haven’t yet been silenced will continue the conversation.

That’s the right thing to do, for Velie, her family, and all of the families now afflicted by these kinds of punitive child welfare services. And it’s the right thing for society.

Those who have followed the grandkids’ plight know that they were taken by San Luis Obispo County’s Child Welfare Services (CWS) last summer on the thinnest of premise after declaring the home of their mother, Velie’s daughter, “dirty.” Since then, child welfare case workers have tried to  justify shuttling the children from foster home to foster home, admonishing Velie to change her attitude and her profession if she wanted to see the children again.

In other words, some CWS people apparently did not like what CalCoastNews has been reporting about CWS’s conjoined agency, the  Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO).

These are not empty assertions. CWS case workers have been oh-so-willing to make these comments with witnesses present or listening.

Check the law: None of these arbitrary “reasons” justify splitting up a family, nor does Velie’s bogus DUI, pasted on her in the immediate aftermath of the CWS abduction.

As the family separation wore on, it became clear from their own comments that CWS employees had every intention of putting Velie’s grandchildren up for adoption.

Did you get that? Up. For. Adoption.

That’s when CalCoastNews published its first mention of the Velie family plight.

The article provided a perception of the county’s CWS policies that generally remain hidden from public view by confidentiality laws and loosely interpreted regulation. But the veil of secrecy surrounding child welfare activities in general is intended to protect the kids, not provide impenetrable cover for inept welfare workers and their unprofessional retaliatory actions.

People need to know about this. Don’t count on most of the local media to bother looking into this situation with open eyes, though, partly because there are too many sacred cows grazing on county largesse, and partly because there is a distinct lack of journalistic huevos hereabouts. This is doubly troubling because I believe an informed, bold, inquisitive, and politically insulated media guards against unwarranted governmental intrusion into our lives.

There seem to be plenty of people in this county who would not agree with that opinion.

They are the folks who are content to sit mute and watch as the sticky fingers of government pluck apart families without sound reason. They are satisfied to look the other way even when confronted with overwhelming evidence of official misconduct.

They are the folks who believe this will never happen to them, or theirs.

Lastly, I should note that this news site’s publisher doesn’t allow reporters to write commentaries. So, figuring that apologizing later will be simpler than getting her approval now, I’m just going to go ahead and post this.

Happy holidays.

CalCoastNews’ senior correspondent says unprintably hateful correspondence may be directed to blackburn.danielj@gmail.com


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I humbly suggest anyone who can….post either this opinion piece or the previous articles to Drudge report. He has a field where you are supposed to give him some news and he looks into it. He likes to report on this type of thing, big government bullies small guy.


Also, if anyone knows any reporters in major newspapers, or newsmagazines, if they can get them to look into it….that would do it.


It only needs to make national news and then something happens.


If it merely stays among us, nothing happens.


I hope someone can do something. I posted to drudge’s page, but I have done it before and he didn’t act. Maybe this time he might, or maybe if several of us do so, he might look.


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like Bill O Reilly, he would love this.

If someone has time and can get on the phone with a producer or something, then we would all win.


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what would we win? to me resorting to media celebrity hacks means that we have lost


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The only time you lose…. is when you give up


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consumers complain and call Bill ORrilly,

citizens contact agencies and representatives

ask not what BillOreally can do to restore children’s rights ask your local government.

we are in this mess because the Reagan Revolution fixed the “welfare state”

a whole generation of people with degrees in social work had to find other work.

I would prefer child workers have degrees from University that was the plan until the “revolution”

thesis antithesis synthesis

get religion out of government

it causes a mental illness that inflicts damage upon the whole democratic process

much of the news and opinion on ORielly’s network is focused on what god wants

why?


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Look, it need not be a right wing dude, it can be a left winger too…I don’t care.


I just know that when these talking heads address something, it gets done.


Relying on government to do something hasn’t been very effective now has it? As someone else mentioned…has anything happened to Adam Hill? No. CAPSLO? No.


But if these issues because national news buzz, yes, something would happen.


I think as little of the press as I do of politicians and bureaucrats, but somehow these guys like Drudge and OReilly are able to accomplish things.


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Relying on government to do something hasn’t been very effective now has it.

who is giving up again?


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Mike Gatto Leads Fight To Protect Children, Calls For Audit Of …


<a href="http://www.asmdc.org/members/a43/press-releases/‎


Jun 11, 2013 – … A bipartisan effort led by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los … the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) to audit CPS programs …


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Drudge Retort


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What about the ACLU??


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Contact info.


http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/


24th District:

Rep. Lois Capps (D)

Website

Facebook

DC: 202-225-3601

Santa Barbara: 805-730-1710

San Luis Obispo: 805-546-8348

Santa Maria: 805-349-3832


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Excellent piece, Dan!


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First off, whose picture in the beginning of your story? And second, why no mention of Powers, (sorry forgot her first name). Shouldn’t SHE be the one working on getting the kids back? To be very honest, this sounds so unreal. All the facts in these stories are based on what you are telling us. For instance, the reason that the children were taken away is a dirty house…..Is that as in ‘dirty’ meaning ‘not clean’ meaning drug dirty? Because I have never ever heard of someone losing their children because the house was messy. In fact, families with dirty cars, can still keep their children. Then you said that CAPSLO said Powers is bipolar? That too, is never enough to take a child away. That is, unless the bipolar person is unmedicated, and refuses treatment and having major issues. All the chatter about CWS taking them away from Karen, not mom. I know you don’t want to hear this, but Powers, if she doesn’t have a place to live, should get her self to the MLM Shelter, sign up for case management and let them help her get the children back. It’s up to Powers, the mother. CM is good at what they do, and having CAPSLO on the mom’s side would show the courts she is willing to do ANYTHING, to get her children back. Remember, the mother lost the kids.


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Truth, First I can clarify for you that the house was dirty as in “dirt” dirty. I went to the house that day in an attempt to take Chrisy and the children to my house. I arrived about a minute behind CWS. I spoke with the police who were there and they told me that they had called CWS because the house was dirty. There were no drugs, no marijuana and not even any alcohol. The mother, Christine or Chrisy is not making statements because legally, she is not allowed to. The Juvenile Court works in secrecy claiming that the lack of public light/information is to protect the children’s confidentiality. I have my own opinion on this “behind closed doors” policy as it serves to deprive the children and the parents of their everyday constitutional rights which far exceeds the damage that might ensue regarding any confidentially protections. I might add that the court and it’s system of information gathering is highly subjective and dysfunctional. Nothing has to be proved and the parents really don’t stand a chance where defending their position or even the truth of the matter is concerned. It’s all based on social workers “opinions”. Any time a parent fights, they stand a very high chance of losing their children permanently. You really need to look into what is happening across our entire country with CPS/CWS corruption and over stepping their authority. It will change your mind about how you view this agency in fact it will scare you.


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Truthfairy – Isn’t it something that these children have been taken from their family for reasons that you never heard of and I guess that is exactly the point of these articles. I will add that Christine Powers was diagnosed with bipolar by CAPSLO by a person who never even had an in-person visit with her. No she doesn’t take any medication, she has never been diagnosed by any “professional” with bipolar or any other mental illness. Guess what else, Karen was determined to be highly dangerous to the children because she has a bogus DUI at less than .08% . But these above facts hasn’t stopper SS workers from saying that Karen blew far above the legal limit and is a “bloody alcoholic”, despite the facts of the police report or that Christine requires long term mental health care for bipolar and is also a danger to her children. So you’ve never heard of these things? Well neither have I until NOW.


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INVESTIGATE…INVESTIGATE…INVESTIGATE…


We need to continue to expose how the local court’s are not following the law when it comes to removing children from their homes.


One avenue is inundate, with letters, the Department of Justice to investigate the state’s Child Protective Services system.


Enclosed in the Letter (December 4, 2013) by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly to SLO County Social Services Director Lee Collins…


As a California State Representative, I have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States and of California against all enemies foreign and domestic. In addition to the freedom of the press, the United States Constitution requires that legal proceedings be fair and that the accused have an opportunity to be heard before the government acts to take away their life, liberty, or property. Indefinitely removing children from their loving family without proof of a wrongdoing is unfair and an abuse of power.


We need to write Congress and Reps to call on U.S. Attorney General to investigate what’s been happening in California.


The most important right, constitutionally and God-given right we have is to be able to raise our children.


See

parentalrights.org


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This is what happens when the government gets too big and powerful.


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Okay, I’ll play; so in your opinion, if we had “small” government, what would that look like in the case of children who do live in dangerous environments, with abusive parents, and the “small” government did not have the resources to help those children? Your assertion that the abuse of families like Karen and her daughter is due to too big of government really does lack any credence since you have not offered any backing argument, evidence or stories of governmental abuse.

My assertion is that it isn’t the size of the government that leads to abuses like what is happening with CPS and CWS; it is that certain, select numbers of individuals in positions of power and authority over step the boundaries of how their job is supposed to be done in order to garner more power and authority, or they knowingly set out to enrich their agency by processing as many children through their agencies as possible, or they have a political agenda where they set out to punish someone who is making noise about how abusive their agency can be, or specifically in this case, all of the above. It isn’t the size of the government, it is the sick minds of those in positions of authority that lead to abuses like has been reported here. That same, “large government” can also be fine tuned to eliminate abuses like these and punish those that abuse their positions, but it takes dedicated citizens to call out the abuses and push those that can step in and make those changes that need to be made. Staying silent only encourages those abusing their positions to continue to do so; holding them accountable is the only way to make any changes.


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I agree bobfromsanluis…..the only problem I see is the “holding them accountable” part! Hasn’t happened and doesn’t look like it anytime soon. adam hill has never been held accountable and now just blatantly has his bidding done in Grover Beach! What a farce. Follow the money, that’s what my dad always told me if I ever had any real hard questions that I couldn’t answer!


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The biggest, Saddest part of this ginormous abuse of authority is that the only ones this effects are the CHILDREN involved here. They are the ones who will be scarred by this power play, revenge, authority run a-muck or what ever you want to call it. To use children, REALLY? Shame on CWS, SLO County thugs (you know who you are) and CPS for their personal agendas. Wow, is this all you got? all you got left are the kids?

Karma Mano, Karma.


They should know better than anyone. They are supposed to protect kids who need it from stuff like this. Rich or Poor, all kids deserve to be protected, not used as pawns because of what their , mom/dad, uncle/aunt, brother/sister or grand-parents/great grandparents does.


You see what is happening in North Korea – Same stuff here except they cant get away with executing the noise makers so they punish the family any way possible all while abusing any legal rights they can get away with under the radar. This is so pathetic on every level. We the people must not stand for this, because while we sit and do nothing, we could be next. JMO…


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I just have to wonder who the 12 dissenting thumbs down folks are…..they don’t post even anonymously to let us know how they could possibly disagree! Amazing!


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I love how all these anomymous posters call for grand things to be done. It reminds me of past proclamations regarding the sheriff, the assessor and the DA and others. Does the status quo still remain? Why is this time any different?


Paper Lions, all


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I am not an “anonymous poster who call for grand things to be done” Many people know who I am now BECAUSE I didn’t sit back and let wrongs continue to be wrongs. I became alert, active, and determined to bring a change to Paso, even if it was a small one.


Was my effort worth it? Hell, yes!


I encourage everyone to speak out against the wrong being done to Karen and her family. Speak up and speak out…LOUDLY!


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Don’t Kidd yourself, you were anonymous until you foolishly outed yourself. If you were posting under your Christian name , it would be impressive.


Self-promotion isn’t that all attractive.


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What was it you did?


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LOL…obviously not enough, TGP.


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For Gods sake what is happening in this County. Families torn apart, Children taken from their Mother’s home because some airhead deemed it in their opinion “dirty”. Just say it had been dirty, a single Mom with three kids to take care of is hard work. The charitable thing for the County to do would have been get her some help.. This story is just heartbreaking, and the County’s behavior atrocious. Where are the Child Advocate groups (CASA) Their whole objective is to place the child back with their families. This County is definitely not looking out for the best interest of these innocent children.

There are children in this County living with addicts, and perverts, dirt is the least of their problems……


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The County does not take children from addicts and perverts, it encourages them to have more. I was on the bus with a well-known sociopath street-freak and his very large girlfriend headed to a social services appointment in SLO. She was complaining that her a**hole doctor was going to reduce her methadone after her baby was born. This woman is worth 10’s if not 100’s of thousands to SLOCO Social Services and provide jobs for worthless social services workers Why would they NOT want to encourage this?


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