When people give The State power to protect them and their health, they also give the state power to control them.

Maybe Mr. Garren should talk to these kids (or their attorney(s)) and to their prospective adoptive family (as the only description of them in this article refers to their race). Characterizing them as "strangers" is ridiculous since Kofi and C'Lynn have lived with them since 2005. I'd prefer that Mr. Garren collected more information before making such a bold statement about something to which he is not a party, legally or otherwise.

Kofi is school-aged. Identifying him publicly and publishing such intimate information about his circumstances seems entirely unnecessary.

Brian, how do you know what is in the best interest of the children? How about the importance of maintaining their attachment to the family that has cared for them for several years?

It is predictable that the prospective adoptive family is not comfortable meeting Ms. Smith, as she is so adamantly opposed to having her grandchildren remain in their care. Perhaps (and hopefully) they will feel more comfortable having the children forge a relationship with their biological family after the adoption finalizes.

Just because someone is a blood relative, it most certainly does not guarantee that he or she is a competent caregiver. I was adopted because my birthparents couldn't provide a stable, healthy environment for me to grow up in. Would it be neat to know my blood relatives? Sure! But I wouldn't trade for it an upbringing that has provided me with myriad opportunities that my biological parents would not have been able to furnish.

Sure, it makes for an attention-grabbing article to focus on things like picketing government establishments and to play the race card (bringing the ethnicity of the families to issue seems irrelevant and sensational), but perhaps, as is noted by a DHS spokeswoman and placed seemingly as an afterthought in the article, there are good reasons that the two children were placed with another family.

A seven-year-old child tested positive for cocaine?! Responsible use of drugs is certainly a lifestyle choice that I'm not going to judge, but hard drugs have no healthy place in the life of a child!

While I understand that the need to protect the children's privacy prevents the hard facts of the case from being published (and rightfully so), it disappoints me to see The Mercury publish an article that seems sensational, vaguely one-sided, and ultimately unsubstantial.

I worked as a Children's Social Worker for Region II of Los Angeles County for two years. I also did a stint of in home family therapy for another year, all in "South Central" Los Angeles.

I was also a foster parent for my God daughter (who is African American) for 17 months. I have more than a bit of direct experience with the issues presented in this case.

The children have been with the foster/adoptive parents for 3 years, not "several". The oldest one knows the older siblings, and all of the older siblings know these two children.

Ms. Smith was told that she is too old to take the additional two children. But no attempt was made to recruit a foster placement that is closer to Ms. Smith, both geographically and ethnically.

As for "playing the race card", a statement I find deeply offensive (and I'm white), I suspect the author of that remark is also white. What I know is that my non white friends here in Oregon have basically told me that the state takes their kids away and routinely separates them from not just their extended family, but their entire ethnic community as well.

I'm not opposed to white people foster/adopting non white kids. I foster cared my African American God Daughter. BUT, I respected her culture, moved into a predominantly black neighborhood, enlisted neighbors (some of whom turned out to be her extended family) and lived as an equal in a black neighborhood. Details are at: http://www.edgarren.us/Edsbio.html

I think the least this adoptive family could do is try to treat Ms. Smith respectfully so that the SIBLINGS can continue to have contact with each other. That is my objection to this situation, and I think it is reasonable.

I am also curious if DHS has aggressively tried to recruit more foster parents "of color."

Portland and Oregon are becoming more diverse every day, and these types of issues will continue to arise until they are dealt with systemically. But in the meantime, this adoption as it stands, cutting off these siblings from each other, is a bad call.
Ed Garren, MA, LMFT

Mr. Garren,
I respect your ideas and beliefs but until you get to know the adoptive family then you are speculating on how they plan to raise and care for these two children. Has Ms. Smith tried working with the adoptive family or has she fought them every step of the way? If a family cares enough to open their home to children, I have a hard time believing that they don't want what is best for them. And do you know for a fact that the adoptive family has not treated Ms. Smith with respect, or are you just taking Ms. Smith's word on this? There has to be more to this story and may I remind you there are two sides to a story.

I think Ms.Smith is not to old to take care of all her grandchildren if that was the case she wouldn't have her other five grandchildren. And me and her oldest granddaughter use to be together a lot two summers ago. Ms. Smith is a very good woman and she raised her grandcholdren right. You can't blame her for wanting all her grandchildren to be together me and my three sisters live with our grandmother. Because she didn't want us seperated she wanted us to grow up together. If your health is good your never to old to raise your grandchildren. And it's not Ms. Smith's fault her grandson got drugs in his system. Just understand where she is coming from she wants her grandchildren to be togher nothings wrong with that.