Higgins Lake couple seeks return of 3 children after 1 dies while in state foster care.
'We had four. We've got three left.' Bruce Parrot was speaking about his children. Parrot and Dorothy Hicks, of Higgins Lake, had just come from an administrative hearing inside St.John Lutheran Church in West Branch, where the Foster Care Review Board had decided to recommend termination of their parental rights.
Outside, supporters from Parrot and Hick's own church, Grace Covenant Fellowship in Higgins Lake, marched with picket signs.
Representatives of 'Parents for Children', a Dearborn based group dedicated to keeping families together and reigning in the power of FIA and Friend of the Court, mulled their next move after testifying in support of the couple.
'The FIA have become unaccountable to anybody," said protestor Bonnie Bell. "We want the public to be aware that they need accountability.'
'It's facism at it's worst,' said marcher Rollin Yorty.
Parrot and Dorothy Hicks' four children were removed from their home by the Roscommom County Family Independence Agency April 13,1999, and placed in a foster care facility downstate.
On June 29, they were informed that their 13-month old daughter, Melba Jean, had died in foster care. The autopsy listed croup and pneumonia as the cause of death.
'All we got back was a bloody sheet, 'Parrot said, showing a well-worn Polaroid of a small bloodstain on white fabric.
That's when church members decided to become involved, according to Al Bell, pastor of Grace Covenant.
'They told Bruce and Dorothy the baby died, and there's nothing you can do about it,' Bell said. 'At that point, we decided there is something somebody can do.'
Bell said he wasn't familiar with P.A.C. before that time, but the church became involved with the group in support of Parrot and Hicks.
Some church members agreed to pay for the retainer for Janet Frederick, an attorney affiliated with P.A.C. who specializes in custody cases, to represent the couple at the administrative review hearing.
'We got involved because we want their children returned to them,' Bell said. 'I think it's wrong for people to come in and take your children out of the home just because they think you're a bad parent.
Bell, like the marchers outside St.Johns, said he understands that there are situations involving physical abuse where children must be removed from the home.
'But there was nothing like that in this case,' he said.
'We got involved as a group, and there are going to be more people involved. We will be picketing courthouses. I think it's time for the Christians to stand up for themselves.'
Frederick said a lawsuit will be filed over the death of the child. Attorney Christopher Keane, who will represent the couple in the suit, could not be reached for comment prior to press time.
Dan Wilson, founder and state director of P.A.C., testified at the West Branch hearing and spoke to the Herald-News afterward.
P.A.C. now has chapters in 42 of Michigan's 83 counties, with a membership approaching 1,500 to 2,000 - double from last year, he said.
'Our group is advocating citizen oversight of these state agencies,' he said. 'We don't need to build any more prisons or juvenile detention centers. We need to get parents back in the lives of our children.'
As he spoke, several people driving past stopped to talk to picketers and get information on P.A.C..
'Even in a small community like this, we'll get 5 or 10 people to stop,' he said. 'They all know there's a problem.'
Wilson agreed that at times children should be removed from the home, but said the FIA has gone overboard in attempt to bolster its caseload and bring in federal bonus money for foster-care placements.
'Children that have broken bones, head injuries, lacerations - those children need to be pulled, ' he said. 'But in the state of Michigan, you can no longer even discipline a child.'
Walt Kaniszewski, a director of Ogemaw and Roscommon FIA, said confidentiality rules prevent FIA officials from commenting directly on the specifics of a Child Protective Services case.
'This will be a high-profile case,' he acknowledged.
Kaniszweski explained that the Foster Care review board is a separate organization based in Gaylord which covers a multi-county area and selects certain cases at random for review each year.
'It's kind of a check on the system,' he said. They operate independently, much like the ombudsman.'
He added that he didn't know why the board chose this particular case to review.
The Herald-News was unable to contact Foster Care Review Board Director Kevin Sherman for comment before press time.
St.John Pastor Carlo Sgambelluri said Friday that his church is not taking sides, it just provides a place for the Foster Care Review Board to meet.
Although he admitted that he asked the protestors not to picket in front of the church, he explained that he feared passengers might not fully understand what they were picketing and could assume it was something to do with the church itself.
The review board approached the church about two years ago looking for a place in West Branch to met, he said. He added that he wasn't sure why the board wanted to meet at the church, but speculated that it might provide a neutral ground for people who might feel uncomfortable in an official FIA setting.
A lot of people have strong feelings about FIA, as you saw yesterday,' he said.
Bell said he didn't understand why the meeting was held at a church, but that wouldn't affect his group's course of action.
'If they so choose to hold these things in churches, the churches can expect to get people marching out front,' Bell said.
- Roscommon County Herald-News - March 26,2000
