Delivering the Petition with 20,000 signatures to South Carolina leaders -

Reporter Haley Hernandez followed @Save_Veronica to Columbia today, look who they spoke with about the Indian Child Welfare Act ... http://ping.fm/MWk43

Delivering the Petition with 20,000 signatures to South Carolina leaders -

By: Haley Hernandez | WCBD
Published: January 24, 2012

On New Year’s Eve, Jessica Munday watched helplessly as her close friends, Matt and Melanie Capobianco were forced to hand over their adopted little girl, Veronica, to her birth father.

Now Munday and Stephanie Brinkley (a Charleston adoption attorney) are on a mission to "save Veronica.”

“Rather than sit on the sidelines and just say ‘how sad’, I wanted to say ‘how sad, what can I do?’” Binkley said.

Tuesday they went from one government office to another, starting in Charleston and driving up to the State House in Columbia, delivering a petition from supporters of the organization.

Kathy Crawford, the district director at Congressman Tim Scott's office said it’s a shock that this could happen to a family, “a child could be taken away from the only mom and dad that they've ever known and you know, we hope that the courts will do the right thing.”

The organization delivered the petition to lawmakers with more than 20,000 signatures. In an unscheduled visit, Governor Haley spoke with Munday and Brinkley and empathized with the Capobiancos.

“If you have a child you know that's just like the precious part of your life and so my heart breaks for them, I will be happy to take this,” Gov. Haley said taking the petition. “The federal delegation and I communicate about a lot of things, because it is a federal issue doesn't mean I can't at least say "what are y’all doing about this?" so I'll be happy to ask the questions, be happy to see what's going on if anything.”

“I'm thankful that she was so receptive to us being there and so compassionate about what's happened,” Munday said after speaking with the governor.

“This is a matter that affects the people they represent, it represents a South Carolina couple and a South Carolina child and that child needs to be heard so it's great that they are receptive that we're trying to be a voice for Veronica when she can't represent herself,” Brinkley said about lawmakers listening to their concerns.

SaveVeronica.org is still taking signatures for their petition. Lawmakers said they will try to get a copy to the Senate committee that will hear the case.

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My Question: When is the Senate Committee going to hear it? I doubt they have any plans to put it on their agenda - we will need to do lots of pushing to get it there - and lots more to get a fair hearing!

20,000 Signatures on the Petition!

20,000 signatures on the SaveVeronica petition - Delivered to SC Senators @JimDeMint & @GrahamBlog today! Pic: http://ping.fm/Gn0hS

In just three weeks, over 20,000 signatures were gathered and delivered to South Carolina leaders - protesting the treatment of 2-year-old Veronica Rose and insisting that the Indian Child Welfare Act be changed to better protect children and the families that love them

"Our Life with James" -

Please see this video - What happened to Veronica has happened to so many kids all over the US ... http://ping.fm/xwc0k SaveVeronica

This video is the story of 2-year old James, who was taken from the home that loved him and put into a dangerous home, where he was moved again from after just six months. Debra Belford is telling his story in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing room, Washington DC. Unfortunately, few were interested in hearing the story, much less doing anything about it.

Please help James and children like him - www.caicw.org

Today - Thursday - I am going to take the picture of Veronica and go make posters, yard signs and bumper stickers.... http://ping.fm/ov4li

Baby Veronica

A terrible injustice that has occurred to a two-year-old South Carolina child named Veronica Rose and her adoptive parents. Two years ago Veronica’s Latina birth mother chose Matt and Melanie to love, nurture and raise her child. To this day, Veronica’s birth mother remains committed to her decision and Veronica has been a thriving, happy child residing in a stable, nurturing environment. On or around Jan. 4, 2010, the birth father signed papers agreeing to give up his daughter.

However, because Veronica has some Cherokee heritage from her birth father’s side of the family, the Cherokee Nation intervened in the adoption proceedings and argued that this happy, healthy two-year-old be transferred to her birth father. Because of a federal law known as the Indian Child Welfare Act, a family court judge ruled that she be immediately transferred to her biological father.

The ruling placed the rights of the birth father and tribe above the best interests of this small child. Child-bonding experts agree that removing her from her home and family would be devastating and have long-lasting consequences. Numerous child psychologists stated this would be detrimental to any child. Yet on Dec. 31, Veronica was handed over to her biological father as if a possession without rights.


(Psychologist who witnessed Veronica's transfer comments on the detrimental effects -Click Baby Veronica to hear an audio of the interview.)

We believe that children need protection and should not be removed from loving, nurturing environments. We understand the premise of this law is to protect children; however, in Veronica’s case it has been used inappropriately.

Former U.S. senator Jim Abourezk (SD) authored ICWA. According to the Charleston Post and Courier, after reviewing Veronica's story, Abourezk called the interpretation in this case "something totally different than what we intended at the time."

"That's a tragedy," he said. "They obviously were attached to the child and, I would assume, the child was attached to them."

According to the 2000 census, approximately 75% of people claiming to have American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry live outside the reservation. Further, interracial marriages are a fact of life. It is must be recognized that most children of heritage live off the reservation and have extended family that are non-tribal. Though supporters of the Indian Child Welfare Act say it has safeguards to prevent misuse, Veronica and numerous other multi-racial children across the U.S have been hurt by it. Children who have never been near a reservation nor involved in tribal customs are affected. The Cherokee Nation alone is currently tied up in about 1,100 active Indian Child Welfare cases involving some 1,500 children.

Tragically, under the Indian Child Welfare Act:

1) Some children have been removed from safe, loving homes and placed in danger
2) Equal opportunities for adoption, safety and stability are not always available to children of all heritages
3) The Constitutional right of parents to make life choices for their children, for children of Indian heritage to associate freely, and for children of Indian heritage to enjoy Equal Protection has in some cases been infringed upon.

We want more than anything for Veronica to be allowed to come home. As our elected representatives, we urge you to protect Veronica’s rights in all possible ways as well as make legislative changes that will prevent this from happening to any other child again. While we understand you are unable to interfere in court proceedings, we ask you to speak out on this issue and let your constituents know clearly where you stand. We also ask you to sponsor legislation and encourage fellow Congressmen to support the amending of the Indian Child Welfare Act to:

1. Guarantee protection for children of Native American heritage equal to that of any other child in the United States.
2. Guarantee that fit parents, no matter their heritage, have the right to choose healthy guardians or adoptive parents for their children without concern for heritage.
3. Recognize the "Existing Indian Family Doctrine” as a viable analysis for consideration and application in child custody proceedings. (See In re Santos Y, In Bridget R., and In re Alexandria Y.)
4. Guarantee that United States citizens, no matter their heritage, have a right to fair trials.
• When summoned to a tribal court, parents and legal guardians will be informed of their legal rights, including USC 25 Chapter 21 1911 (b)“…In any State court proceeding for the foster care placement of, or termination of parental rights to, an Indian child not domiciled or residing within the reservation of the Indian child's tribe, the court, in the absence of good cause to the contrary, shall transfer such proceeding to the jurisdiction of the tribe, absent objection by either parent…”
• Under the principles of comity: All Tribes and States shall accord full faith and credit to a child custody order issued by the Tribe or State of initial jurisdiction consistent within the UCCJA – which enforces a child custody determination by a court of another State – unless the order has been vacated, stayed, or modified by a court having jurisdiction to do so under Article 2 of the UCCJA.

5. Include well defined protections for Adoptive Parents.
6. Mandate that a "Qualified expert witness" be someone who has professional knowledge of the child and family and is able to advocate for the well being of the child, first and foremost.
7. Mandate that only parents and/or legal custodians have the right to enroll a child into an Indian Tribe. Because it is claimed that tribal membership is a political rather than racial designation, we are asking that parents, as U.S. citizens, be given the sole, constitutional right to choose political affiliation for their families and not have it forced upon them.
• Remove the words “or are eligible for membership in” 1901 (3)
• Remove the words "eligible for membership in" from 1903 (4) (b), the definition of an ‘Indian child’ and replace with the words "an enrolled member of”

Save Veronica Supporters Worldwide
www.saveveronica.org
www.facebook.com/saveveronicarose
www.twitter.com/save_veronica

"Save Veronica" Video -

'Save Veronica' video is now featured on CAICW You Tube Channel - http://ping.fm/JdpRk

ICWA was used to take VERONICA. Please help this baby Girl return home: follow @Save_Veronica & share this petition! http://ping.fm/ERUKM

Prayer for Veronica -

Today- "The judge denied our stay. They are taking her Sunday @ noon...nothing gradual" - PLEASE pray for a miracle for this family!

UPDATE: Child Forced by Tribe to live in Loveless Home Rescued

FRIDAY ONE YEAR AGO - A 3-year-old girl was taken from the only home she knew and loved and placed with strangers - extended family who had never bothered to visit her or get to know her. Her adoptive parents fought for her in court and experts said she would be traumatized by the forced move, but the court decided that was okay and moved her anyway.

After almost five months, on APRIL 13TH, the adoptive parents got a call to come and get their little girl right away. There was a problem, and she had to be moved from the home she had been placed in. They left immediately, driving a couple hours to get her. When she saw them, she ran into their arms and said she was ready to go "home" - "Can I go home?" she asked - Adoptive mom wept - but daughter held her tears until after they had left the building, then wept freely. The people she had been with had told her that her adoptive parents were wolves, and would eat her -

Fortunately, she wasn't physically hurt. But she was, indeed, emotionally traumatized. She was NOT okay. She had been told there were monsters in the closet who would come eat her if she cried, and she reported that she had been locked in a storage shed. She was only three so it's still hard to say what actually happened, but it is known that things were not well - as evidenced by the emergency request by social services for the adoptive parents to go after her.

TODAY - A YEAR TO THE DAY she was taken from them - the Adoption was finalized and no one can take her away again!

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION - Kids of tribal heritage need protection EQUAL to any other child in US - PLEASE sign this White House Petition. If we can get 25,000 signatures by mid-December, the White House has agreed to review the petition and give a response!

Children such as the child in this story have no voice - there are many advocating for ICWA, but no other national organization advocating for Children and families who, as US citizens, do NOT want to be under the jurisdiction of tribal government. Please help by bringing their needs to the attention of those in the federal Government.

It is a little complicated to sign this petition - it is on a White House Website and the Lord knows they can't make anything uncomplicated. But we need we need your help to do this - Please click the below link, register, and SIGN this petition and ask others to as well! - Thank you!

http://wh.gov/bvZ

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Event Took Place Friday, November 19, 2010

Dec. 9, 2010

CAICW Friends;

An adoptive mother made her first contact with CAICW on Facebook about 1am Saturday morning, November 20, 2010, only hours after she had lost her little girl...

"They just took my baby after 3 years...her sobbing is forever etched in my soul. She wanted us to save her and we couldn't..devastated."

She then wrote to friends:

"Please sign this petition..the despair on her face pushes me to help destroy this law. She didn't want to go and was looking for us to protect her and we couldn't...I can't remember ever feeling so worthless."

Saturday, November 20th, 2010, was National Adoption Day. On this day, a small girl, denied the right to be adopted by the only mother she'd ever known, spent the first day in her memory in foster care, frightened and alone amongst strangers. She was denied the right to be adopted solely because of her heritage. In America, having even a small bit of Indian heritage can mean not having the same rights and opportunities for adoption that other children receive.

Saturday, November 20th, was also her adoptive mother's birthday. Her mother wrote on Facebook, thanking her friends for their love and prayers, and said that the best gift was people signing the petition.

We will be taking the petition with us when visiting Congress in DC at the end of January. The purpose of the Petition is to show Congressmen that people are concerned about this law and want it changed to reflect the best interest of children, not government expediency. We want to the rights of parents and children respected. We encourage families that have been affected by ICWA to join us.

If you aren't able to join us in DC, I urge everyone to obtain the legislative drafts we have available and talk to as many of your US Senators and Representatives and you can, as well as you legislators on the State level. We need to be pushing our representatives on both the federal and state levels to pass protective legislation for these children. No more pretending that what they have decided to do with children of heritage is acceptable or even constitutionally legal.

Finally - CAICW needs financial support. Please help us to:

* Stay in Contact with Families,
* Publish the Newsletter,
* Research Case Law,
* Update & maintain the CAICW.org Website,
* Develop a legal Defense Fund,
* Continue to Educate Federal and State Officials,
* Educate the Community through Facebook and Twitter,
* Speak to and Connect with family-oriented Organizations

All Children need to feel safe. Help CAICW to Advocate, Educate, Assist, & Defend.

http://www.caicw.org/pleasedonate.html



- Please see these sites for more information, and please share these important links:

Read Letters from Families: http://www.caicw.org/familystories.html


How You Can Help: http://www.caicw.org/HowYouHelp.html

Follow CAICW on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/CAICW

Join CAICW on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fbCAICW.org

EMAIL: writeus@caicw.org

Thank you all for your prayers and support -

Lisa Morris
Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW)
PO Box 253
Hillsboro, ND 58045

CAICW - Christian Evangelism and Ministry - Gal. 2:10, “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."

We Won!!!

It’s been a long and difficult two years, but God is good and faithful.  Thank you for your prayers and support. Also thank you for telling us about [the attorney]. We will forever be indebted.

Where do I start? As you probably remember our story started with a baby girl born out of wedlock to an Indian father and Caucasian mother. The mother chose us to adopt (non-native) and the father agreed at the time. Now to bring you up to speed since our last letter Nov ’09. We waited until the bio-father was out of jail in hopes to meet with him and his family about the adoption. It was our understanding that the only reason the tribe intervened in November ’09 was because they believed the paternal family wanted to adopt her and that the father changed his mind. We felt that waiting was our only option because our attorney at the time was not supportive of us. He felt that we would never win regardless of what we did. We wanted our attorney at the time to co-counsel with [the attorney], but our attorney was very negative, made it sound like it was going to cost us thousands and it would all be a waste of time anyways. We didn’t believe that so like I said we waited. Eight months later we met with the father and family. They all agreed to the adoption. After that conversation we believed we would be able to adopt without the tribe interfering (they had originally released us to adopt).  So we hired a new attorney to handle the adoption. We were talking with the father and hoping to finalize in Feb 2011. In Dec ’09 we had asked the father to come for a Christmas visit. He accepted. But the day arrived and he didn’t show up, no call or anything. The next thing we know our attorney receives a letter from the tribe that stated that the father came into the tribal attorney’s office refusing to agree to the adoption and the tribe was intervening. Unfortunately, our case was one of our attorney’s last cases because he was retiring. So needless to say we had to find a new attorney to take our now contested case. We were blessed to find ------------. She was willing to co-counsel with [the attorney] and they made an awesome team. Both of them fight for the child’s rights with honesty and dignity. They made our case bullet proof and we won... The tribe still has 42 days to appeal the decision, but ----- talked to the tribal attorney and he said that he is recommending that the tribe DOES NOT intervene. Like I said our attorneys made our case bullet proof so it would be unlikely for the tribe to win even in the Supreme Court. We will wait out the 42 days and finalize the adoption after [in] October…

[We] are still in a state of shock or disbelief. Maybe it will hit us when we sign the final papers.

Again, thank you for all of your support and prayers. We truly believe that we would not be holding our precious forever daughter without your guidance to the right attorney, your encouragement and your website to educate us. We have directed others to your website and have been able to educate others because of it. We were surprised how many people including Natives that are not aware of ICWA. 

 As I have promised in the past I will do what I can to help support you and the people you help as soon as this is over.

Many blessings,

CONGRATULATIONS for Successful Adoptions!!

TO FIVE WONDERFUL FAMILIES –

Who in the last two months have either successfully completed their adoptions or will be completing them shortly –

To the three awesome families in Texas, one in California, and the beautiful family in Idaho – CONGRATULATIONS!

Please also give a very special thanks to a wonderful attorney who ministered for most of these children in very wise and beneficial ways – as well as to Johnston Moore and Andy Reum, two board members who were willing and available to speak to and encourage a couple of the families.


AND a VERY SPECIAL THANKS – To all those who have been praying faithfully for these families as well as the many others who contact us!! God Bless all you awesome prayer warriors!

We are in Desperate Need of Help -

Hey wonderful peoples – with school out, does anyone have extra time?

We could really use your help – prayer wise as well as hands on.

I am the administrator of CAICW – but only a volunteer in a one man office - and have to work as an RN to support my family. So I am doing the best I can, but it ends up being slow – much too slow. It breaks my heart that I can’t move any faster than I am.

Right now:
1) An attorney in the Twin Cities is working on draft legislation to present to Congress
2) We are setting up a seminar for Congressmen, teaching reality of ICWA.
3) We NEED help fundraising
4) We NEED website work on caicw.org
5) We NEED help monitoring this facebook page
6) We NEED another newsletter out

– I appreciate anything you can do – Thanks so much for your prayers -

I am Elizabeth (Lisa) Morris, Administrator
Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW)
PO Box 253, Hillsboro ND 58045
administrator@caicw.org
http://caicw.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CAICW
To Donate:
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1004119&code=Email+Solicitation

SIGN THE PETITION: "She Wanted Us to Save Her..."

.

An adoptive mother made her first contact with CAICW on Facebook about 1am Saturday morning, Nov. 20, 2010, only hours after she had lost her little girl:

"They just took my baby after 3 years...her sobbing is forever etched in my soul. She wanted us to save her and we couldn't…devastated."

"..the despair on her face ... She didn't want to go and was looking for us to protect her and we couldn't...I can't remember ever feeling so worthless."

Saturday, Nov. 20th, was National Adoption Day. On this day, a small girl, denied the right to be adopted by the only mother she'd ever known, spent the first day in her memory in foster care, frightened and alone. She was denied the right to be adopted by her “mom” solely because of heritage. In America, having even a small amount of Indian heritage can mean not having the same rights & opportunities for adoption that other children have.

SIGN THE PETITION

- Petition closes Jan. 21, 2011 - to be presented to Congressmen in DC Jan. 24-26.

Advocates of ICWA point to the devastation suffered by children of tribal heritage when, years ago, they were forcefully removed from homes they loved and forced to stay at boarding schools. The trauma those children experienced was, indeed, horrible and devastating.

However, in the implementation of the ICWA, the exact same thing has been happening to children in reverse.

What has to be acknowledged is that we live in a transient, multi-racial society. This means that many children who fall under the jurisdiction of the Indian Child Welfare Act have more than one heritage, and many times are predominantly of another heritage, and/or have family who not only aren’t connected to the Reservation, but have specifically LEFT it—having chosen not to participate in the reservation system. Their reasons include the high alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, child neglect, corruption, and suicide rates.

Though some argue ICWA has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children are negatively affected by its application. Letters from birth parents, grandparents, foster families, and adoptive families concerning their children hurt by application of ICWA can be read at ~ http://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

YOUR PRAYERS are a Powerful Blessing for these families!

Due to ICWA, dozens of adoptions are held up every year. Even simple adoptions can be expensive and many families aren’t prepared for this additional expense. Time and again families have contacted the CAICW to ask for help because they don’t have the funds needed to hire attorney’s to defend their children.

A Firefighter in Texas, with his wife, stopped an abortion by offering to take the baby. They received the little boy immediately after birth and began adoption proceedings. The baby had been with them for a few weeks when they were informed a tribe was laying claim to the child - who had less than 2% heritage. The family, already loving the baby, fought back. Five years and thousands of dollars later, the little boy has still not been adopted.

Had the birth mother chosen abortion, no one would have stopped her.

Birth families have been hurt as well. After mortgaging homes and having nothing else to use, some have been forced to give up the fight for their children.

One grandfather with nothing left to fight with signed his final letter to us as "former grandfather of..."

A mother, responding to a tribal court summons for what was supposed to be a simple hearing, had her little girl ripped from her arms, not to be returned again.

Latino grandparents were raising their three grandchildren in California until social services decided that the children, 50% Ute, belonged on the reservation. They took the children from their paternal grandparents and placed them with their maternal grandmother on the Ute reservation, where she proceeded to beat the boys for speaking Spanish. Three weeks later, one was near dead. His younger brother presented at the hospital with raccoon eyes.

The maternal grandmother is now in prison and the children are again with their paternal grandparents. The oldest is permanently brain damaged.

A mother, having sent her children to visit their father for two weeks for a county ordered visitation, received a sudden tribal court summons. Believing that she was required to respond, she showed up for the hearing, where she was told the children were now in the custody of the father, and she is not allowed to step foot on the reservation again. When she went back to the county court to fight it, she was told that because she responded to the tribal court summons, she had voluntarily given them jurisdiction.

How was she to know?

A non-Indian father in Oklahoma was told that because he was "white," he had no rights to his child.

Of course that wasn't true. But unless a person has money to fight back with, whether it is true or not makes no difference.

WE NEED YOUR HELP. These families can not fight this alone.

SIGN THE PETITION

- Petition closes Jan. 21, 2011 - to be presented to Congressmen in DC Jan. 24-26.