<div>I am submitting this statement to clearly document the issues that occurred during my child welfare case. I fulfilled every requirement that was given to me in my service plan. These requirements included visitation, family therapy, individual therapy, drug classes, and drug screenings. I completed all of them in full.
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<div>After nearly three years of compliance and progress, I was assigned a new caseworker. From the beginning, she demonstrated hostility toward me. During court proceedings, she made several statements that were untrue. She testified that my children were afraid of me, that I blamed my daughter for the involvement of the child welfare system, and that I was aggressive, yelling, and cursing during phone conversations with her. These statements were false.
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<div>I believe her actions were retaliatory. I had reported her conduct because she made inappropriate and unprofessional comments to me, including telling me that my parental rights “should have been terminated” and that I “needed a better job” to get my children back, even though this was not part of my service plan. She repeatedly misrepresented my behavior and progress in court, and on one occasion falsely told the judge that I was pregnant.
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<div>Each time I reported her to her supervisor, she responded by providing further false statements in court. I requested multiple times to be assigned a different caseworker, but my requests were denied. Prior to her assignment, I had approximately six other caseworkers, all of whom reported positively on my progress and did not make negative statements about me. Unfortunately, they all left their positions, and I was left under the supervision of the caseworker who ultimately damaged my case.
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<div>I want to be clear that I am not hiding anything, nor am I being dishonest. I have been transparent throughout this process. I have repeatedly asked for help and resources, and I even retained legal representation, yet I encountered obstacles at every turn. I have also been informed by former coworkers of this caseworker—individuals with whom I remain in contact—that she stated she would make sure I did not regain custody of my children. Ultimately, she succeeded in doing so.
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<div>I am providing this statement because I believe the actions taken against me were unjust, retaliatory, and detrimental to the reunification process.
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<div>I currently have 60 days to file an appeal, and I am requesting assistance in securing a lawyer or legal representation to help me exercise my rights and challenge the injustices that occurred in my case. I am committed to continuing to fight for my children, and I am seeking support to ensure that my appeal is handled properly and fairly.  Not only was there clear misconduct, but my wife and I were unjustly forced to live in separate homes, leaving us to carry the financial burden of two households. Without any legitimate reason, she terminated my wife’s visitation rights, causing us immense emotional distress. She also harassed my wife’s landlord, demanding personal information about her affairs—even after she had been officially removed from our case.
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<div>Throughout this process, she openly stated that she did not agree with my sexuality, making it painfully clear that her actions were rooted in discrimination. I even filed a police report against her as the situation escalated. She was later fired for physically assaulting a transgender woman, yet for years, no one believed us when we reported the discrimination we were experiencing.
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<div>even as we took our concerns to the mayor, the news, and the DCFS Springfield headquarters. Despite all of our efforts, our voices were continually dismissed, leaving us to fight alone against a system that was supposed to protect us.
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Chasity Wells

Savannah Preston-Carter

Jessica Mason

Syd Parker

Anonymous

Alliah Parker

Shinead Roberson

Kiara Gray

Tamika Powell

Shakerye Garlington

Karen Scott

Shontanette Brinson

Aneishs Butler

Jasmine Fullilove

Brian Jordan

Shaquanna McGee

Myesha Wheeler

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