You will never get the chance to meet four-year-old Amariana Crenshaw.
Her life ended when she was burned beyond recognition by one or more Molotov cocktails landing on her while she slept on the floor of her foster mother’s rental property.
Medical records reveal that Amariana sustained at least 11 prior injuries during her time in foster mother Tracy Dossman’s care – including being pushed from a car.
Between the time that Amariana entered foster care and the time of her death, she dropped from the 83rd to the 3rd percential for her weight. Foster mother Tracy Dossman has been cited for numerous licensing violation – including two documented incidents of locking the refrigerator while Amariana lived with her.
Now, tell me this:
- Tell me why Tracy Dossman still has her foster parenting license.
- Tell me why Tracy Dossman has not been charged with a crime.
- Tell me why, at this very moment, five other foster children are residing in Tracy Dossman’s “home”
- Look me in the eye and explain to me why, after five black eyes and/or split and swollen lips, an injured leg and a molestation allegation, the conclusion drawn by DSS was that Amariana was “accident-prone.”
The California Department of Social Services says that until they complete the official inquiry, and unless they find Dossman in "noncompliance," they will not move to decertify her as a foster parent. Nor will they require the private agency that certifies Dossman to remove the other children.
"We're not there yet," says DSS spokeswoman Lizelda Lopez, who said it's not clear when a decision will come.
My question for Lopez and the other folks working at DSS is: "Would you trust YOUR children in Tracy Dossman's home?"
Sources:
Editorial: Who’s looking out for the next Amariana? Sacramento Bee, Feb. 14, 2010, pg. 6E.
Lundstrom, Marjie. Clinic records reveal more injuries. Sacramento Bee, Feb. 5, 2010, pg. 1A.
8 comments:
This is horrific! That poor poor baby! Who do we call/write to scream???
You can contact:
California Department of Social Services
Lizelda Lopez
(916) 657-3604
Lizelda.Lopez@dss.ca.gov
And find out if she will also give you DSS Director John Wagner's contact information.
Here's the entire organizational chart for California DSS:
http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/cdssweb/entres/pdf/EXECOrgChart.pdf
Tracy Dossman has a criminal record and requires a criminal record exemption in order to work as a foster parent. these are issued by the DSS, Community care licensing division, caregiver background check bureau
Tell me why this is still happening in the foster care system?
Tell me why 11 INJURIES is not a red flag to workers?...(probably because they weren't coming around.)
Tell me why she was given a pass to be a foster parent, if she has a criminal record?
This is horrific.
And it is not a single incident-- ask any long-term foster kid and they will list off foster homes that were abusive.
Until the system takes responsibility for its failings, nothing will get better.
According to the March 4th issue of the Sacramento Bee, Tracy Dossman FINALLY lost her foster parenting license.
Too little, too late, if you ask me.
Apparently this woman "refused to run heat during the winter, dead-bolted the children's bedroom doors and bathrooms, and sealed the refrigerator with a bicycle lock."
If these warning signs had been heeded earlier, Amariana might still be alive.
And tell me why AFTER Amariana's death, Tracey Dossman was allowed to adopt the girl's older sister, now 10.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/07/2733889/state-releases-new-details-about.html
I am a victim of child abuse. I endured child abuse when i was in foster care. WEhen I first read about this case, i instantly thought well what is going to happen to the foster mother. I found out nothing happened to her. The first words that came out of my mouth was WHAT THE FUCK. excuse my language but I cannot believe America, our president, our governor, our mayor, our system has allowed such a tragic event to occur and no one gets punished for it. Dossman just got away with murdering an innocent child because she had issues with the mom. Hill was better left at home. This is a wake up call that shouldnt have been allowed to go through. How could a nation as powerful as ours allow such a horrific crime to go unpunished. Social workers should been fired. The director of CPS should have been fired. This isnt the only tragedy CPS has encountered in the past 6 years. Other kids have been neglected and abused. We cannot depend on CPS to protect our kids, who can we trust?
This is sick. How could a person do such a evil thing. This beautiful little girl was and still is a child of God. Shame on you Tracy.
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