Deceased/Not Found Ca - Hannah,16 (fnd dec), Devonte,15, (dec nf) Ciera Hart,12 (fnd dec),mendocino Cty,26 Mar 2018 #7

[AlwaysHopeToHelp]

DECEMBER 10, 2014
The Problem With Hugs

Devonte Hart – we’ve been told repeatedly by newspapers and social media – is the adopted black child of two white mothers. It’s one of these mothers who, even before Devonte stumbled onto internet fame, released his private history to the world in an interview with an online magazine, where we are told the most horrifically personal details of Devonte’s life without any indication he has given his consent for their release: “Devonte Hart entered the world 12 years ago with drugs pumping through his tiny newborn body. By the time he was 4 years old he had smoked, consumed alcohol, handled guns, been shot at, and suffered severe abuse and neglect. He knew only a handful of words, including *advertiser censored** and s***, and he struggled to identify with the names of food, body parts and every day objects. Devonte was a violent toddler and his health was weighed down by a heavy list of disabilities.”

To take someone else’s story and to exploit it in this way is a deeply violent act. To take an adopted child’s story and exploit it is even more violent.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/10/the-problem-with-hugs/

---
This is an academic, well thought out article challenging Jen Hart's motives that was written and published in December 2014 after Devonte's photo went worldwide. But it really targets how invasive Jen's abuse was before his viral fame in violating and using an apocalyptic narrative to suit perhaps covering up her own trail of prior abuse by heaping it all on Devonte's early life.

Bbms: So that backlash that Jen said she received in her mailbox was perhaps a very real, in depth expose and insight into a portrait of a narcissist and an abuser of children whose fragile start in life she signed on to protect. This author nailed it in highlighting her abuse of Devonte's privacy by writing and publishing that story about him. --Imo

The complexities of the issues outlined in this piece I'm sure was beyond her scope. But, she Jen, and (Sarah) were self serving monsters hiding behind many layers. This was her M.O. with every CPS investigation. She was no doubt a convincing smooth talker hiding behind alternative lifestyle BS and all the peace love catch phrases. Her partner in crime was a very capable accomplice.

Where I think her community was perhaps blinded was in did anyone think about the publishing of these children in this way? -The hugs, the staged songs, the dancing in the skivvies? Did they all publish their own children in this way?

I think this aspect of usury is an abuse that might have helped CPS recognize the red flags. I don't blame CPS for missing all this as Oregon CPS has stated they are looking to change their assessment from incident based to a broader assessment of child. safety.

The tragedy here is how many failed these children in spite of those who tried to wave those red flags. --To no avail.

Being an adoptive mother myself, also through CPS, my child’s prior abuse history has ALWAYS been HERS to tell. I never once divulged her sensitive past as even an infant unless there was reason (doctors, social workers, intimate family). Even when I told those folks about it I never once did so IN FRONT of my daughter. You wouldn’t tell a stranger a detailed account of your best friends abuse so why the heck would you do so with your child?! This is attention-who**** at its finest. I feel awful for these precious kiddos! [emoji20]


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[Sleuth99]

Being an adoptive mother myself, also through CPS, my child’s prior abuse history has ALWAYS been HERS to tell. I never once divulged her sensitive past as even an infant unless there was reason (doctors, social workers, intimate family). Even when I told those folks about it I never once did so IN FRONT of my daughter. You wouldn’t tell a stranger a detailed account of your best friends abuse so why the heck would you do so with your child?! This is attention-who**** at its finest. I feel awful for these precious kiddos! [emoji20]


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Right because they had to create a hardship scenario in order to receive praise for "rescuing" the children and being amazing parents. They couldn't rely on regular parenting skills because they didn't have none!


IMO

 

[rosemadderlake]

No, we don't. Jen and Sarah's actions are an anomaly and singular to them. They might have been members of our "community" but they certainly do not represent us as a whole.

To me, "their" Jen and Sarah's community are those who knew them, defend and support them, personally. And I gather they had a substantial presence and following on social media, too. But Jen, also made it a global thing. And she exploited Devonte especially.

"They" identified with a certain group. That's fine. I'd be wondering the same things if they loved heavy metal festivals, interest of any music, entertainment, enjoying festivals, or various aspects of any community. I'd be wondering about the elements raised in the article and the publishing of children and the question of their rights. And the greater point is what seems innocent might not be so innocent. Those who knew them might know this better than anyone? Or didn't see it at all. Those who believed in their good nature feel betrayed?

So the publishing, the usury aspect of this case is what is shocking. And as the details of this case have emerged, I see why so many of the videos, pictures, and writings (especially Jen's 2013 article) published give me the cringe feeling. There are also some that are just lovely, but very few.

 

[AlwaysHopeToHelp]

Right because they had to create a hardship scenario in order to receive praise for "rescuing" the children and being amazing parents. They couldn't rely on regular parenting skills because they didn't have none!


IMO

The most genuine hero’s are the hero’s unspoken/untold. The fact is truly, my child is my hero - not the other way around. She made me a mother (my only child died in gestation - my ability to produce a biological child was slim to none). She also went through further abuse at the hands of my ex (her adoptive father) when he sexually assaulted her during visitations after divorce. This baby sat on the stand at 13yrs old and told her story and put him behind bars. I testified with far less Grace than she did and she not only testified to what happened but her impact statement was a sentence that stopped the courtroom in its tracks, “I love you and I hate that I love you, but I forgive you.” I struggle daily to find forgiveness - I admittedly don’t try hard. But this 13yr old has made huge strides to. So if anyone is a hero here - it’s her. She is amazing and I didn’t save her. She saved me! And I’ll NEVER EVER offer her story (heck even sharing what I have anonymously here was carefully devoid of detail).
The paradigm of Devonte as a show pony for self-gratification is appalling and in humane. A rescue animal isn’t paraded even as much as this poor kiddo!



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[gcharlie]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

 

[bluesneakers]

Very early on when I saw the photo of Devonte and then the video of him hugging that guy, I got major performance vibes. Others thought that he was scared and begging for help. I thought he was performing.

After seeing perform in videos and pictures I agree. At first I thought it was fear but after seeing him other people, learning he wore the sign all the time, and photographs which were convincing but the more I saw the more obvious it was he was a model and actor. A good one.

I hate this case and I hate those horrible women. I hate that those kids went to their deaths, hopeless and trapped. They never had one moment of freedom from terror and pain, really. Not one moment free from those monsters.

Same. The punishments these kids received (for things like having a penny!!) were cruel. I think they had to wear masks so they couldn't look around and be distracted or look at each other. Sensory deprivation is torture. One more level of cruelty and control.

"Carrying out this type of torture makes the detainee lose personal identity through long periods of isolation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_torture

 

[bluesneakers]

Thank you bluesneakers, I appreciate that! I went pretty far down a rabbit hole this morning to find out where that waterfall was. I believe it's Horsetail Falls -Columbia River Gorge -OR because the curved stone walls and steps are the same leading to the falls. Then learned it was closed late Sept/early Oct last year because of the forest fire, which meant they couldn't have been there in later Fall last year when the leaves would've been falling. Though I do wonder why Hannah wasn't in it. They all looked bad, but maybe she was too bad to be on film at that point. This link has pics of the waterfall and stones steps. A video on youtube of Horsetail Falls, OR shows it as well. It's about an hour from Woodland, WA. http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Horsetail_Falls

Good point about the fire. I didn't even think of that when 2017 was suggested as the date. But where was Hannah? Wouldn't her friends who saw the video ask? Although I'm sure she had an excuse.

 

[Mountaingazer]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

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She looks more like 12-24 months here imo.

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[sympatico]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

The weather in Texas varies immensely, so it is entirely possible that there was a warm enough December day for a sleeveless dress. That certainly doesn’t give me any pause, particularly knowing they were in the Houston area which is pretty southern. It can be 80 degrees in Texas in winter, and we don’t bat an eye.

 

[AlwaysHopeToHelp]

The weather in Texas varies immensely, so it is entirely possible that there was a warm enough December day for a sleeveless dress. That certainly doesn’t give me any pause, particularly knowing they were in the Houston area which is pretty southern. It can be 80 degrees in Texas in winter, and we don’t bat an eye.

Born and raised in Houston Texas. This is 100% true. It was 80deg out one day and the next day our entire city shut down due to ice! Lol


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[sympatico]

“If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute.”

 

[HeidiTX232]

The weather in Texas varies immensely, so it is entirely possible that there was a warm enough December day for a sleeveless dress. That certainly doesn’t give me any pause, particularly knowing they were in the Houston area which is pretty southern. It can be 80 degrees in Texas in winter, and we don’t bat an eye.

The week of Dec 6-12 in 2006, in Houston, temps were up to 77 degrees. And you could also slip a hoodie on over an outfit.

I’d guess she looks 8-12 months in that picture. I have a 1year old (just turned). People either guess she is very young because of how tiny she is or older because she has so much hair.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

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Seriously, why make negative comments on the way she was dressed when you have no way of knowing the circumstances. It could very well have been a warm day, but why would you want to start a conversation about that anyway?

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[jiminy]

The fact that both of these people studied elementary education yet don't seem to have worked in that field stands out to me. No tales of either being a classroom assistant or anything. It made me wonder why and from the little we've been able to piece together about them, I have to wonder if, in their opinion, they simply knew better than The System. Not only did they know better, they would prove they knew better by taking these alleged badly broken children* and making them perfect. And that's all these 6 humans needing love and protection were to them - tools to prove they knew it all and were just the greatest. What was best for the children never seemed to enter into it ever. When I first read that they'd been spilling the alleged horrors of the children's circumstances to anyone who'd listen I was appalled. Doing that says all I need to know about those women.

* I have no doubt some or maybe even all of the kids will have had issues stemming from their birth homes and displacement but the Harts' stories smell badly to me

Edit: Oh and I noticed on the document Devonte is spelled both Devonta and Devonte. Is this a recurring typo or was his birth name perhaps Devontá? Like they changed Ciera to Sierra.

 

[AlwaysHopeToHelp]

Seriously, why make negative comments on the way she was dressed when you have no way of knowing the circumstances. It could very well have been a warm day, but why would you want to start a conversation about that anyway?

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Agreed - plus it does appear that the family members pictured with the child are dressed similarly. I can only see anything to fuss about if all other adults were in hoodies and child sleeveless. That said I suppose someone who lives in a very cold climate WOULD look at us like freaks for being in daisy dukes and flip flops in December lol heck- this year we played in the water hose in December! [emoji23]


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[deugirtni]

Forgive if already discussed.. too hard to keep ahead on the posts..
Just wondering on the family's pet dogs..
Is it possible the fam dropped the dogs off to a trusted friend/acquaintance to look after while they 'went travelling'? If so, how likely is it that those people wouldn't have come forward to say so, and explain what happened and when and what was said?
It's weird to me that no dogs have been found.. but maybe it's not weird if it's too easy for little dogs to be carried away in the waters?
Thoughts?

 

[hdva18]

And a reason I don’t think they did all this just for the money is that it looks like everyone was fine with them having Lee and the first three children adopted. So why would they not do both? Esp since the foster care stipend is more than post-adopt subsidy. Looks like they are quite generous with a clothing allowance also. But I really don’t think they did it just for the money. Lee brought more money as did the other teen.

I am not so sure they didn't adopt for money. You also have the timeline a little wrong. Lee was fostered and dropped like a hot potato just before the first adoption. And, the abuse started soon after first set of kids were adopted. So, it's not like they got tired of taking care of 6 kids and so were abusing them. If they were so tired of taking care of 3 kids, why did they adopt the next 3? Summer 2004: The Harts take in a foster child named Lee. Then they later abandoned her the next Spring after they dropped her off at a therapist’s appointment, never to see her again. September 2006: Jennifer and Sarah Hart adopt siblings Markis, Abigail and Hannah. September 2008: According to a police report from Alexandria, Minnesota, Hannah, then 6, tells authorities that one of her mothers bruised her with a belt. Asked about the beating, Jennifer and Sarah Hart tell a police investigator and social worker the girl had fallen down the stairs. February 2009: Jennifer and Sarah adopt Devonte and two of his siblings — bringing their number of children to six. An article from Paper Trail, a New Zealand-based news outlet, describes his adoption. The article said by age 4, the boy had been abused, neglected, shot at and had endured other traumas.

 

[deugirtni]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

She looks more like 12-24 months here imo.

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The week of Dec 6-12 in 2006, in Houston, temps were up to 77 degrees. And you could also slip a hoodie on over an outfit.

I’d guess she looks 8-12 months in that picture. I have a 1year old (just turned). People either guess she is very young because of how tiny she is or older because she has so much hair.

Was it said that the photograph was taken in December 2006? Although the aunt may have had custody of the girl for a few months ending December 2006, reports have stated the kids were adopted in Feb.2009.. Sierra would have been 3.75years. To me she looks much older than 8 or even 12 months (look at the shoes?). Plus if the children were on the smaller side to begin with (not sure if that was the case?) It is very much possible, and very likely, that the bio fam could have continued visiting until closer to the time when the adoption process began, while the kids were being fostered (Does anyone know if the Harts were the first foster fam for these kids?).

And PS, I don't think anyone was posting anything negative about the family by asking about being sleeveless in Texas in December. We should quit trying so hard to be offended here sometimes. jmo.

 

[Silver~Bell]

Oregon Live keeps updating their gallery of pictures related to this case.

Here are a few pictures of Sierra with her biological father and paternal aunt. An earlier article on the legal efforts the aunt went through to keep the kids said that she had custody for 6 1/2 months ending in December 2006.

Sierra was born in April 2006. In December 2006, she would have been 8 months old. I think she looks older than that in this picture,which would suggest that the family was still visiting with the children when they were in foster care.

Any Texans here? If so, would you normally be dressing your baby in a sleeveless dress in December?

View attachment 133537

View attachment 133538

Yes, sleeveless in December in Houston area is very likely. We played outside in shorts on Christmas many a year. It can be VERY mild and humid.

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[Momoffourboys]

The most genuine hero’s are the hero’s unspoken/untold. The fact is truly, my child is my hero - not the other way around. She made me a mother (my only child died in gestation - my ability to produce a biological child was slim to none). She also went through further abuse at the hands of my ex (her adoptive father) when he sexually assaulted her during visitations after divorce. This baby sat on the stand at 13yrs old and told her story and put him behind bars. I testified with far less Grace than she did and she not only testified to what happened but her impact statement was a sentence that stopped the courtroom in its tracks, “I love you and I hate that I love you, but I forgive you.” I struggle daily to find forgiveness - I admittedly don’t try hard. But this 13yr old has made huge strides to. So if anyone is a hero here - it’s her. She is amazing and I didn’t save her. She saved me! And I’ll NEVER EVER offer her story (heck even sharing what I have anonymously here was carefully devoid of detail).
The paradigm of Devonte as a show pony for self-gratification is appalling and in humane. A rescue animal isn’t paraded even as much as this poor kiddo!



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You’re genuinely concerned for the well being of your child. Your intentions for adopting your child were genuine. You didn’t adopt and nor do you parent for praise or accolades. Unlike these two monsters who paraded these poor children around for photo opps and free hugs. Who were all too willing to share the kids’ stories and completely fabricate their history.

You are a mom. Nothing about those two was “mom”.