Dutch Quarter:--- A police officer accompanied by an officer of the Voluntary Korps and two women (a social worker and another woman) showed up at the I Can Foundation to remove the children of Kaye Lake who were placed at the I Can Foundation by the Court of Guardianship some five years ago.According to one of the children (a 16 year old boy), on Thursday afternoon the social worker and another woman showed up at the I Can Foundation to inform them that she will be removing them from the I Can Foundation to place him at the MPO Foundation and his sister in the custody of the woman who accompanied her.
The young man said that he told both women that his sister will not be going to anyone's house because she is well taken care of at the I Can Foundation where they have been living for the past five years. He said he also informed the woman that he would not be going to live at MPO. The young lad said he told the social worker that if his sister is to be removed from I Can Foundation then she will be going to live with her biological mother who is willing and ready to take her children to live with her. The young man whose identity we will not reveal said the woman who accompanied the social worker humiliated him and told him that his mother did not train him well and that he was rude. He said the insults took place in the presence of his surrogate mother and the social worker, who threatened him by telling him that she will return on Friday with the police to execute the judge's decision.
On Friday afternoon, the social worker accompanied by the woman and the two officers showed up at the I Can Foundation to remove the children based on the decision rendered by the judge. When they reached there both children could not be found. Police searched the foster home in the presence of the other children and adults at the I Can Foundation and did not locate the children.
In an interview with SMN News, surrogate mother Cassandra Debby Gibbs told SMN News that while she knew the social worker wanted to remove the children two months ago and the mother protested. Gibbs said the head of the Court of Guardianship Joel Arrindell visited the children and he interviewed the young man who told him that he was not going to move from I Can Foundation neither would he allow his sister to be placed at anyone's home since they are both able to visit their biological mother. Gibbs said she also attended a meeting with Arrindell and it was agreed upon that the decision rests with the children since they have a right to say where they want to live. Gibbs said one day after the meeting, the social worker showed up at I Can and was insisting that the children leave with her and again she called Arrindell and he informed the Social Worker that the 16 year old has the last word. Gibbs said she thought the matter was settled and at no time was she informed that the social worker would proceed to the judge for a court order so that the children can be removed. "These two children are in a stable environment, they are happy here and they are well fed and monitored," Gibbs said.
She said she was shocked when she was presented with the judge's decision on Thursday because she was not asked for a report neither was she heard. "Can you imagine the social worker used an old report that I gave them when the mother was not active in her children's lives. She did not inform me that she was going to court now and she needed and up to date report. All I am given is a decision and I intend to protest the decision through a petition to the court, besides that I heard the mother has contacted a lawyer who will be filing an injunction to appeal the judge's decision," Gibbs also confirmed the incident that took place on Thursday afternoon where the 16 year old boy was humiliated by the woman who wants his little sister. Gibbs said she intends to submit an "incident report" to the court of guardianship early next week because what took place on Thursday in the presence of the social worker was totally out of line. "The young man does not want to be separated from his sister, they went through a lot and he has been there through it all with his little sister, Gibbs explained.
The mother of the two children, Kaye Lake said the Court of Guardianship, neither the Social Worker nor the court informed her of the hearing. She said she was shocked when her son told her about the judge's decision. Lake also confirmed that she already contacted a lawyer to appeal the judge's decision. Lake further explained that she is not working at the moment and the social worker who has been intimidating her is using her current status against her to place her children where she wants to have them. "I do not know why this social worker wants to destabilize my children, how could she not understand what the two children went through before being placed at I Can Foundation."Lake said the only reason the injunction was not filed on Friday was because she could not come up with the $800.00 the lawyer is charging to file the case. She said she is busy trying to get that money because she will stand up for her rights as well as the rights of her children. Lake said the social worker has all her numbers and she also knows where she is living yet she did not contact her to inform her about the hearing. The angry mother said she is willing to take the law into her own hands because a woman who does not know her and her children insulted and humiliated her son and that does not sit well with her.
When asked if she could not be reached by phone on Friday, Lake said that she forgot her telephone at home when she went out to look for money to pay the lawyer and as such she could not be reached by phone. However, she made clear that the social worker knows where she is living and she is in the habit of driving up to her house, so that social worker cannot say she could not reach her to tell her about the court proceedings.
Lake further explained that she intends to file a criminal complaint against the social worker for the alleged illegal proceedings to get the judge to issue an order to remove her children from the I Can Foundation. "I will fight this to the very end, I will make sure this social worker stops harassing and penalizing unfortunate parents and children," Lake said.
It should be noted that Kaye Lake left her children with their father who was abusing her for years some five years ago. Lake said she was abused as child and had to be removed from her mother's home when she was ten years old. She said during her marriage her husband abused her for years and she almost lost her life. She admitted that in the beginning she could not face her children because she left them behind when she ran for safety. "I was removed from my mother's home because of abuse and I tried my best not to let that happen to my children but if I did not run, I might have been dead today. My children were taken by the police to the I Can Foundation when the police arrested my ex-husband for drug possession and drug smuggling. Ever since then I have been trying very hard to re-establish my life and to get my children back, but I am always on six month contracts at the casino where I was working and it has been a while now my contract expired and was not renewed, thus leaving me in a financial predicament which is used against me by the Court of Guardianship and Family Guardianship.
SMN News will be following the developments surrounding Kaye Lake and her two children since the two women and the police hid their faces when an SMN News reporter showed up at the I Can Foundation to witness the removal of Lake's children.
