I am a single Black mother of 6 youngsters and have been for years. I pretty much have been mom and dad for my children, with absent fathers throughout. I've basically reached out to the courts on multiple occasions for help in 2 different states where I've resided. I recently came back to Michigan, my home state, to help my grandmother with health concerns. I discontinued my lease and came back to Michigan to help out with family; that was my intention.

Well, long story short, I have two delinquent sons, ages now 18 and 14 years old. This started when my 18-year-old was 12. My 14-year-old has now picked up bad habits from the 18-year-old. My 18-year-old son has been in and out of the juvenile system for 5 years. My now 14-year-old son is in foster care because I failed to pick him up from school, even though he was at a friend's home prior to his suspension. The department states they reached out to me on occasions, which was under a 24-hour period. The whole time they were in contact with my older daughter, who was 20 at the time, and did not offer to drop him off to his sister after her shift.

Prior to this, a few days before, I asked my daughter to drop my son off to his dad because he was failing to follow my rules and go to school. This was right after the Monroe County courts dismissed my son's case without giving me a service plan to help prevent this from happening or it reflecting on me. I always keep a paper trail on my kids for these matters. Mind you, this is repeated history with any school and any state we reside in. My two boys have diagnoses, IEPs, and all throughout their early life. My sons have been in several counseling therapy one-on-one interventions over the years, which the courts are not acknowledging. The behavior is repetitive.

Once I did get in contact with CPS, they refused to give me my son and put him into foster care, as well as adjourned court dates for unknown reasons, falsifying dockets, signing petitions without proper steps being performed, and passing the case around to several judges without proper cause. I asked for the chief judge to be removed for bias purposes. I was ignored. I asked for paperwork to be released to me; it was, and then it stopped. They said I have to fill out release forms. Some items have been released; others have not. I did fire the first public defender because she lacked knowledge. I now have another defender, which I still think is in cahoots with the upper hands.

I am asking for funds because a new discovery was supposedly just found by my current public defender just last night, 8/22, and trial is Monday, 8/25, which states I'm the reason my son doesn't attend school, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, even after the judge dismissed his case on a previous charge with his older brother. I have not received any assistance from the department on an action plan on how to resolve this. No case plan, just out of the blue I'm being charged. So once again, the system has failed me as they always do, which I didn't see. They want to help but to shame me as a single Black woman with no help and do not plan to help but to sabotage.

My 18-year-old is back in jail for the second time after his birthday this past June. My 14-year-old was coming on home visits until this past week when the judge decided to cancel the visits for unknown reasons, possibly because of court proceedings, which she based on stating where I live, which is currently my temporary home, a hotel that I, myself, and my two younger children reside in because, again, the county does not want to help; they just want to cause more trouble. Over the last 3-4 months, I have not received any help from the department, even after asking on multiple occasions. I feel I'm being judged in my current situation vs. my lifetime situation where I have been the available parent for over 21 years.

I am asking for these funds so that I can have a lawyer. Hopefully, I can catch the eye of a civil rights attorney. Until then, I need professional assistance. I am speaking up not only for myself but also for how we are treated as Black minorities in the community and how people with power use it to their best advantage and not serve fair justice.

Failed by the judicial system again. Help, please.