A Revolutionary Tool
9th July 2011, 04:57
http://www.click2houston.com/news/28492032/detail.html
HOUSTON -- Some East Houston parents fought Friday to get their six children back after CPS said the shed they were living in had unsafe living conditions.Prince and Charlomane Leonard said that the 12-by-25-foot shed was not ideal, but it was the best they could afford."The kids were having a good time. They got bicycles and they were playing and they were doing good in school. They weren't saying, 'I want to leave,'" Prince Leonard said.Last week, CPS removed the children from the shed, which has air conditioning but no running water. The children were placed in foster care."This may not be the best environment that anyone should live in. It's not somewhere I would want to live, but at the end of the day, if this is all you've got to keep your children in a safe, clean environment, then you do what you've got to do," community activist Quanell X said.Quanell X said he has mobilized help for the family, including some furniture, clothing and a home they can live in for two months, rent-free."I say to CPS, 'You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing this man and this wife's children and breaking up this family.' It's time for CPS to do the right thing -- reunite this family," Quanell X said.Prince Leonard said he is allowed to visit his children six hours a week and get two phone calls with them.CPS said it will check out the new living conditions before deciding if and when the family can be reunited.The next court hearing for the family is scheduled for Aug. 16. However, CPS said it will ask the judge to consider holding the hearing much sooner.
HOUSTON -- Some East Houston parents fought Friday to get their six children back after CPS said the shed they were living in had unsafe living conditions.Prince and Charlomane Leonard said that the 12-by-25-foot shed was not ideal, but it was the best they could afford."The kids were having a good time. They got bicycles and they were playing and they were doing good in school. They weren't saying, 'I want to leave,'" Prince Leonard said.Last week, CPS removed the children from the shed, which has air conditioning but no running water. The children were placed in foster care."This may not be the best environment that anyone should live in. It's not somewhere I would want to live, but at the end of the day, if this is all you've got to keep your children in a safe, clean environment, then you do what you've got to do," community activist Quanell X said.Quanell X said he has mobilized help for the family, including some furniture, clothing and a home they can live in for two months, rent-free."I say to CPS, 'You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing this man and this wife's children and breaking up this family.' It's time for CPS to do the right thing -- reunite this family," Quanell X said.Prince Leonard said he is allowed to visit his children six hours a week and get two phone calls with them.CPS said it will check out the new living conditions before deciding if and when the family can be reunited.The next court hearing for the family is scheduled for Aug. 16. However, CPS said it will ask the judge to consider holding the hearing much sooner.