MoMMas Coming Baby Doll, hang in there

 

 

 

heres my blog,

http://familycourtreformnow.blogspot.com/

stop on by take the vote and sign the petition.

Well,Court was continued today, lasted all 8 hours, so we go back tomorrow. I want to keep the petition going until 7 am tomorrow, Trying to get it up to 300 signatures, so you guys know the drill, pass it and sign it

 

  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/in-support-of-lisa-and-bella-smith

You BIG whiny chickens

Stop wasting my real lawyers time, yeah you REALLY screwed up, enjoy your time on the bench now, it wont be for long, you are a real idiot and I didnt even have to prove it, you just keep talking.

Read and Share your thoughts please

This is an older story I ran across, but I wanted to know your thoughts on a child this young being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and ADD, Do you think that can really be seen at 4? And should children be given these strong anti psychotic medications? What do you think?

Monday , March 26, 2007 In the final months of Rebecca Riley’s life, a school nurse said the little girl was so weak she was like a “floppy doll.” The preschool principal had to help Rebecca off the bus because the 4-year-old was shaking so badly. And a pharmacist complained that Rebecca’s mother kept coming up with excuses for why her daughter needed more and more medication. None of their concerns was enough to save Rebecca. Rebecca _ who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity and bipolar disorder, or what used to be called manic depression _ died Dec. 13 of an overdose of prescribed drugs, and her parents have been arrested on murder charges, accused of intentionally overmedicating their daughter to keep her quiet and out of their hair. Interviews and a review of court documents by The Associated Press make it clear that many of those who were supposed to protect Rebecca – teachers, social workers, other professionals – suspected something was wrong, but never went quite far enough. But the tragic case is more than a story about one child. It raises troubling, larger questions about the state of child psychiatry, namely: Can children as young as Rebecca be accurately diagnosed with mental illnesses? Are rambunctious youngsters being medicated for their parents’ convenience? And should children so young be prescribed powerful psychotropic drugs meant for adults? Dispensing drugs to children diagnosed with mood or behavior problems is “the easiest thing to do, but it’s not always the best thing to do,” said Dr. Jon McClellan, medical director of the Child Study and Treatment Center in Lakewood, Wash. “At some level, I would hope that you’d also be teaching kids ways to control their behavior.” According to the medical examiner, Rebecca died of a combination of Clonidine, a blood pressure medication Rebecca had been prescribed for ADHD; Depakote, an antiseizure and mood-stabilizing drug prescribed for the little girl’s bipolar disorder; a cough suppressant; and an antihistamine. The amount of Clonidine alone in Rebecca’s system was enough to be fatal, the medical examiner said. The two brand-name prescription drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in adults only, though doctors can legally prescribe them to youngsters and do so frequently. Rebecca’s parents, Michael and Carolyn Riley, say they were only following doctor’s orders. Rebecca, they told police, had been diagnosed when she was just 2 1/2, and Rebecca’s psychiatrist prescribed the same potent drugs that had been prescribed for her older brother and sister when she diagnosed them with the same illnesses several years earlier. But Rebecca’s teachers, the school nurse and her therapist all told police they never saw behavior in Rebecca that fit her diagnoses, such as aggression, sharp mood swings or hyperactivity. Prosecutors say the Rileys intentionally tried to quiet their daughter with high doses of Clonidine. Relatives told police the Rileys called Clonidine the “happy medicine” and the “sleep medicine.” Through their attorneys, Michael Riley, 34, and Carolyn Riley, 32, have accused Rebecca’s psychiatrist, Dr. Kayoko Kifuji, of over-prescribing medication. Kifuji did not return calls for comment and declined to be interviewed. But Kifuji has vehemently denied any role in Rebecca’s death. She has agreed to a suspension of her license while the state’s medical board investigates. Kifuji told police Rebecca had been her patient since August 2004, when she was 2. She said she based her diagnoses of ADHD and bipolar disorder on the family’s mental health history, as described by Carolyn Riley, and Rebecca’s behavior, as described by Carolyn and briefly observed by her during office visits. Kifuji told police she became alarmed in October 2005 when Carolyn Riley told her she had increased Rebecca’s nighttime dose of Clonidine from 2 to 2 1/2 tablets, and warned Carolyn the increased dose could kill Rebecca. But Carolyn told investigators Kifuji told her she could give Rebecca and her sister extra Clonidine at night to help them sleep. Tufts-New England Medical Center, where Kifuji worked, issued a statement supporting Kifuji, saying her care of Rebecca “was appropriate and within responsible professional standards.” In the months leading up to Rebecca’s death, others noticed there was something wrong. Teachers and staff members at the Johnson Early Childhood Center in Weymouth, about 20 miles south of Boston, say they called Rebecca’s mother repeatedly to tell her that Rebecca was “out of it,” but her mother said the girl was tired because she wasn’t sleeping well. A neighbor who lived next door to the family in the last month of Rebecca’s life said Rebecca and her siblings seemed listless. “They looked like little robots. They looked very lethargic,” Phyllis Lipton said. “I said, `Wow, they don’t look right,’ but who knew?” Pharmacists at Walgreens in Weymouth called Kifuji twice to complain that Carolyn Riley was asking for more Clonidine, even though her prescription was not due to be refilled yet, according to state police. Once, Riley said she had lost a bottle of pills, and another time, she said water had gotten into her prescription bottle and ruined the pills, according to police. Kifuji authorized refills, but after the second incident, she began prescribing Clonidine in 10-day refills instead of 30-day supplies, investigators said. On Aug. 16, a prescription for 35 Clonidine tablets – a 10-day supply – was filled at Walgreens, even though the Rileys had obtained a 10-day refill only the day before, investigators said. Walgreens spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said: “The scrip was filled as written, as it was prescribed by the doctor, and all the appropriate information on the medications was given to the family.” After Rebecca’s death, police found only seven Clonidine tablets in the family’s medicine tray; the pharmacist said there should have been 75. All together, prosecutors say, Carolyn Riley got 200 more pills in one year than she should have. The Rileys’ lawyers call them unsophisticated people who did not question their children’s doctors. Both were unemployed; they collected welfare and disabilty benefits and lived in subsidized housing. Michael Riley, who is also awaiting trial on charges of molesting a stepdaughter in 2005, claimed to suffer from bipolar disorder and a rage disorder; his wife told police she suffered from depression and anxiety. “They are not the sort of people who go on the Internet and look on WebMD. These are the sort of people who, when they go to a doctor, the doctor is God and they do what the doctor says,” said John Darrell, Michael’s lawyer. Carolyn’s lawyer, Michael Bourbeau, said that because the Rileys’ three children were all taking Clonidine, Rebecca’s prescription may have come up short at times when her siblings were given some of her pills. And some of the pills may have been lost when they were split in half, he said. In July, after a therapist filed a complaint with the state Department of Social Services, social workers met with the family’s doctors and other medical professionals and were assured that the medications Rebecca was taking were within medical guidelines. “There were lots of medical eyes on this case and none of them seemed to say there was an issue of over-medication in this case,” said Social Services Commissioner Harry Spence, who has come under fire for the agency’s handling of the case. Still, there were lingering concerns. When social workers tried to make a home visit in November, Carolyn “resisted and evaded,” Spence said. Weeks later, workers resolved to make a surprise check, but Rebecca died the very next day, before they could visit. Rebecca was found dead on the floor of her parents’ bedroom wearing only a pink pull-up diaper and gold-stud earrings, on top of a pile of clothes, magazines and a stuffed brown bear. Rebecca’s uncle, James McGonnell, and his girlfriend, Kelly Williams, who lived with the Rileys, told police that the Rileys would put their kids to bed as early as 5 p.m. Rebecca, they said, often slept through the day and got up only to eat. When Michael Riley decided the kids were “acting up,” he told Carolyn to give them pills, McGonnell and Williams told police. According to McGonnell and Williams, Rebecca spent the last days of her life wandering around the house, sick and disoriented. But the Rileys told police they were not alarmed. “It was just a cold,” Carolyn repeatedly said during police interviews. The medical examiner said Rebecca died a slow and painful death. She said the overdose of Clonidine caused her organs to shut down, filling her lungs with fluid and causing congestive heart failure. Williams told police that the night before she died, Rebecca was pale and seemed “out of it.” At one point, the little girl knocked weakly on her parents’ bedroom door and softly called for her mommy, but Michael Riley opened the door a crack and yelled at her to go back to her room, Williams said. Later that night, McGonnell told police, he heard someone struggling to breathe and found Rebecca gurgling as if something was stuck in her throat. McGonnell told police he wiped vomit from his niece’s face, then kicked in the door to her parents’ room and yelled at the Rileys to take Rebecca to the emergency room. Instead, Carolyn Riley said, she gave her daughter a half-tablet of Clonidine. Carolyn’s mother, Valerie Berio, said that when she visited the kids the night of Dec. 11, Rebecca seemed congested but not seriously ill. In a photograph Berio said she took that night, Rebecca is smiling slightly as her mother holds a new green velvet dress in front of her. Berio said that shows that her daughter and son-in-law could not have known how sick Rebecca was. Rebecca’s death has inflamed a long-running debate in psychiatry. Some psychiatrists believe bipolar disorder, which was traditionally diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood, has become a trendy diagnosis in young children. “As a clinician, I can tell you it’s just very difficult to say whether someone is just throwing tantrums or has bipolar disorder,” said Dr. Oscar B. Bukstein, a child psychiatrist and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. A study of mentally ill children discharged from community hospitals, published in January in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found the proportion of children diagnosed with bipolar disorders jumped from 2.9 percent in 1990 to 15.1 percent in 2000. A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2002 estimated that about 7 percent of elementary school-age children – or approximately 1.6 million youngsters ages 6 to 11 – have been diagnosed with ADHD. The annual number of U.S. children prescribed anti-psychotic drugs jumped fivefold between 1995 and 2002, to an estimated 2.5 million, according to a study published last year by researchers at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. Some child psychiatrists say bipolar disorder may have been under-diagnosed in children for years, partly because several key symptoms are also symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity, distractibility and talkativeness. Dr. Janet Wozniak, director of the Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, said early diagnosis and treatment are critical because the illness can cause social and academic problems, and lead to drug abuse, crime and suicide. “What’s commonly overlooked when considering diagnosing and treating children at such an early age is the risk of not treating and not intervening,” Wozniak said. http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,261345,00.html

Indiana County Human Services Calendar

Written by The Indiana Gazette

Sunday, 27 January 2008

For the week of Jan. 27 to Feb. 2

Information for this column is provided by the Indiana County Department of Human Services.ANNOUNCEMENTS

* Aging Services, Inc. will have a Groundhog Day Breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Mahoning Hills Social Center, Route 119 North near Punxsutawney. The breakfast is open to the public at a cost of $3.50.

* Indiana County Community Action Program is offering VITA, a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. This program provides free Income Tax services to eligible low-income families in Indiana County. For more information and to make an appointment, please contact Arlene Anderson at (724) 465-2657, ext. 207, or Diane Reese-Walters at (724) 465-2657, ext. 212.

* Katie’s Closet provides free clothing for adults and children from 9 to 11 a.m. Mondays upstairs at Zion Lutheran Church, Church and Sixth streets, Indiana.

* Kids Night Out, hosted by IUP Track and Field, will be offered from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Feb. 8 at Memorial Field House Auxiliary Gym, Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus. Enjoy a night out while the IUP Track and Field Team watches and entertains your children ages 5 to 14. Cost is $10 for three hours. For more information, call Ralph White, coach, at (724) 357-2464.

* Kiwanis Baby Cupboard and Indiana County Community Action Inc. are offering to provide diapers at $2 a pack (four packages a month in medium, large and extra large) to qualifying county families with an income lower than 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline. Call Arlene Anderson, AmeriCorps Vista volunteer, at (724) 465-2657, ext. 211, for more information and/or to register. Diapers will be distributed at the ICCAP food bank at 1849 South Sixth St., Indiana.

* Special Needs Activity Program is a physical fitness, motor development and aquatics program specifically designed for individuals with disabilities through IUP. The program currently serves individuals of all ages and abilities from the Indiana area and surrounding communities. The SNAP program is sponsored by the Department of Health and Physical Education and is a required practicum experience for all HPED students. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays in Zink Hall on the following dates: Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 29, and April 5. Volunteers are welcome and hours can be documented upon request. For more information or to register, call David Lorenzi at (724) 357-4415 or e-mail David.Lorenzi@iup.edu This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

CLASSES

* Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program is a group program designed specifically for people with arthritis to help increase joint flexibility and range of motion. The group meets Tuesdays and Fridays. For more information, call Indiana Regional Medical Center at (724) 357-8088.

* Breastfeeding is Best teaches about feeding your baby, pumping and storing milk from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at IRMC Outpatient Building. For more information, call (724) 357-8088.

* Childbirth/Infant Care classes are available through Excela Health. A variety of classes include Car Seat Safety, Getting Ready for Baby, Breastfeeding Basics, Infant Massage, Prepared Childbirth and Lamaze. Class times and locations vary. For more information, call (877) 771-1234.

* CPR Classes are available through Armstrong County Memorial Hospital. Participants will receive basic instruction in one-person adult and child CPR as well as choking intervention instructions. The class is designed for the layperson. For more information, call (724) 543-8473.

* Disaster Mental Health Services: An Overview, helps participants understand the function within the American Red Cross Disaster Services program. Participants will learn how DMHS supports disaster relief workers and people affected by disasters. For more information, call the Indiana Chapter at (724) 465-5678.

* Eat Well for Life is a four-week lifestyle improvement program promoting wellness and long-term weight management through balanced nutrition, cooking demonstrations and other hands-on experiences. For more information, call Excela Health at (877) 771-1234.

* Healthy Moves is a supervised, structured exercise program for inactive adults or those at risk for health problems. Any adult who wishes to improve their fitness level can attend. For more information, call IRMC at (724) 357-8088.

* Infant/Child CPR and First Aid classes teach “loving touch” techniques through American Red Cross. A fee is charged. For more information, call the Indiana Chapter at (724) 465-5678.

* Introduction to Disaster classes teach how the American Red Cross fits in when there is a disaster and how you can help your community. For more information, call the Indiana Chapter at (724) 465-5678.

* Logistics: Disaster Preparedness Training, is a study of providing the support services for a disaster relief operation including transportation, facilities and supplies through the American Red Cross. For more information, call the Indiana Chapter at (724) 465-5678.

* Mass Care Overview, through American Red Cross, teaches about helping to care for victims who are displaced from their residence during a disaster. For more information, call the Indiana Chapter at (724) 465-5678.

* Ornish Advantage teaches how to prevent heart disease and improve health by a six-week program focusing on nutrition, stress management, exercise, nutrition and group support. For more information, call Excela Health at (877) 771-1234.

* Prenatal Aquatic Exercise classes allow pregnant women to keep up their fitness levels while expecting. For more information, call the Indiana County YMCA at (724) 463-9622.

* Preschool and Progressive Swim Classes are held in 7-week sessions at the Indiana County YMCA. Preschool classes are for children ages 6 months to 5 years. Progressive classes are for children ages 6 years and older. Enrollment is limited. For more information, call (724) 463-9622.

* Ready to Quit is a seven-week smoking cessation course for those who have resolved to quit smoking. Scholarships are available for pregnant women. The class costs $25, and some costs may be covered by insurance. For more information, call (877) 771-1234.

* Survey/Damage Assessment teaches how to make assessment of damage to homes and areas affected by disaster. Participants must have attended the Introduction to Disaster class prior to this training. For more information, call the American Red Cross, Indiana Chapter, at (724) 465-5678.

* Toddler Time, offered by Armstrong-Indiana Intermediate Unit 28’s Family Focus Program, is a class for children ages 1 to 3 years old. For more information, call (724) 463-5300, ext. 1234.

* Water Exercise Classes are available at the Indiana County YMCA. Classes include Arthritis, Swimnastics and Aqua Aerobics. The 7-week sessions are excellent for individuals with joint problems and/or those who cannot exercise on land. Non-swimmers are welcome. For more information, call Adam Weiss at (724) 463-9622.

* Working with Total Diversity teaches how to assist service providers in providing the needs of the changing populations in the communities served and how to overcome prejudices and stereotypes within the communities. For more information, call the American Red Cross, Indiana Chapter, at (724) 465-5678.

FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

* Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Room 306, Pratt Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; 8 p.m. every Thursday at Calvary Presbyterian Church, Indiana; and 8 p.m. every Friday at Marion Center Presbyterian Church.

* Diabetes Support Group at IRMC provides a dietician and clinical nurse specialists to help people with diabetes develop and practice self-management. For more information, call (724) 357-8088.

* Family Caregivers Support Group meets at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Aging Services Community Center, Indiana, with a special focus placed on Alzheimer’s Care. For more information, call (724) 349-4500.

* HIV/AIDS Support Group meets twice per month through UPMC Lee Regional Community Care Management. This group is intended for people living with HIV/AIDS. All support group meetings are facilitated by a social worker. For more information, call (814) 534-6732 or (866) 429-1583.

* ICD Support Group is for those with an implantable cardiac defibrillator and their support persons. For more information, call Excela Health at (877-771-1234.

* IRMC’s Breast Cancer Support Group is for individuals who have had breast cancer. The group generally meets at 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month. For more information, call (724) 357-8088.

* La Leche League provides mother-to-mother information and support for those planning to breastfeed or currently breastfeeding. The group meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday at IRMC Outpatient Building, Classrooms A&B. For more information or 24-hour support, call (724) 463-4661 or (724) 463-9890.

* Moms Offering Moms Support Club is an international support group for stay-at-home parents. For more information, call Amy at (724) 465-0770, Stephanie at (724) 463-1453 or e-mail momsclubofindiana@yahoo.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

* PFLAG, or Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, have local chapters of a national organization to provide safe dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity. The group seeks to replace negativity with accurate and positive information and support. For more information, contact the Indiana chapter at (724) 357-8309 or e-mail pflagindiana@adelphia.net. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

* Post-Partum Depression classes are for natural and adoptive parents experiencing depression following the introduction of the new infant into the family. Dates and locations vary. For more information, call Excela Health at (877) 771-1234.

* Reach to Recovery provides newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with support, information and resources through visits and conversations with trained breast cancer survivors. For more information, call (800) 227-2345.

* US Too Prostate Cancer Support Group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital. For more information, call (877) 771-1234.

GRIEF SUPPORT

* Bence Mihalcik Funeral Home offers a support group and a bereavement lending library with booklets, videos, etc. For information, call (724) 349-2000.

* Bereavement Support, Catholic Charities. Meetings vary based on need. Call (724) 463-8806 for information.

* Bowser-Minich Bereavement Support Services, (724) 349-3100 or (888) 923-5550. Offers lectures and grief seminars to public groups.

* Curran Funeral Home Grief Support Group, 701 Salt St., Saltsburg. Call (724) 639-3911 for dates, times and location.

* GriefShare is a special seminar/support group for people grieving the death of someone close. Registration is required, and sessions are in the fall and spring at Graystone Presbyterian Church, Indiana. For more information, call (724) 349-5556.

* Grief Support Groups, through Excela Health, offer a six-week series held Tuesdays at various locations. For more information, call (877) 771-1234.

* Help to Heal is an adult and child grief support group that meets twice per month. Registration is requested. For more information, call Excela Health at (877) 771-1234.

* Highmark Caring Place, through the Caring Foundation for Children, Pittsburgh, offers support groups weekly or biweekly for grieving children, adolescents and families. For more information, call (888) 224-4673.

* Mourning Has Broken is a grief support group for grieving partners and spouses. For information or support, call (724) 349-5677 or visit mourninghasbroken.org.

* Richard Shoemaker Funeral Home Support Group, Blairsville, (724) 459-9115; information and support offered by phone.

Lawsuit Tips & Tactics – Get YOUR Evidence In! -

Getting Evidence In …
In every lawsuit I handled in more than 21 years as a career lawyer, the other side played every dirty trick possible to hide the evidence. I had to learn how to stop their hide-and-seek games and get evidence into the court’s record!
If you want to win your lawsuit, you have to learn how, too!
Fortunately, the process is simple!
Learning how begins with knowing six (6) things:
Before the lawsuit begins, you have no power to get evidence.
Once the lawsuit begins, you have five powerful (5) discovery tools.
The other side will object to and resist your discovery efforts.
You must move the court to order them to respond to discovery.
Once they’ve been ordered to respond, you must move the court for an Order to Show Cause if they continue to refuse to respond.
If they don’t respond after the Order to Show Cause, you must move the court for an Order of Contempt that puts them in jail for failure to respond to the court’s second order.
This will always get the job done … if you follow this process.
Many people think they have a right to demand others respond to their questions and requests for documents before a lawsuit is filed. This is just foolish. Even the Freedom of Information Act will not get all the evidence you need to win a lawsuit. Filing FOIA requests usually gets you only what “they” want you to have, and responses to FOIA requests can take f_o_r_e_v_e_r.
Once a lawsuit is filed, however, you use your 5 discovery tools to force the other side to provide the evidence you need to win..
Requests for Admissions
Requests for Production
Interrogatories
Depositions
Subpoenas and other Court Orders
BUT! If you aren’t prepared to move the court to compel responses and then follow up with a motion for an order to show cause, you’re probably wasting your time to even try to win, because the other side will try to hide the evidence. Expect it every time!
When you follow up with your motion for an order compelling them to respond and then with a motion to show cause and finally, if necessary, with a motion for contempt … and “you” set all these motions for hearing and attend the hearings prepared to argue forceably for your right to get the evidence in … you WILL get the evidence in!
There’s just this thing about being locked in a jail cell that tends to make people do what the court orders them to do! Once you get the court to order responses to your discovery, you have the right to have them jailed if they don’t respond. That’s part of everyone’s rights as American citizens! Use your power to win!
We make it easy and affordable for you to know what it takes to win your lawsuit. Our course lays it all out for you step-by-step.
Complete our step-by-step course in a single weekend!
Visit www.Jurisdictionary.com to learn more!
Click HERE to tell your friends about Jurisdictionary!
If you’re not yet subscribed, click HERE.

Visit www.Jurisdictionary.com to learn more

Lawinfo Weblog » Video Captures Jailhouse Struggle

 

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press Writer

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) _ A man who was arrested by Orange County deputies was stripped of his pants, strapped to a chair, Tasered repeatedly while in handcuffs and slammed to the floor with a knee to his head, a newly released videotape shows.

The 13-minute video, given to The Associated Press on Wednesday by the man’s attorney, was taken in March 2006 after Matthew Fleuret was arrested during a barroom brawl in San Clemente.

His attorney, Stephen Bernard, has filed a $47 million lawsuit against the county, and recently obtained the grainy footage during preparation for the trial. The tape begins with silent, black-and-white footage from a stationary security camera and then moves to colored footage with audio taken by a sheriff’s deputy using a handheld video recorder.

Fleuret, a construction worker, was not charged and was released within 24 hours, the attorney said. He has no criminal record, Bernard said. He said Fleuret, 24, was not available to be interviewed because the case is pending.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino referred calls to Bill Haluck, an attorney for the county. Haluck did not return calls for comment.

Susan Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said her office has received no complaints about Fleuret’s treatment and has not launched an investigation.

Arrest and booking records show that deputies fired a stun gun at Fleuret at least 10 times in the county jail. The arresting officer wrote that he sprayed Fleuret twice with pepper spray and hit him in the legs with a baton as he tried to break up a fight at the bar.

Deputies who filed reports after the jailhouse struggle wrote that Fleuret was extremely intoxicated and was ”agitated, strong and aggressive.” One deputy wrote that it took three deputies to hold down his legs and that he continued to fight even after he was strapped into the chair.

The first portion of the video shows Fleuret sitting handcuffed on a bench as he waits to be booked. A deputy walks up and appears to elbow Fleuret on the side of the head.

A few minutes later, the shirtless and handcuffed Fleuret is heard saying, ”I didn’t do nothing,” and asks to see an attorney.

The video then shows two deputies escorting Fleuret down a hallway, but as they approach the doorway to a medical unit, Fleuret shouts ”No,” followed by an expletive. He begins to struggle and at least six deputies swarm him and wrestle him to the ground.

Someone commands ”Tase him!” and ”Tase him again!” as Fleuret screams. One deputy can be seen pinning his neck to the floor with his knee, while several other deputies appear to use their hands to hold his back and legs down.

Fleuret repeatedly screams, ”I can’t breathe!” as a deputy urges him to relax.

”The more you resist, the worse it gets,” the deputy says.

Fleuret is then dragged into the medical unit and someone pulls down his jeans. Several other deputies hoist him into a chair, secure straps across his chest and place a black, transparent hood over his head _ a ‘’spit guard” to keep him from spitting at deputies.

While a nurse examines him, Fleuret complains: ”This ain’t right, man.”

Bernard said Fleuret, who now lives in Utah, was seriously injured and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He can no longer work in construction, the attorney said.

”He’s got rotator cuff injuries, he probably will need surgery,” Bernard said. ”He has damage to both wrists, he has a head injury, he’s got a concussion, he’s got visual problems.”

Lawinfo Weblog » Video Captures Jailhouse Struggle

US CODE: Title 28,1343. Civil rights and elective franchise

(a) The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action authorized by law to be commenced by any person:
(1) To recover damages for injury to his person or property, or because of the deprivation of any right or privilege of a citizen of the United States, by any act done in furtherance of any conspiracy mentioned in section 1985 of Title 42;
(2) To recover damages from any person who fails to prevent or to aid in preventing any wrongs mentioned in section 1985 of Title 42 which he had knowledge were about to occur and power to prevent;
(3) To redress the deprivation, under color of any State law, statute, ordinance, regulation, custom or usage, of any right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution of the United States or by any Act of Congress providing for equal rights of citizens or of all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States;
(4) To recover damages or to secure equitable or other relief under any Act of Congress providing for the protection of civil rights, including the right to vote.
(b) For purposes of this section—
(1) the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a State; and
(2) any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28/usc_sec_28_00001343—-000-.html

Reform Order of Dept. of Human Services

by KYW’s Steve Tawa

Mayor Nutter has signed an executive order that renews the charter for an independent community oversight board to monitor reform efforts within the often criticized Department of Human Services.

Board co-chair Carol Spigner says 14-of-21 recommendations have been completed in improving the DHS system to protect children from abuse and neglect. But she says there are challenges:

“The first is monthly face to face contact with children.”

Acting DHS commissioner Arthur Evans cites 80 vacancies among social workers with heavy caseloads.

Mayor Nutter says DHS workers don’t get the same kind of recognition for saving lives that police and firefighters rightly receive:

“They are really good, committed people, who do these jobs that many of us would shudder, if we had to listen to or interact with some of the things that people to do children and to each other.”

City officials say children known to DHS are ’safer today than they were a year ago,’ because of their aggressive reform agenda.

http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/1539515.php?contentType=4&contentId=1458655

Cali Readers, Is This True, Let Us Know

By JAMIE GENTNER

Photo by Deborra Brannon – Siskiyou County Human Services Interim Director Katherine O’Shea, left, and Program Manager Debbie Walsh, right, give the annual CalWORKs report to the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 4.

Daily News Staff Writer
SISKIYOU COUNTY – The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors were recently given a year-end review of one county Department of Human Services program that aims to make people feel valuable and self-sufficient once again, according to Program Manager Debbie Walsh.
That program is the California Work Opportunity Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), California’s Welfare to Work program.
’The program is individual-based so that families get what they need,’ Walsh said. ’We tailor the plan to them so we can help them through whatever they are facing.’
Eligible families are given a monthly cash aid allotment based on their family size, as well as assistance with transportation, clothing and job skills.
But clients only receive what assistance they want and are willing to work for.
’This is not a handout; they have to work for it,’ Walsh said. ’It’s their plan, not ours. They have to want it. We just help them make the steps to get through what they need to and to see just how successful they can be.’
To be eligible, clients must meet work requirements of 32 a week for one-parent families or 35 hours a week for two-parent families, have dependent children, meet deprivation requirements (a deceased or absent parent, incapacitation, etc.) and have resources and income that falls within program regulations (no property over $2,000).

After determining eligibility, clients meet with Human Services staff to develop a plan that is geared toward their needs.
To do so, Human Services partners with the county’s Department of Behavioral Health, Workforce Connection, the Siskiyou Child Care Council, Siskiyou Domestic Violence and Crisis Center, College of the Siskiyous, family resource centers around the county and other county organizations.
Walsh said the program has had ’great success.’
The number of cases Human Services deals with each month has been cut in half in the past 10 years. Walsh shared several success stories with the supervisors, and she said many clients have gone on to get degrees in their desired fields.
’We try to provide them the opportunity to follow their dreams,’ she said. ’We’re here to get them through tough times and get them back on their feet.’
In order to fulfill that commitment, Human Services staff members brought a proposal to the supervisors in December requesting staffing changes they felt would allow them to better serve their clients and raise program participation rate.
To find out why that is, look for the second part of this story in Monday’s edition.

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/articles/2008/01/25/news/7110408news2.txt