Emotional Abuse of Children Okay in Georgia

[Deborah]

From the Nugget

Children should not be humiliated
 
I want to comment on an incident that I observed at Wal-Mart on Sept. 10 shortly after 5 p.m. Standing next to the parking lot was a young boy (about age 9) holding a sign stating: "I have been rude and disrespectful to my mother. I called my teacher 'stupid'."

His mother was holding a sign: "Fed-up."

When we went to speak with the mother, she was eager to talk regarding her difficulties with her son, that his behavior was out of control, that she had to frequently leave her job to pick him up from school due to his disruptive behavior, that he was on the verge of being kicked out of school.

My impression, as a retired psychiatric social worker and concerned citizen, is that this mother was crying out for help.

I called DFACs (the Department of Family and Children's Services) to get their advice on such a situation. I was NOT going to make a specific report with the mother's name, as I did not want to escalate the immediate situation. The call was made shortly after 5 p.m. I let the phone ring 11 times with no answer nor even a recorded message.

Is there no coverage after 5 p.m. or on weekends re: possible child abuse?  
 
Next I called the sheriff's department who told me that the incident had been reported and that no officer would investigate because the woman was not doing anything "wrong." When I asked her about DFACs, she said that they are not there after 5 p.m.

Even more shocking was when I consulted the Welfare Information Gateway on the internet for the definition of child abuse in the state of Georgia. Out of the 50 states, Georgia is one of two states that does NOT include in our state laws that emotional abuse is considered child abuse.

The maltreatment of children is a wider issue than this isolated incident.

Many parents are frustrated with behavior problems of their children.

As we were talking with this mother, other people honked car horns and shouted: "Way to go! Good!" and other expressions condoning this action.

However public humiliation of children does not resolve their anger and acting-out behavior.

Long ago in colonial America, the troublemakers were punished in the center of town for the entire public to see. Locked in wooden frameworks in the town square, the town people scoffed at them.

Colonial Americans looked on themselves as moral and religious people, just as many of our contemporary American citizens do.

But is public humiliation a part of God's moral code?

What would Jesus do?

Sincerely,
Holly Brannon
Dahlonega

[Anonymous]

I read this one too last week and was shocked that DSS didnt consider this to be out of the norm for a young child to be made to do this. If this mother is wanting this boy to respect her, I dont believe this was the way to go about it.

[Anonymous]

I would have beat the shit out of her.

It's a good thing I don't live in Georgia.

[Anonymous]

further demonstration of the backwardness of georgia. it's like an american afghanistan. i think the southern states should just separate, and become another country because i dont want to feel so embarassed knowing that a place like georgia is part of my country. and then i think they should do reverse slavery - all black people will be assigned/can own 3 white slaves per person. i would also put in a law that a child if immune from prosecution if he/she assaults/kills an overly abusive parent or guardian. because i can guarentee you that kid with the sign will end up doing just that one day.

 
if that happened in new york the mother would have gotten harrased by a mob, arrested, and social services would do an evaluation.

[Anonymous]

I have seen parents beat their children in northern states, seen screaming mothers in Texas, and seen complete neglect here in NC. To say that Georgia is like this as a whole is completely ignorant, to say the least. This was about a mother, who, by the way, might not even be from there originally. This was not a post about bashing Georgia and its people in general. It could have been anywhere in the United States, or the world for that matter.

[Anonymous]

Neglect happens everywhere. It's a crime.

The screaming parents thing is an adult temper tantrum, not premeditated like this shit.

Even in a lot of red states this woman would have gotten owned like she got hit by a freight train if she pulled this in public. Cops, jail time, DCS, kid ending up with other relatives, etc.

The fact that she was approved by the crowd, if it is indeed a fact (this is one letter to the editor after all) casts a huge stain on that part of Georgia.

Are programs like zits? Do they pop up where there's a massive infection of hate for children?

[Anonymous]

Putting kids in residential therapeutic facilities as a child custody dispute is child abuse. The parent who does it should be put in jail, as should the people in the facilities who help them do it.

[Deborah]

Abuse happens everywhere. Don't forget Rotenberg's House of Horrors in Mass
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature ... shock.html

What I thought was relevant is that Ga is ONE of only TWO states that "does NOT include in our state laws that emotional abuse is considered child abuse."

I wonder if the other is Utah, where child abuse is highest in the nation.
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=17791#17791

We have some really awesome child advocates in Texas who do outstanding work.

[Anonymous]

one of the biggest KKK/white power/neonazi rallies in the country regularly come through dahlonega and gainesville, and they get overwhelming public support. there is actually a national alliance chapter just minuits away from hidden lake road. it is run by chester doles, a sick sick individual - currently in prison, yet he recieves favorable support from everyone in town. his case was even defended by bob barr, who was the g.o.p rep for the 7th district of georgia, one district over from lumpkin county.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Doles

http://downwithjugears.blogspot.com/200 ... eform.html

check this out

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelrep ... sp?pid=830


i would not be surprised if a few staff members at HLA are n.a or kkk members.

i'm sure theres lots of other places that are just as bad if not worse, but the list is short and georgia is near the top.

[Anonymous]

Back then, "Americans would throw things out their cars at me when I would walk down this street to lunch." On one memorable occasion, as he walked through the local park with friends, he says a group of black and white men drove by and opened fire on them with pellet guns.

Hey, cool! Blacks and whites are learning to cooperate after all!

[Anonymous]

You could not be more wrong regarding "overwhelming public support". I lived in Forsyth County and Lumpkin County a total of 7 years. I lived in Georgia for 25 years prior to moving here where I am now. Yes, it is true there is a KKK chapter near Dahlonega, based in Dawson County, and yes, there is a man who runs a nazi type organization who lives in Lumpkin County, that much is true, but overwhelming public support? NO! When I lived in Forsyth County and the KKK would come from Dawson Co to march every now and then, the overwhelming majority, like, 95% of the crowd were completely against the march and were very angry about it. Out of 500 people maybe 15 or 20 were on their side. In Dahlonega, I never once saw the KKK march. There were racists there just like everywhere, but it was in no way overwhelmingly racist by no means. I am a minority myself, and not one time was I discriminated against when I lived in Georgia. I am not sure what this has to do with a woman (who might not even be a southerner) humiliating her child at Walmart, but you are WAY off the mark considering this area to be overwhelmingly racist. Racists exist everywhere, but where I saw the most personally were in southern georgia and southern alabama towns, not in north georgia.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Dahlongega for over ten years and I agree with everything you have written.  I knew about the KKK being in the area, but never saw them in Dahlonega.  

This reminds me of an interview in which Morgan Freeman was asked why he chooses to still live in Mississippi, when he could clearly live anywhere he wants to.  He said that at least in the south you know who the racists are.  Up north they are every bit as racist, if not more, they just hide it.  

I have had several northern friends agree with me on that.

[Deborah]

We've had this discussion before.
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=90462#90462
Remember, when you attempted to tell a black man that there was no racism in Dahlonega?

A Grand Dragon lives in Dahlonega, which is the Headquarters for National Alliance.
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=95965#95965
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=95984#95984

[Anonymous]

while i was there witnessed a rally in dahlonega and there was a full crowd cheering. i will publish a link when i have more time.


if you go anywhere in the woods, you will see KKK spraypained on nearly every rock outcropping.

At the AA meetings, there was blatant racist comments being thrown around all the time by the town folk. the funniest thing i think is this: AA represents a good cross-section of society. Up here in the north, when you show up to an AA meeting you see middle aged professional men and women, with an occasional young person. but they all look NORMAL. the people down in dahlonega are some of the most VILE people i have ever had contact with. they look like they just came up for a visit from the 9th circle of hell. some lack teeth, some have skin that looks like a freshly cleaned chicken with liverspots. they looked liked the methheads you see on T.V all the time. others you can smell from across the room. and all are racist. some hide it, others dont.

on my 4 month my parents drove around all over and we went for a dinner at some resurant in gainesville. we walked in, and before i could say "table for 3 please" some guys just came up to us, blocked way and said "sorry, we dont serve kikes here".

[Che Gookin]

Where I grew up in Washigton state we had a very active Klan group. They used to have their meetings at a gravel pit not more than a couple miles from my house. We could, my Dad and I, stand out in the front yard and look over the fields and in the distance see them whooping it up.

Now mind you I'd rather stab my old man with a fork than admit he actually imparted something on me other than a beating, but his words still ring true when he said, "Damn, those are some stupid fuckers."