Letter: Children and families deserve better
To the Editor-
In July, freedom is a theme we celebrate and some ponder. The opinion section Point/Plover Metro Wire offered guest Reed Anfinson’s column titled: “Without Print Journalism, Communities will be Fragmented and Uninformed.” Anfinson’s stance, “Nothing replaces the community newspaper’s ability to hold those in power accountable. ‘
Hold those in power accountable? A patriarchal power structure accountable in the new millennium? Is that even possible? A difficult task, but compelling, if one is constitutionally wired to act on social justice ire. Holding a mirror to a public servant, or government entity of its shadowy toxicity and oppression is met with dismissive silence, condemnation, blame and often negative ramifications. Patrichiarical systems work diligently to leverage power and control through shame and silencing. Many agree it is alarming seeing our culture and our institutions, perpetuating power over tactics. We are all caught in this web.
I have witnessed personally and professionally systems charged to serve people, working against people. A recent observation with a human services worker was more than unsettling. Recently, I was a victim of a crime. Within 23 hours, a human service worker is threatening, the threats are directly related to the trauma of the crime. After fielding and blocking threats, when I was stated this scene could fall in the eyes of the media . “I feel threatened,” was the response, after just firing off three unconstitutional threats, leveraging power through shame. Marsy’s Law should protect crime victims.
CPS workers are often unlicensed, unaccountable, and trending nationally, with unchecked power and control, traumatizing families. This is what I have observed. Then comes the obscure goals the contrived reports. Our foster care system is “horrendous” according to another skilled observer. We see signs in Portage County to recruit foster families. Often what “just is” is not justice for the children and families of Portage County.
Those who speak up are branded, labeled or dismissed. The pair of ACEs- Adverse Childhood Experiences meets Adverse Community Experiences are compounding trauma and mental health problems in our community. ACEs rob children of life, liberty and happiness.
This is a call to pay attention to how we leverage power through shame: to become more aware and filtered in how we act and how we speak. This is accountability. When challenged, each of us should be ready to consider other points of view, be responsible for our actions, and ready to make amends in the ways that are asked. Especially those professionals serving families and children.
As Anfinson suggests, “When we don’t feel shared responsibility, the vital work that improves our schools, healthcare, public safety, recreational facilities, and cultural experiences fades.” The public schools have had robust trauma informed training. They cannot do it alone. We need trauma awareness training for other professionals in the health and human service community serving children and families. The Wisconsin Hawthorne Project has been developed for this purpose.
My old, faded 1995 National Association of Social Workers T-shirt surfaced this week. It has people holding hands. It reads -Stopping Violence Starts with Me and Ends With Us.
ACEs need more hearts.
Cheryl Geske
Town of Lanark
