By DAVID IGNELL
Dear Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Tammie Wilson:
What have you been doing these past two weeks that you think is more important than saving the life of a 15-year-old kid? Please respond.
The kid I’m writing you about is “George,” who was featured in my article two weeks ago about the Office of Children’s Services. He is the kid who your OCS kidnapped, along with his four siblings, from their loving home in Mat-Su Valley almost two years ago. He’s the kid who was then separated from his siblings and has bounced around from foster home to foster home while your OCS harassed his mother with its well-funded battalion of lawyers, hired “experts,” and “protective service specialists” masquerading as licensed social workers.
George is the kid with special needs who was miraculously found sitting on the JBER bench along the Glenn Highway, the boy with a rheumatic leg who had walked 20 miles to get there and still had over 35 miles to go. Yeah, that kid – the one that never would have made it.
Well, I just found out that George ran away again yesterday, March 2.
He left his latest foster home in the Valley at 5 am. He was upset to find out that your latest parental choice had disposed of some of his clothes he left lying around on his bedroom floor. The new foster parents thought they were teaching George an important lesson, but they don’t understand fetal alcohol syndrome kids. He grabbed a coat and a backpack and headed out the door.
It was 12 degrees outside. George took on the cold and snow wearing tennis shoes and cotton socks.
George headed toward his school, 10 miles away. Along the way he observed a dead moose, killed by a passing train. When he arrived at the school, officials put him alone in a room. He soon left. Only the cameras saw him leave.
This time around, at least OCS called his mother to let her know George was missing. AK Mom went out looking for George. She went inside a big store he was known to frequent. George noticed her car in the parking lot and went inside. He found her.
AK Mom had to return her son to OCS. George spent last night in a different foster “home.” Tonight, he is supposed to be transferred to a new “home.” At an OCS meeting this morning, no one even knew where that would be.
This new “home” will be the 18th one to which George has been transferred by OCS since they kidnapped him. Stop kidding yourself. You’re no longer putting George into homes; let’s call them for what they really are: temporary storage facilities, just like you did with his brother “Lawrence” last summer.
Anyone reading this article with a heart, soul, or conscience knows there’s only one place where George belongs tonight. Home. With his mother. Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Tammie Wilson, what are you waiting for?
By the way, George is flunking his classes these days. He wasn’t before he was kidnapped. Why do you persist in trying to set him up for failure later in life? Do you want George to become a lifelong ward of the state? Is there profit in that?
Stop this madness now. Return George and his four other siblings to their mother now.
After the re-united family has a chance to recover, ask AK Mom for advice in establishing programs at OCS that will actually help our children born with fetal alcohol syndrome. AK Mom knows what she’s doing. Your people don’t. How many more of our children will you allow OCS to ruin?
David Ignell was born and raised in Juneau, where he currently resides. He holds a law degree from University of San Diego and formerly practiced as a licensed attorney in California. He has experience as a volunteer analyst for the California Innocence Project, and is currently a forensic journalist and author of a recent book on the Alaska Grand Jury.
In all sincerity: why are you wasting your time appealing to the crawling blob that is our governor?
He has no spine, no balls, no purpose than to not get tossed out before the end of his term.
You stand a better chance convincing one of the totems outside the Governor’s office to help than the governor himself.
Maybe the grandstanding troll Eastman might try. If you get him on the 6:00pm news.
This story breaks my heart….. all I can say.
Prayers to the mother & disability boy.
My family went through false reports when I became severely sick in a coma.
My childern’s were placed with relative then 1 child remover for unknown reason.
OCS violate my minor child rights by trick child to speak say you won’t leave till you say what your sibling did or say. OCS make my child agree with OCS false report.
My family been deal with OCS since we’re moved here.
All previous reports were non substantial and no evidence or proof.
Can’t find a lawyer who take our case to sue OCS & individual/individuals false reports. Because this is left on my record and the false reporters nothing done too them.
That is NOT right at all.
David, I suggest that since you’re not using your magic wand for anything else, why don’t you go ahead and share it with George?
No system is perfect, and no social service is either, and as much as a person would like to believe that there is a Pollyanna ending for every story, the coldhearted reality is that they don’t.
By the way, I don’t know if you raise kids or ever have, I pretty much don’t care…but as a child’s sense of confidence and self-value grows, they also often do assert themselves against authority in ways such as running away, not doing homework, choosing poor friends and activities.
News for you, and this is why I doubt you’ve raised children to productive adulthood…even special needs children need room to fail.
I’m sure the family has shared with you how “loving” their home life was, but I also have dealt with OCS on a professional level, and from what I see is they do everything they possibly can to keep a child with family.
Not working as an attorney anymore? Hmmm…how’d that happen? Disbarred, or just didn’t want to commit to the profession? Pretty much the only two answers out there.
That is the best you can do, Repeal, or is it Repel? David is indeed a father, but that’s none of your speculative business, is it? And he practiced law for many years but is now retired because he’s kind of an older gentleman. But you go ahead and defend OCS. I didn’t hear David asking for magic, just for justice. As for me, defending OCS would not be the hill I’d want to die on. But you be you. Just try to not be such a jerk.
He’s doing nothing except trying to pull heartstrings by painting a picture of a virtuous family victimized by heartless villains.
Ever hear, listen, or compose opening and closing statements during a criminal trial?
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I stand before you representing this poor misunderstood victim of untrained police officers, overzealous prosecutors, and a system that has failed my client.”
If you believe for one second that he hasn’t omitted certain facts unfavorable to his argument, I pity you.
I’m no fan of OCS either, however…it’s been my extensive experience that they more often err by leaving children in homes they shouldn’t.
Go to law school, heck, or even take an undergrad pre-law class. Take an ethics class…learn what the word “justice” actually means. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not a noun.
He’s an attorney…or was…there are absolutely no words directed at him devised by any man that could impact his feelings.
It’s What Lawyers Do.
Btw, I didn’t use any perjoratives…left that up to you.
I’m curious about something. I have raised kids. I had my share of pushback, but nothing like you seemed to (assuming you were drawing on personal experience).
I’ve also had experience with special needs kids. My best friend has one. I helped her and her husband out a lot, since special needs kids require a specific kind of time consuming attention.
Yes, the child had to have the opportunity to learn via “failure”, but done in a structured environment so learning could actually occur.
I know something about tough takes. I frequently give them out. I’ve been on the receiving end, too. But to semi question a person’s parenting and no sense slyly implying professional misconduct is crass in the extreme. The point you ended up making was, simply, you’re a horses backside.
I don’t usually pull out scripture, but in this case it’s appropriate.
Matthew 7:5. Pull the plank out of your own eye before worrying about someone else.
Repeal the 17th, You are barking up the wrong tree here with your depiction of Ignell.
David has raised a brood of happy, successful and civilized and PRODUCTIVE children into adulthood. I know them personally.
Ignell graduated in the top ten percent in his Class at Law School and worked as an Attorney for many years before finding a more rewarding career outside of the practice of Law. So there goes that argument.
You say no system is perfect, that is true, it also follows that some are also downright EVIL.
I suggest that you pull your head from your southerly anatomical regions and begin the process of thought, especially before you make attacks upon someone who brings a message.
One question you need to ask yourself as you begin the journey towards rational thinking is, do I trust my Government?
So sad?
I know about this situation as I have been walking and praying w/AK Mom since the children were taken. Thank you David for these 2 articles………….Please pray for this family and help the mom with lawyers fees and expert witnesses! Go to: givesendgo.com under the title, “Fight Medical Kidnapping of 5 Siblings”.
OCS has taken so much from these children when they were on the path of functioning and adjusting as normally as a family of 7 can with special needs. You see the maternal grandmother lived with them also and they all were very close. The operative word now is WAS! Keeping them separated and disrupting their lives for almost 2 years!! Spread the word and Please HELP get them back home.
This particular OCS serial is a masterfully written piece of fiction. I’ve worked with OCS for over 20 years and they are the worst of the worst. However, we often can’t get them to budge on the worst offenders so this story sounds like bull to me. Let’s see the receipts that support this story…
Thank you David Ignell for helping bring to light the complete ineptness of our state’s OCS and pointing out not only this particular galling case, but helping bring to light the dozens of other troublesome OCS cases. Keep up the good work you do and ignore the knuckleheads that blame the messenger.
Start calling home health agencies. Medicaid pays $250k a year per client/child for services.
It sounds like the mother could get services for her and the children, and have 24/7 staff. They will come to the home to provide services. This can bring the outcome that you seek. They also have company attorneys, that might file charges against the SOA, and OCS for being incompetent, and not utilizing all resources, available to the parent and children with disabilities. They might advise you to call Medicaid in Washington DC. Report OCS. Then you be able to get them to order an investigation of the agency up here.
Anon you must be Alaskan… ask for federal money right off the bat that will fix the problem.
What about the 2,999 kids ocs holds? Why should george get special attention. Help one child thru helping them all. Alaskans must start learning how to use equal weights and measures. I still request charlie pierce for ocs
new director.
This mother wants to be part of the solution to help the other children in the system; however it is a full time job trying to get her children back! She has contacted so many in the administration and outside to help get changes! The common answer is we can’t do anything! So please what do you suggest the answer is?
Cut the budget+Stop paying benefits= no staff to cover the enourmous amount of kids affected.
I ask that we kindly focus on facts and clarity. I have a special needs son myself. It is always a challenge that we cannot shrink from. Anyone involved in raising such children will experience frustration and difficulty along with commensurate reward. Those who truly care for George are engaged in a noble mission.
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The article contains the terms “George’s mother” and “AK mom” If these terms refer to the same person then I ask we speak clearly by calling her “AK-Foster-mom” (to differentiate from George’s string of other foster mothers). To be clear, each of us has only one mother. That said, it is never a matter of titles; but rather one of love. However, in any discussion misleading terms never help; its better to speak clearly by using terms such as foster-mother or step-mother. The misguided PC term “birth-mother” means simply, our one and only “mother.”
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Most people recognize OCS is an obviously out-of-control bureaucracy suffering from the pathology identified by Lord Acton: “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That said, it would be helpful for context to know what are the ostensible allegations OCS has made against Ak-Foster-mom. It would help for readers unfamiliar with OCS to understand what due process, or lack thereof, they operate under. After all, due process is the antithesis of tyranny.
The original article stated that AK Mom had adopted these children. She is not their foster mom.
Fine, then she is their “adoptive-mother.” Clamor for political correctness as you may, no one has two mothers.
Wayne as a father to a special son you know how hard it is and you would do anything for him. AK mom adopted these children at birth. I would think the reason you do not get details at this point is because they still have her children. My understanding is the full story will come out when this piece is restored. It sounds like there has been no due process with OCS or the court systems. The original article talked about judicial system and reform needed along with a grand jury investigation into OCS. The people of this State need to take a stand and start making changes…not just change the name of OCS.
I respectfully request we try our best to keep our common English language intact. We all have only one mother. Anyone taking the place of a mother is due full respect and grace for such a noble undertaking. However, referring to foster-mothers, step-mothers, or adoptive-mothers as “mother” is a lie that only creates confusion. Each of the terms has its own meaning. Conflating the terms adds to the confusion that is tearing apart our culture…. much like phony, feel-good pronouns for so-called transgenders. Stop the nonsense before our culture completely unravels.
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By the way, doing things for my special needs son is the easy part. The hard part, requiring strength and prayer, is saying no when he wants the wrong thing; or holding him accountable when necessary. We must put truth and the will of God first.
OCS for years has been dysfunctional, toxic work environment, etc. The problem has been and is identified. What is the solution? Senator Murkowski has brought billions of dollars into the State and yet the internal problems within OCS do not get resolved. Alaska children must be kept safe from abuse, neglect and abandonment.
One individual presenting (link below) 2/14/2023 gives testimony about OCS being a toxic work environment, etc. The other individual presenting also gives testimony about OCS.
Why is the AK Mom, the children and the Grandmother still suffering the horrific trauma of the family being torn apart? What is the solution for the AK Mom, Grandmother and children to be reunited and start healing?
Is the AK Mom Alaska Native/American Indian? Is George Alaska Native/American Indian? Is the AK Mom and/or George an enrolled tribal citizen? If yes, then what is the Tribe (ICWA) doing in collaboration with the State to protect the best interest of George and keep the family together? Is it in the best interest and well-being of George to be reunited with his Mom? Mr. Ignell reports that George went looking for his Mom.
Tammie Wilson was a Representative a few years ago. Ms. Wilson has an active court case that is still opened about OCS. Governor Dunleavy appointed Tammie Wilson in 2020 to investigate and/or audit OCS. What are her findings about OCS?
Governor Dunleavy’s ‘People First Initiative’ was launched 12/2021. https://gov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2021/12/15people-first-initiative-launches-addressing-safety-and-prevention/ Administrative Order No. 330 Governor’s Parent/Foster Parent Collaborative Council. What does the Council Report identify as a solution for keeping families together?
Listen on Monday, 3/6/2023 at 3 pm House Tribal Affairs Special Committee Meeting. Contact Members of this special committee [email protected] Read House Resolve No. 4 Establishing a House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs. House Resolve 4 recognizes the unique relationship the state enjoys with Alaska Native tribes. Do all the Alaska judges also recognize the unique relationship the state enjoys with Alaska Native tribes? If not, why?
Listen to the testimony that was presented 2/14/2023
https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HHSS%202023-02-14%2015:30:00
Audio Topic
03:31:54 PM Start
03:33:48 PM Presentation Alaska’s Citizens Review Panel Report
04:07:45 PM Presentation Response from the Department of Family and Community Services, Office of Children’s Services
Can the AK Mom go before a grand jury (Alaska Constitution Article I Section 8) requesting a grand jury investigation into the OCS system because her children have NOT been kept safe? Read SCO 1993. alaskastateofcorruption.com
Please explain exactly why you continue to involve Tammie Wilson.
Tammie Wilson is involved. If you look her up as a Representative, she tried to get things done and bring things to the light. Now she is the liaison for Gov. Mike Dunleavy in Fairbanks, she also has a secondary role of continuing to focus on Office of Children’s Services issues. Her title in email is Program Manager Family, Community & Integrated Services AK Health and Social Services. Tammie knows the issues and just like everyone else her hands are “tied.” My understanding is that Tammie also has some good ideas on reform of OCS, but once again no one does anything.
Good response, Mary. Tammie Wilson is one of the best conservatives to ever be elected in Fairbanks. Smart and vocal. We can only hope that she helps straighten out the mess at OCS, and then run for FNSB Mayor. What a great way for her to complete her political career, while keeping Fairbanks a safe community for children.
By helping one family, you help them all. If someone knows a law firm that has the guts to stand up to OCS and go after them for the damage they have done to this family this will help all families. I would like to see someone come forward for this mom and her children. Hold OCS accountable once and for all! Then make changes that puts a system in place that truly is there to help children and families, to be proactive in keeping families together, helping when they is a true need and to have accountability for when do things because they think they are above the law.
The one thing that everyone keeps missing in this discussion is the Alaska Department of Law role in this three ring circus. The department of law or better known as the Attorney General represents the Alaska Office of Children’s Services in all child in need of aid (CINA) cases.
I ask you how many lawyers are involved in an average criminal case? Three, you have the judge, the prosecutor and the defense, all attorneys. Now, how many attorneys do you have in a CINA case? On average five or more, depending on the number of children.
You have the judge, the attorney general, you have an attorney for each parent and a guardian-ad-litem for each child. So that is five for a family of three. Then if the family is Alaska native another attorney will represent Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) each individual tribe. The circus keeps getting bigger, with the judge as the ring leader. I have seen/witnessed cases (plural) that had twelve attorneys all fighting for the best interest of the child(singular) like Lyons fighting for scraps of meat on the kitchen table.
The Office of Public Advocacy Child Advocacy Unit’s mission is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are involved in courts, taking into account each child’s age, maturity, culture and ethnicity, and the public laws and policies regarding family preservation and timely permanency planning.
With that said! Why is OCS having such troublesome outcomes when the Alaska Bar Association is seeing that the best interest of the child is in fact being protected. To shine a light on that question we need to ask ourself. What is the incentives for the state to take custody of the children in the first place? Federal tax dollars and social security benefits. Domestic violence and human trafficking money’s are the biggest driver of the high rate of statistical results that shows Alaska always ranks in the high percentage of every discussion of more funds needed to fight the never ending cycle of abuse on our future, the children.
One of the hardest things about being in a relationship with the Office of Children’s Services it’s like being in a relationship with an abusive spouse. You can’t speak out, or they will hurt you. You can’t tell anyone, because no one will believe you. If you do speak out, people victim blame you. “Well, if you’d only done this or not done that…” The laws governing the Office of Children’s Services are CRAP! The laws are meant to protect the Office of Children’s Services, not the families they serve. And it just goes on and on.
In September of 2016, Alaska State Representative Tammie Wilson called for a grand jury investigation of the Office of Children’s Services. In Tammie’s request to the State’s District Attorney she wrote:
The Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Children’s Services (OCS) has become a protected empire built on taking children and separating families. Poor parents are often targeted to lose their children because they do not have the means to hire lawyers and fight the system.
Parents are victimized by “The System” that makes a profit for holding children longer and “bonuses” for not returning the children. Case workers and social workers are oftentimes guilty of fraud. They withhold evidence. They fabricate evidence and seek to terminate parental rights. The separation of families is growing as a business because local governments have grown accustomed to having federal dollars to balance their ever-expanding budgets. OCS can hide behind confidentiality clause in order to protect their decisions and keep the funds flowing. Social workers are the glue that holds “The System” together that funds the court, the child’s attorney, and the multiple other jobs including the OCS attorney.
The Adoption and the Safe Families Act offers cash “Bonuses” to the states for every child they adopted out of foster care. In order to receive the “Adoption Incentive Bonuses” local child protective services need more children. They must have merchandise (children) that sell and you must have plenty of them so the buyer can choose. The funding continues as long as the child is out of the home. When a child in foster care is placed with a new family then “Adoption Bonus Funds” are available. When a child is placed in a mental health facility more funds are involved.
There are limited financial resources and no real drive to unite a family and help keep them together. The incentive for social workers to return children to their parents quickly after taking them has disappeared. Many parents are told if they want to see their children or grandchildren, they must divorce their spouse. Many, who are under privileged, feeling they have no option, will separate. This is an anti-family policy, but parents will do anything to get their children home. state and federal dollars are being used to keep this gigantic system afloat.
Again I say, why is the Office of Children’s Services having such bad outcomes when the Alaska Bar Association has such highly trained and skilled professionals keeping OCS in check. To tell the truth I believe we need to be looking in other directions to see what keeps fanning the flames.
The only possible solution for Alaska at this point is an independent investigative Grand Jury of the Alaska Judiciary. A grand jury has the authority to look at all records and offer immunity to individuals that give testimony that can help further an investigation. No other means are available at this late date. The Alaska Judiciary needs to be held accountable more then the Alaska Office of Children’s Services.
Governor Dunleavy signed Administrative Order No. 330 on December 14, 2021. Did our Senators and Representatives take into account the Council report that was due to the Governor by September 1, 2022? What recommendations were provided to the Office of the Governor and the Office of Children’s Services?
“As of December 2021, there are 3,027 Alaskan children in the Office of Children’s Services’ care…” What percent of the 3,027 children were returned to their parents and/or a family member? ‘https://gov.alaska.gov/people-first-initiative-launches-addressing-safety-and-prevention/
What does the September 1, 2022 report say?
I know that some of you will remember a decade+++++ When Child Protection services was buried in scandal after a true investigation into their scandalous activities was completed. Horror walked the streets. That lifesaving event of investigation ended SOME of their harmful ways. But only Some of them. Alaska needs to investigate again and take life saving action to STOP OCS and fix.
Unfortunately, there is not one State of Alaska (SOA) Elected Official or SOA Employee that can do anything about this. I have also looked into this. The only thing OCS and their supporters who benefit from this criminal child trafficking ring have accomplished is to make regular Alaskan citizens change their perspective from having hope in the “best interest” system to despising this “criminally negligent” system. Hope to Despise and all under the approving eye of the Alaska Judicial System with their Buddies in the Department of Law and when all else fails, “blame the troubled child” and not these well-paid so-called professionals destroying our state with their gross incompetence.
The only box left to check is to contact the Department of Justice. Which I have. Several times because this State’s organized crime child trafficking federal funding ring has been going on for so long that it is severely undermining and eroding our State sovereignty and our national security.
So now that the SOA Dept of Law and OCS have betrayed their own people, by doing everything they can to fracture and destroy the Alaska family unit, as “lack of evidence gleefully rules their days, weeks, & years”, certain NON-NATO foreign governments, who have a special eye on Alaska’s vast resources, have implemented an “Art of War – Borrow Sword” strategy to destroy our State government, Nation and citizens. This State of Alaska government has literally betrayed their own people.
Since the SOA: OCS, the Dept of Law, OPA, and the Judicial branch has done a spectacular job at cultivating mental health issues in our state, just who is going to stand and have the wherewithal to fight for our country after being drained (financially, emotionally, mentally, physically & spiritually) by having the deal with the long arm of corruption within our state government? Grandparents exhausted by this system? Parents exhausted by this system? Adults who were abused by this system as foster/adopted children? Coupled with COVID? Coupled with the “Death by 1000 cuts” strategic plan against our various failing infrastructures? Coupled with Suicide Rates off the Charts? Coupled with Gender Identity? Coupled by the fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has grown its military army while we have been aborting and surgically altering ours……?
Strategic Tactics:
1) COVID released globally. 2) NATO countries received the COVID-19 vaccine version of the CCPs “Assassins Mace” as described by “The Hundred-Year Marathon” book published by Michael Pillsbury in 2015. This data has been available for over 5 years and blatantly ignored. Non-NATO countries received a different COVID vaccine/antidote with the CCP’s acceptable losses analysis. Then Non-NATO countries were ready for 3) Russia goes into Ukraine and is draining US funds with this strategic diversion. 4) NATO hit with “Death by 1000 cuts” to vital infrastructure. 5) BRICS mobilizes further 6) CCP reveals their supersonic advanced military AI drone tech with more to come. (i.e.:Prudhoe Bay Drone Aircraft vs. Nord Stream explosion mission)
So my message to SOA OCS, Dept of Law, OPA, and the Judicial Branch is this: May you reap what you have sown. May everything you have done to your own citizens, to your own people, to our children, come back to every last one of you with a cup of the Lord’s Wrath.
To Alaskan citizens, Prepare! Those who have eyes to see, you are most likely already preparing. Those who needed one more confirmation, take this message as confirmation. Prepare!
Personally, I have concluded that the only way to survive this is to call upon the Name of the Most High God.
It is what it is.
So Be It.
Peace.
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