girl vax injured & given riperdal by Doc- mother jailed refusing to give meds

[Guest guest]

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1S8uV00

Detroit mother jailed after standoff

Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on

$500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting

her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.

anne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate

Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious

assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the

commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.

" What has happened here is a travesty, " said Wanda A. , Godboldo's

attorney. " This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This

shouldn't have happened. "

Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her

13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by

Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because

the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a

shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County

judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Godboldo's family and supporters, who gathered outside the court Sunday, said

the woman has every right to make medical decisions for her daughter and that

child welfare workers overstepped their authority. The unusual circumstances of

the standoff attracted a large crowd of volunteers offering to help negotiate

with Godboldo, including ministers and community activists.

said she eventually talked Godboldo out with a promise her daughter would

be turned over to a relative, but family members say the girl was taken into

protective custody anyway. said a hearing on removal of the child will be

April 6 before Wayne County Juvenile Referee Graves.

Penny Godboldo, a dance professor at grove College, said she and her sister,

anne, trained as dancers in New York before opening a studio in Detroit.

anne Godboldo became a stay-at-home mother after the troubled birth of her

daughter, who was born with a defective foot that required amputation of her leg

below the knee.

anne Godboldo home-schooled the girl. She said her strength and confidence

grew, and despite her handicap, she swam, sang, danced and played the piano.

Penny Godboldo said as her niece approached middle school age, she wanted to

attend school but needed to catch up on required immunizations.

" We believe she had an adverse reaction to her immunizations, " Penny Godboldo

said.

" She began acting out of character, being irritated, having facial grimaces that

have been associated with immunizations. "

said anne Godboldo sought help for her daughter from The Children's

Center, an organization that helps families with at-risk children, where a

medical and mental health treatment plan was developed. Godboldo told relatives

the medications ordered by the doctor worsened symptoms, including behavioral

problems.

" It is an undiagnosed condition, but the doctor had given her psychotropic drugs

that caused a bad reaction, made things worse, " said the girl's father, Mubuarak

Hakim. " anne's decision to wean her from that was making a difference,

making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again. "

A rally for Godboldo is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at Hartford Memorial Baptist

Church, 18700 Couzens Freeway.

From The Detroit News:

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1XRMftL

and from MLIVE:

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/03/was_a_detroit_mother_right_t\

o.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

Was a Detroit mother right to resist efforts by Child Protective Services,

police to take her child?

Published: Monday, March 28, 2011, 10:55 AM By Darrell Dawsey

anne Godboldo was looking only for help.

Last year, the Detroit mother went to the Children's Center, a group that works

with troubled children, to seek advice and a treatment plan for her 13-year-old

daughter. The girl, who'd never had behavioral problems before, was suddenly

irritable and not her usual self following a series of immunization shots.

As part of the center's treatment plan, a doctor prescribed the child an

anti-psychotic medication. But the child's symptoms only worsened. As a result,

Godboldo sought another physician, who quickly recommended taking the child off

the psychotropic drug.

The mother agreed and, according to her attorney, who spoke exclusively with

MLive Detroit earlier today, Godboldo began following that doctor's orders.

Unfortunately for Godboldo, the state didn't agree. Child Protective Services

wanted Godboldo's child medicated according the center's plan, and CPS workers

essentially told the 56-year-old mother — who was never under any court order to

follow the plan — to agree to their program or surrender her child.

She refused both. And so, on Thursday, CPS workers showed up at Godboldo's house

with the police, who said they had a warrant to take the child. But according to

Godboldo's lawyer, Wanda A. , officers never produced a warrant even after

Godboldo repeatedly asked to see one.

A standoff ensued. A gunshot was fired from inside the house — though, according

to , not at officers. Finally, after long hours of tense negotiations,

Godboldo — a mother, a teacher, a dancer and a respected figure in the city's

arts circles — surrendered, was jailed and, on Sunday, was arraigned on multiple

felony charges.

March 28, Detroit News: Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her

west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted

Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to

remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police

said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators,

including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Meanwhile, according to , the daughter, who has a physical disability,

remains in the custody of the state even though several relatives and family

friends have repeatedly volunteered to care for her in her mother's absence:

" They had a hearing that they didn't notify anyone of, and a woman from CPS said

that no family had come forward to take care of the girl. That's just not true.

Relatives were all at the house when this incident happened, saying they would

take care of her. It's like, the state just wants to medicate this child. "

But for now, at least, the drugs are off the table. A Wayne County Circuit Court

judge ordered the medication discontinued until further review.

How isn't this entire incident a travesty?

How does a woman who voluntarily goes looking for help wind up behind bars

because she's trying to do what she thinks is right by her child? How can the

state make a mom who, by all accounts, has done a wonderful job of parenting

give her child medicine that she and a doctor both think only worsens a problem?

And how is it that we can respect a judge ordering the child off the medication

but not a mother acting on her physician's advice?

compares Godboldo to comic McCarthy, who has railed publicly against

vaccines as a potential cause of autism in children. Granted, the science weighs

heavily against that theory, but as says, " Nobody is kicking in

McCarthy's door. She has the right to do what she thinks is in the best interest

of her child. Why can't this woman? "

Hell, this isn't about vaccines even: Godboldo had gone along with the shots.

She wasn't some religious nut denying her child a life-saving medical treatment.

This was a mother who, along with her doctor, didn't believe her child benefited

from psychotropic drugs.

As Judge ' remarks suggest, the incident has sparked shock and outrage

among many in Detroit who believe that Child Protective Services overreacted

(and that state agencies are often far too quick to recommend medication for

kids, especially black children). A rally of support for Godboldo is being held

at Detroit's Hartford Memorial Church on April 2.

I doubt that anybody's trying to justify standoffs with cops or warning shots or

any of the other sensational elements of this incident. But early evidence

strongly suggests that the CPS workers overstepped their bounds in a major way.

If so, then how could Godboldo not resist? Because regardless of whether it's to

mental illness, physical disabilities or state agencies, good parents do not

simply surrender their children.

[Guest guest]

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1S8uV00

Detroit mother jailed after standoff

Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on

$500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting

her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.

anne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate

Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious

assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the

commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.

" What has happened here is a travesty, " said Wanda A. , Godboldo's

attorney. " This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This

shouldn't have happened. "

Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her

13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by

Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because

the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a

shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County

judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Godboldo's family and supporters, who gathered outside the court Sunday, said

the woman has every right to make medical decisions for her daughter and that

child welfare workers overstepped their authority. The unusual circumstances of

the standoff attracted a large crowd of volunteers offering to help negotiate

with Godboldo, including ministers and community activists.

said she eventually talked Godboldo out with a promise her daughter would

be turned over to a relative, but family members say the girl was taken into

protective custody anyway. said a hearing on removal of the child will be

April 6 before Wayne County Juvenile Referee Graves.

Penny Godboldo, a dance professor at grove College, said she and her sister,

anne, trained as dancers in New York before opening a studio in Detroit.

anne Godboldo became a stay-at-home mother after the troubled birth of her

daughter, who was born with a defective foot that required amputation of her leg

below the knee.

anne Godboldo home-schooled the girl. She said her strength and confidence

grew, and despite her handicap, she swam, sang, danced and played the piano.

Penny Godboldo said as her niece approached middle school age, she wanted to

attend school but needed to catch up on required immunizations.

" We believe she had an adverse reaction to her immunizations, " Penny Godboldo

said.

" She began acting out of character, being irritated, having facial grimaces that

have been associated with immunizations. "

said anne Godboldo sought help for her daughter from The Children's

Center, an organization that helps families with at-risk children, where a

medical and mental health treatment plan was developed. Godboldo told relatives

the medications ordered by the doctor worsened symptoms, including behavioral

problems.

" It is an undiagnosed condition, but the doctor had given her psychotropic drugs

that caused a bad reaction, made things worse, " said the girl's father, Mubuarak

Hakim. " anne's decision to wean her from that was making a difference,

making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again. "

A rally for Godboldo is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at Hartford Memorial Baptist

Church, 18700 Couzens Freeway.

From The Detroit News:

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1XRMftL

and from MLIVE:

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/03/was_a_detroit_mother_right_t\

o.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

Was a Detroit mother right to resist efforts by Child Protective Services,

police to take her child?

Published: Monday, March 28, 2011, 10:55 AM By Darrell Dawsey

anne Godboldo was looking only for help.

Last year, the Detroit mother went to the Children's Center, a group that works

with troubled children, to seek advice and a treatment plan for her 13-year-old

daughter. The girl, who'd never had behavioral problems before, was suddenly

irritable and not her usual self following a series of immunization shots.

As part of the center's treatment plan, a doctor prescribed the child an

anti-psychotic medication. But the child's symptoms only worsened. As a result,

Godboldo sought another physician, who quickly recommended taking the child off

the psychotropic drug.

The mother agreed and, according to her attorney, who spoke exclusively with

MLive Detroit earlier today, Godboldo began following that doctor's orders.

Unfortunately for Godboldo, the state didn't agree. Child Protective Services

wanted Godboldo's child medicated according the center's plan, and CPS workers

essentially told the 56-year-old mother — who was never under any court order to

follow the plan — to agree to their program or surrender her child.

She refused both. And so, on Thursday, CPS workers showed up at Godboldo's house

with the police, who said they had a warrant to take the child. But according to

Godboldo's lawyer, Wanda A. , officers never produced a warrant even after

Godboldo repeatedly asked to see one.

A standoff ensued. A gunshot was fired from inside the house — though, according

to , not at officers. Finally, after long hours of tense negotiations,

Godboldo — a mother, a teacher, a dancer and a respected figure in the city's

arts circles — surrendered, was jailed and, on Sunday, was arraigned on multiple

felony charges.

March 28, Detroit News: Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her

west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted

Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to

remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police

said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators,

including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Meanwhile, according to , the daughter, who has a physical disability,

remains in the custody of the state even though several relatives and family

friends have repeatedly volunteered to care for her in her mother's absence:

" They had a hearing that they didn't notify anyone of, and a woman from CPS said

that no family had come forward to take care of the girl. That's just not true.

Relatives were all at the house when this incident happened, saying they would

take care of her. It's like, the state just wants to medicate this child. "

But for now, at least, the drugs are off the table. A Wayne County Circuit Court

judge ordered the medication discontinued until further review.

How isn't this entire incident a travesty?

How does a woman who voluntarily goes looking for help wind up behind bars

because she's trying to do what she thinks is right by her child? How can the

state make a mom who, by all accounts, has done a wonderful job of parenting

give her child medicine that she and a doctor both think only worsens a problem?

And how is it that we can respect a judge ordering the child off the medication

but not a mother acting on her physician's advice?

compares Godboldo to comic McCarthy, who has railed publicly against

vaccines as a potential cause of autism in children. Granted, the science weighs

heavily against that theory, but as says, " Nobody is kicking in

McCarthy's door. She has the right to do what she thinks is in the best interest

of her child. Why can't this woman? "

Hell, this isn't about vaccines even: Godboldo had gone along with the shots.

She wasn't some religious nut denying her child a life-saving medical treatment.

This was a mother who, along with her doctor, didn't believe her child benefited

from psychotropic drugs.

As Judge ' remarks suggest, the incident has sparked shock and outrage

among many in Detroit who believe that Child Protective Services overreacted

(and that state agencies are often far too quick to recommend medication for

kids, especially black children). A rally of support for Godboldo is being held

at Detroit's Hartford Memorial Church on April 2.

I doubt that anybody's trying to justify standoffs with cops or warning shots or

any of the other sensational elements of this incident. But early evidence

strongly suggests that the CPS workers overstepped their bounds in a major way.

If so, then how could Godboldo not resist? Because regardless of whether it's to

mental illness, physical disabilities or state agencies, good parents do not

simply surrender their children.

[Guest guest]

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1S8uV00

Detroit mother jailed after standoff

Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on

$500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting

her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.

anne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate

Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious

assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the

commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.

" What has happened here is a travesty, " said Wanda A. , Godboldo's

attorney. " This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This

shouldn't have happened. "

Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her

13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by

Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because

the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a

shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County

judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Godboldo's family and supporters, who gathered outside the court Sunday, said

the woman has every right to make medical decisions for her daughter and that

child welfare workers overstepped their authority. The unusual circumstances of

the standoff attracted a large crowd of volunteers offering to help negotiate

with Godboldo, including ministers and community activists.

said she eventually talked Godboldo out with a promise her daughter would

be turned over to a relative, but family members say the girl was taken into

protective custody anyway. said a hearing on removal of the child will be

April 6 before Wayne County Juvenile Referee Graves.

Penny Godboldo, a dance professor at grove College, said she and her sister,

anne, trained as dancers in New York before opening a studio in Detroit.

anne Godboldo became a stay-at-home mother after the troubled birth of her

daughter, who was born with a defective foot that required amputation of her leg

below the knee.

anne Godboldo home-schooled the girl. She said her strength and confidence

grew, and despite her handicap, she swam, sang, danced and played the piano.

Penny Godboldo said as her niece approached middle school age, she wanted to

attend school but needed to catch up on required immunizations.

" We believe she had an adverse reaction to her immunizations, " Penny Godboldo

said.

" She began acting out of character, being irritated, having facial grimaces that

have been associated with immunizations. "

said anne Godboldo sought help for her daughter from The Children's

Center, an organization that helps families with at-risk children, where a

medical and mental health treatment plan was developed. Godboldo told relatives

the medications ordered by the doctor worsened symptoms, including behavioral

problems.

" It is an undiagnosed condition, but the doctor had given her psychotropic drugs

that caused a bad reaction, made things worse, " said the girl's father, Mubuarak

Hakim. " anne's decision to wean her from that was making a difference,

making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again. "

A rally for Godboldo is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at Hartford Memorial Baptist

Church, 18700 Couzens Freeway.

From The Detroit News:

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1XRMftL

and from MLIVE:

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/03/was_a_detroit_mother_right_t\

o.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

Was a Detroit mother right to resist efforts by Child Protective Services,

police to take her child?

Published: Monday, March 28, 2011, 10:55 AM By Darrell Dawsey

anne Godboldo was looking only for help.

Last year, the Detroit mother went to the Children's Center, a group that works

with troubled children, to seek advice and a treatment plan for her 13-year-old

daughter. The girl, who'd never had behavioral problems before, was suddenly

irritable and not her usual self following a series of immunization shots.

As part of the center's treatment plan, a doctor prescribed the child an

anti-psychotic medication. But the child's symptoms only worsened. As a result,

Godboldo sought another physician, who quickly recommended taking the child off

the psychotropic drug.

The mother agreed and, according to her attorney, who spoke exclusively with

MLive Detroit earlier today, Godboldo began following that doctor's orders.

Unfortunately for Godboldo, the state didn't agree. Child Protective Services

wanted Godboldo's child medicated according the center's plan, and CPS workers

essentially told the 56-year-old mother — who was never under any court order to

follow the plan — to agree to their program or surrender her child.

She refused both. And so, on Thursday, CPS workers showed up at Godboldo's house

with the police, who said they had a warrant to take the child. But according to

Godboldo's lawyer, Wanda A. , officers never produced a warrant even after

Godboldo repeatedly asked to see one.

A standoff ensued. A gunshot was fired from inside the house — though, according

to , not at officers. Finally, after long hours of tense negotiations,

Godboldo — a mother, a teacher, a dancer and a respected figure in the city's

arts circles — surrendered, was jailed and, on Sunday, was arraigned on multiple

felony charges.

March 28, Detroit News: Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her

west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted

Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to

remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police

said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators,

including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Meanwhile, according to , the daughter, who has a physical disability,

remains in the custody of the state even though several relatives and family

friends have repeatedly volunteered to care for her in her mother's absence:

" They had a hearing that they didn't notify anyone of, and a woman from CPS said

that no family had come forward to take care of the girl. That's just not true.

Relatives were all at the house when this incident happened, saying they would

take care of her. It's like, the state just wants to medicate this child. "

But for now, at least, the drugs are off the table. A Wayne County Circuit Court

judge ordered the medication discontinued until further review.

How isn't this entire incident a travesty?

How does a woman who voluntarily goes looking for help wind up behind bars

because she's trying to do what she thinks is right by her child? How can the

state make a mom who, by all accounts, has done a wonderful job of parenting

give her child medicine that she and a doctor both think only worsens a problem?

And how is it that we can respect a judge ordering the child off the medication

but not a mother acting on her physician's advice?

compares Godboldo to comic McCarthy, who has railed publicly against

vaccines as a potential cause of autism in children. Granted, the science weighs

heavily against that theory, but as says, " Nobody is kicking in

McCarthy's door. She has the right to do what she thinks is in the best interest

of her child. Why can't this woman? "

Hell, this isn't about vaccines even: Godboldo had gone along with the shots.

She wasn't some religious nut denying her child a life-saving medical treatment.

This was a mother who, along with her doctor, didn't believe her child benefited

from psychotropic drugs.

As Judge ' remarks suggest, the incident has sparked shock and outrage

among many in Detroit who believe that Child Protective Services overreacted

(and that state agencies are often far too quick to recommend medication for

kids, especially black children). A rally of support for Godboldo is being held

at Detroit's Hartford Memorial Church on April 2.

I doubt that anybody's trying to justify standoffs with cops or warning shots or

any of the other sensational elements of this incident. But early evidence

strongly suggests that the CPS workers overstepped their bounds in a major way.

If so, then how could Godboldo not resist? Because regardless of whether it's to

mental illness, physical disabilities or state agencies, good parents do not

simply surrender their children.

[Guest guest]

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1S8uV00

Detroit mother jailed after standoff

Detroit — A 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on

$500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting

her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication.

anne Godboldo, 56, was arraigned Sunday before 36th District Magistrate

Sidney Barthwell Jr. on charges of firing a weapon in a dwelling, felonious

assault, resisting and obstructing an officer, and use of a firearm in the

commission of a felony. Barthwell set an April 8 preliminary examination.

" What has happened here is a travesty, " said Wanda A. , Godboldo's

attorney. " This family has never been under the jurisdiction of the court. This

shouldn't have happened. "

Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her west side home with her

13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted Thursday afternoon by

Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to remove the girl because

the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police said Godboldo fired a

shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators, including a Wayne County

judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Godboldo's family and supporters, who gathered outside the court Sunday, said

the woman has every right to make medical decisions for her daughter and that

child welfare workers overstepped their authority. The unusual circumstances of

the standoff attracted a large crowd of volunteers offering to help negotiate

with Godboldo, including ministers and community activists.

said she eventually talked Godboldo out with a promise her daughter would

be turned over to a relative, but family members say the girl was taken into

protective custody anyway. said a hearing on removal of the child will be

April 6 before Wayne County Juvenile Referee Graves.

Penny Godboldo, a dance professor at grove College, said she and her sister,

anne, trained as dancers in New York before opening a studio in Detroit.

anne Godboldo became a stay-at-home mother after the troubled birth of her

daughter, who was born with a defective foot that required amputation of her leg

below the knee.

anne Godboldo home-schooled the girl. She said her strength and confidence

grew, and despite her handicap, she swam, sang, danced and played the piano.

Penny Godboldo said as her niece approached middle school age, she wanted to

attend school but needed to catch up on required immunizations.

" We believe she had an adverse reaction to her immunizations, " Penny Godboldo

said.

" She began acting out of character, being irritated, having facial grimaces that

have been associated with immunizations. "

said anne Godboldo sought help for her daughter from The Children's

Center, an organization that helps families with at-risk children, where a

medical and mental health treatment plan was developed. Godboldo told relatives

the medications ordered by the doctor worsened symptoms, including behavioral

problems.

" It is an undiagnosed condition, but the doctor had given her psychotropic drugs

that caused a bad reaction, made things worse, " said the girl's father, Mubuarak

Hakim. " anne's decision to wean her from that was making a difference,

making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again. "

A rally for Godboldo is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at Hartford Memorial Baptist

Church, 18700 Couzens Freeway.

From The Detroit News:

http://detnews.com/article/20110328/METRO01/103280326/Detroit-mother-jailed-afte\

r-standoff#ixzz1I1XRMftL

and from MLIVE:

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/03/was_a_detroit_mother_right_t\

o.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

Was a Detroit mother right to resist efforts by Child Protective Services,

police to take her child?

Published: Monday, March 28, 2011, 10:55 AM By Darrell Dawsey

anne Godboldo was looking only for help.

Last year, the Detroit mother went to the Children's Center, a group that works

with troubled children, to seek advice and a treatment plan for her 13-year-old

daughter. The girl, who'd never had behavioral problems before, was suddenly

irritable and not her usual self following a series of immunization shots.

As part of the center's treatment plan, a doctor prescribed the child an

anti-psychotic medication. But the child's symptoms only worsened. As a result,

Godboldo sought another physician, who quickly recommended taking the child off

the psychotropic drug.

The mother agreed and, according to her attorney, who spoke exclusively with

MLive Detroit earlier today, Godboldo began following that doctor's orders.

Unfortunately for Godboldo, the state didn't agree. Child Protective Services

wanted Godboldo's child medicated according the center's plan, and CPS workers

essentially told the 56-year-old mother — who was never under any court order to

follow the plan — to agree to their program or surrender her child.

She refused both. And so, on Thursday, CPS workers showed up at Godboldo's house

with the police, who said they had a warrant to take the child. But according to

Godboldo's lawyer, Wanda A. , officers never produced a warrant even after

Godboldo repeatedly asked to see one.

A standoff ensued. A gunshot was fired from inside the house — though, according

to , not at officers. Finally, after long hours of tense negotiations,

Godboldo — a mother, a teacher, a dancer and a respected figure in the city's

arts circles — surrendered, was jailed and, on Sunday, was arraigned on multiple

felony charges.

March 28, Detroit News: Godboldo is accused of barricading herself inside her

west side home with her 13-year-old daughter and a gun after being confronted

Thursday afternoon by Child Protective Services workers who had a warrant to

remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Detroit Police

said Godboldo fired a shot and refused to leave the home until negotiators,

including a Wayne County judge, helped talk her into surrendering.

" We talked that day mother-to-mother. I asked her to come out on her porch and I

promised I would come here today to walk out with her, " Wayne Circuit Judge

Deborah said Sunday after the hearing. " I'm shocked by the amount of the

bond. I never dreamed it would be set so high and she wouldn't be free to care

for her daughter. "

Meanwhile, according to , the daughter, who has a physical disability,

remains in the custody of the state even though several relatives and family

friends have repeatedly volunteered to care for her in her mother's absence:

" They had a hearing that they didn't notify anyone of, and a woman from CPS said

that no family had come forward to take care of the girl. That's just not true.

Relatives were all at the house when this incident happened, saying they would

take care of her. It's like, the state just wants to medicate this child. "

But for now, at least, the drugs are off the table. A Wayne County Circuit Court

judge ordered the medication discontinued until further review.

How isn't this entire incident a travesty?

How does a woman who voluntarily goes looking for help wind up behind bars

because she's trying to do what she thinks is right by her child? How can the

state make a mom who, by all accounts, has done a wonderful job of parenting

give her child medicine that she and a doctor both think only worsens a problem?

And how is it that we can respect a judge ordering the child off the medication

but not a mother acting on her physician's advice?

compares Godboldo to comic McCarthy, who has railed publicly against

vaccines as a potential cause of autism in children. Granted, the science weighs

heavily against that theory, but as says, " Nobody is kicking in

McCarthy's door. She has the right to do what she thinks is in the best interest

of her child. Why can't this woman? "

Hell, this isn't about vaccines even: Godboldo had gone along with the shots.

She wasn't some religious nut denying her child a life-saving medical treatment.

This was a mother who, along with her doctor, didn't believe her child benefited

from psychotropic drugs.

As Judge ' remarks suggest, the incident has sparked shock and outrage

among many in Detroit who believe that Child Protective Services overreacted

(and that state agencies are often far too quick to recommend medication for

kids, especially black children). A rally of support for Godboldo is being held

at Detroit's Hartford Memorial Church on April 2.

I doubt that anybody's trying to justify standoffs with cops or warning shots or

any of the other sensational elements of this incident. But early evidence

strongly suggests that the CPS workers overstepped their bounds in a major way.

If so, then how could Godboldo not resist? Because regardless of whether it's to

mental illness, physical disabilities or state agencies, good parents do not

simply surrender their children.