AR - Rep. Harris rehomed his adopted daughter to man who sexually abused her

[MyBelle]

I am so sick of people using and abusing our constitution to try and justify their actions. The people that manipulate our rights to their advantage are a threat to all hard working citizens. This "man and wife" need to be taken out of their positions. They are a detriment to our society. We are all tax paying citizens and this family should not live off of our dollars. Enough!

This case has absolutely nothing to do with the constitution, it has to do with criminals.

JMO

 

[believe09]

Other than colleagues, has Harris had any other supporters make statements to the media? Friends, family and the like? I havent found much.

 

[bill.sweet.90]

Now he's saying the girls were possessed by demons or such rot.

http://m.arktimes.com/arkansas/cast...applied-pressure-to-adopt/Content?oid=3725371

Yep. Trafficker.


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[kaen]

I am confused. Does Marsha Harris have pancreatic cancer?

 

[stormshine]

He said that one of the reasons he rehomed the girls was "his wife was dying of cancer". I don't know if that's trye or an exaggeration of "she had something on a scan that might have been cancer".

 

[daisy7]

Other than colleagues, has Harris had any other supporters make statements to the media? Friends, family and the like? I havent found much.

The only comment I have seen from a family friend is in the article about demons and she confirmed the demon stuff.

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[daisy7]

The Worst Adoption Therapy in the World

Many of these treatments, popularized by attachment therapists in Evergreen, Colo., revolve around asserting parents’ absolute control over their children, through strict regulations on children’s movements and eating habits. Sometimes children are put on extremely limited diets of bland, unappetizing food; assigned hours of pointless, repetitive chores; forced to sit in one location, facing the wall, for hours at a time; and endure “holding therapy,” wherein children may be forcibly held down by parents or therapists to induce first a feeling of rage and powerlessness, then catharsis and acceptance when they finally submit. In 2000, 10-year-old Candace Newmaker famously died under the care of attachment therapists in Evergreen during a controversial “rebirthing” treatment.

In extreme cases that have gone to court in the last two decades, some adoptive and foster parents have justified locking children in caged-in bunk beds as a form of attachment therapy that they said they were inspired to try after reading books on attachment therapy, or employed terrifying punishments like forcing children to “dig their own graves.”

[...]

Since writing her book Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker, psychology professor Jean Mercer has become a staunch critic of RAD therapies, which she says mistakenly equate obedience with attachment. Mercer also notes that there is a concerning synchronicity between attachment therapy principles and outdated religious child rearing philosophies that emphasize children’s submission above all else. That overlap makes it unsurprising that children said to have RAD are spoken of in almost supernatural terms: as demonic or possessed.​

link

Comment: I consulted on the case of Candace Newmaker. The so-called "treatment" was horrific. Her death, and the later conviction of those involved, resulted in the move to illegalise "rebirthing therapy" in Colorado, titled "Candace's Law."

Here's a link to the transcript of that tragic case. Please read with caution. It is extremely disturbing.

Coincidentally, the L&O episode based on this case was on this am.

 

[daisy7]

Justin Harris used foster daughter in campaign materials, against DHS rules

State Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) used photos of a foster child his family was planning to adopt during his 2012 re-election campaign. The state Department of Human Services expressly prohibits the public use of photos or any other media that would compromise a foster child's anonymity.

Asked whether the Department of Human Services was aware Harris was using a foster child in campaign materials, DHS spokesperson Amy Webb said she couldn't comment specifically on Harris, but speaking generally, she said the agency would not allow such use.​

link

You posted about this a week ago. Media needs to start reading here

 

[Margo/Mom]

This case has absolutely nothing to do with the constitution, it has to do with criminals.

JMO

Actually, as relates to the possible abuse within Harris' home, including isolation and exorcism, Arkansas, like many states, has a fairly broad religious exemption that can be claimed when it comes to medical (and presumably mental health) neglect. Have to see how this one plays out.

 

[MyBelle]

Justin Harris used foster daughter in campaign materials, against DHS rules

State Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) used photos of a foster child his family was planning to adopt during his 2012 re-election campaign. The state Department of Human Services expressly prohibits the public use of photos or any other media that would compromise a foster child's anonymity.

Asked whether the Department of Human Services was aware Harris was using a foster child in campaign materials, DHS spokesperson Amy Webb said she couldn't comment specifically on Harris, but speaking generally, she said the agency would not allow such use.​

link

And still no accountability for breaking the rules......

 

[believe09]

I dont want to distract from the discussion but I have been struck from the first moment of this story by Rep Harris' physical build.

I am not seeking a low blow, I just want to know if anyone else has a sense of what I am seeing? I find myself very curious about him.

 

[LaLaw2000]

I noticed Harris strange build also. He wears clothing much too large for him and I noticed the boys do also (campaign ad). Suit jackets are huge, IMO.

 

[STEADFAST]

Really long article that covers most of the stuff mentioned here.

edit: Appropriate that this post is my number 666.

Thanks, forthelost! This article is a must-read for this case.

There was a recent case in Wisconsin where a couple abused a teenager, locking her in the basement, beating her and withholding food, plus worse things, and claimed they allegedly believed it was part of her therapy. They belonged to an online support group that encouraged each other to engage in these kinds of punishments and restrictions and acted as a source of affirmation and justification for all kinds of abuse in the name of healing. I really think someone should keep an eye on these kinds of forums, because the members incite each other to become more and more abusive towards children with emotional problems.

 

[Margo/Mom]

I dont want to distract from the discussion but I have been struck from the first moment of this story by Rep Harris' physical build.

I am not seeking a low blow, I just want to know if anyone else has a sense of what I am seeing? I find myself very curious about him.

I did see it remarked on elsewhere. I wonder if he is wearing bullet-proof protection under his shirt.

 

[believe09]

I considered that Margo/Mom until I looked at all of the images I could find on Google Images. Hmm.

 

[daisy7]

Despite claims that state adoption officials fought him all the way in his effort to adopt, the state legislator who ultimately "re-homed" his daughters -- ages 3 and 5 -- to a sexual predator continued to work closely with top agency officials, sometimes pushing their legislative agenda, according to state emails.

But the emails between Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, and Department of Human Services officials, and video from the 2013 House legislative session, also show an at-times confrontational legislator willing to block routine appropriations legislation when he didn't get his way.

Harris declined Friday and Saturday to be interviewed for this article. An attorney for him, Jennifer Wells, said Harris' relationship with DHS, and the head of its Division of Children and Family Services, Cecile Blucker, was an "on again, off again" type of relationship.

(snip)

http://m.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/mar/15/harris-dhs-ties-at-times-friendly-at-ot/?latest

Lots of info here. I can't read this site's articles online, but there's a free Arkansa Online app to read it from my phone.

ETA: The*Arkansas Times*has the same file of DHS correspondence on which today's excellent Democrat-Gazette reporting was based and hope to provide it fully on-line.*

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlo...rep-justin-harris-influence-at-human-services

 

[daisy7]

From the link upthread:

The emails that were provided to the Democrat-Gazette show that in one instance, Harris emphasized his ability to stop DHS funding in its tracks.

Several of the emails are from March 2013, when Harris was pushing to get the adoptions approved.

That month, Harris asked for a meeting with DHS officials and indicated that his wife might attend as well.

The meeting didn't get scheduled as quickly as Harris wanted. He later blocked legislation that DHS needed.

The routine bill shepherded through the Legislature by fellow Republicans had already passed in the Senate 34-0. It eventually passed 88-0 in the House, with Harris not voting.

But the first time it came up in the House, Harris sunk it.

(snip)

 

[believe09]

Huh. Interesting. A fuller picture of Rep Harris is emerging. I hope the excellent reporters who are doing such an incredible job of digging and fact checking are looking deeply into the background of Rep Harris. My gut instinct tells me that there is a story there that will bring us forward to today.

 

[believe09]

People have been very very busy on Rep Harris' Wikipedia:

LINK HERE

In September 2014, his page included a bio that said he had 3 sons and 2 daughters.

At one point the children's names appeared. First as 4 children (three sons and perhaps the little one pictured in the campaign flyer), then 5.

Of course, once the story broke there have been hundreds of edits including pieces of the Ark Times story and links.

 

[Morag]

I dont want to distract from the discussion but I have been struck from the first moment of this story by Rep Harris' physical build.



I am not seeking a low blow, I just want to know if anyone else has a sense of what I am seeing? I find myself very curious about him.

Reminds me of a well-known Aerosmith song.