Very poor mother of seven children accused of felony child neglect by Idaho prosecutor and mainstream media
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by PNN Staff PNN Courtwatch staff was disturbed by the recent story of a very poor mother accused of felony child neglect by Idaho county officials; Excerpts from Associated Press Article …SANDPOINT, Idaho – Six children, believed to be armed, refused to leave their rural home and instead released a pack of dogs on sheriff’s deputies who had arrested their mother, authorities said… …Officers were concerned yesterday about a boy who had taken a leadership role at the house. “It’s not worth a confrontation with a 15-year-old who believes he is protecting his family,” Jarvis said. “We are trying to talk him down.” The children, ages 8 to 16, would not respond to calls from social workers or law enforcement officers. They were being told over a loudspeaker they would be fed, housed and taken to see their mother if they would come out, Jarvis said… …“We know there are six children in there and guns in the house,” Jarvis said. “The kids are trained to use the guns.” More than 20 dogs have been running free at the scene, he said. “They hunt; they pack like wild animals,” he said. “They took down a moose a little while ago.” The home lacks power, water and heat. The children essentially have been caring for themselves for the past year, Jarvis said. The incident was set off by Tuesday’s arrest of the children’s mother, JoAnn McGuckin, on a warrant charging felony injury to a child. Authorities believe McGuckin, 46, is mentally ill. Her husband, Michael McGuckin, died May 12 after a long illness. Deputies lured JoAnn McGuckin from the house with grocery money Tuesday. She was taken into custody after going to a store with a deputy who had brought the cash. Excerpts from New York Times Article …[the family] had been living in squalor in recent months as their father lay dying in the house and their mother sank into what the authorities describe as paranoid schizophrenia… …The mother, JoAnn McGuckin, 45, has a court-appointed lawyer representing her. In the meantime, a lawyer from Sandpoint, Edgar Steele, who represented the Aryan Nations in a trial last fall that resulted in a $6.3 million judgement against the northern Idaho white-supremacist group and its leader, Richard Butler, said he had been authorized by JoAnn McGuckin to speak out. “These kids are not neglected, abused or unloved,” Steele said. “These are poor people. Their real crime is to happen to be poor and living in north Idaho.” Steele blamed the county government for having moved in to arrest the mother and for “harassing” them by pressing her to pay off a tax bill that had mounted to at least $5,400 over the years. The McGuckins’ financial troubles date back as far as the 1980s, when the local sawmill owned by McGuckin went out of business. The family went into bankruptcy as well. “This is a very close-knit family whose greatest nightmare for years has been that the government would come and take their property and take their kids,” Steele said. “And that’s what’s happening.”... PNN Response to McGuckin Family To: JoAnn McGuckin- PERSONAL Dear Ms. McGuckin, This is our second letter to you and your children. What we are hearing in the news about you is making us very angry. The news reports say your children have been taken into “protective custody” and given to three families. The children are reported to be healthy and well – yet you are in jail for “felony neglect” – FOR WHAT?? We as a society are guilty of “felony neglect”- we and your neighbors, townspeople, and the judge that handed down that charge. Where was that judge and townfolk when you were struggling to care for your ill husband through his death while also caring for your children? They are guilty of “neglect” for not supporting you emotionally when your husband passed away. That judge is not aware of your struggle or is just a plain misogynist. You are a mother!! Instead of a criminal sentence you should be receiving an award . Seven children- all healthy; they are all so desirable that three families want them. Well, how did those kids become so desirable – because you and your husband- and especially you- cared for them and raised them well. County Social Workers in child Protective Services for the most part are trained to blame the parents and remove the children from the parents. All you need is some time, crisis counseling and an in-home care provider and some financial support – food stamps, rent subsidy, an attorney that believes in parental rights and perhaps some training in computer technology or another field that you might like and could make some money in to help support your family. You have been carrying a very heavy burden and yet your children are all well. I am a social worker and a therapist and I am giving you advice based on much experience in my field (and personal experience as a mother ). DO NOT BE A VICTIM HERE- DO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE BLAME YOU– DON”T LET THEM BREAK UP YOUR FAMLY!!! THEY want to care about your children- what about you?? They need to care for you!! You are the children’s mother!! You gave life to 7 children. You are a HERO!!! These people did not help you in your struggle to raise these children, in your crisis, in your pain- they are the only ones guilty of felony neglect!! Respectfully, Dee Gray, M.S.W., M.F.T. Lisa Gray-Garcia (daughter of Dee ) PS: We believe what you need first is a rest. Someone needs to donate a trip for you for 3 or 4 days to a resort. Then another trip for you and your children to Acapulco, Mexico, or any other place that has an ocean, for a week to swim, scuba dive, and build sand castles. |