#EndCPSFraud Not With Councilwoman Helen Gym

Thursday May 16^th, Families fighting the corruption-taking place at Philadelphia Department of Human Services was in room 400 for the vote on resolution #190346. The resolution proposed by Councilman At Large David Oh and co-sponsored by my City Councilwoman Cindy Bass. Councilwoman Cindy Bass joined our #TableTalk in Nov, 2018. One of our concerns addressed with her was the need for oversight of the various family services in Philadelphia. Councilman David Oh Resolution #190346 sponsored by Councilwoman Bass would hold DHS accountable under their so-called new reform of themselves. I submitted testimony for this resolution sharing my experience advocating with DHS and how the various agencies ignore DHS. There is no protocol on how families are evaluated, nor are families giving family or youth handbooks explaining their rights when dealing with DHS. I was so excited walking through the front doors of city hall on Thursday. Had my camera capturing the families and supporters ready to hold DHS accountable.

https://www.facebook.com/1RedHen/videos/vb.610379438/10157324214009439/?type=3

Take the elevator to the fourth floor only to be halted by confusion on who can get in and who cannot. I see my comrade Lynn Robinson there advocating for clean air with the request that our city stop destroying our air quality with the construction of fossil fuel and other bad plants. Lynn is a bit upset because she is told that room 400 is full and everyone has to go to the balcony. That was the first lie of the day. Our families with their signs were sent to the balcony in efforts to silence our voice. Crazy how rules change when politicians want their way and refuse to hear the voice of the advocate’s aka families aka constituents.  Our families were allowed to come downstairs but told that signs could only be held up in the back row.

this is the hearing that the secret task force came out of

#GoFigure

I make my way to the press booth because when in room 400 with a camera and tripod, you are sent to the press booth.  I meet Rick Ross a freelance journalist who records #CityHallThursday to keep us informed. He shared our story and we thank him!! WURD live feeds city council every Thursday with Vincent Thompson. You can hear the rebuttal of our resolution. What you won’t see is Councilwoman Helen Gym working the floor against the resolution.  Her reason for denying our resolution is because she created a DHS task force in June and didn’t see the need for another one.  What she didn’t mention is that we were at her Hearings on DHS and she silenced us. She did not reach out to us about our concerns once her hearing was over and never informed us of her task force. I have emails from her office discussing the hearing and me submitting testimony about my family and Glenn Mills. The hearing was stretched out all day so that we would be discouraged from speaking. Many of us had to leave to care for other responsibilities. One of our mother’s, Nessa Leary spoke I believe as the last speaker of that hearing.

Councilman Heion starts with a vote against Resolution #190346 reciting the lines Councilwoman at Large Gym has giving him and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. They sighted that Philadelphia has several departments that are suppose to oversee DHS and there was no need for the city to further hold DHS accountable. They totally ignored the testimonies of these mothers, fathers and foster parents who feel threatened working with DHS.

My ears can’t take the selfish tricks of the politician anymore. I snatch my phone charger out of the wall, throw my phone in my bag and as soon as Councilwoman Gym finished with her rebuttal, I stood demanding she be voted out of office. Didn’t mean to disturb the press box, I believe they understand my passion for justice and how I use my camera to tell our stories. President Council Darrell Clarke ordered me out of room. I told him I was leaving when I stood up and he didn’t have to do that, so glad the guard didn’t touch me.

Helen Gym trying to silence families