Foster (2018) - full transcript

For me, he was like a friend
that I could go to.

This is the Olympic doctor.

I was brainwashed to believe

this was a valid
medical procedure.

Wow! What have you done?

So many people came forward.

They're taking back their voice

but they shouldn't have had
to use it.

Remember what you have witnessed...

because everything is
what these survivors are worth.

Child protection hotline.
This is Candice speaking.



How can I help you?

Child protection hotline.
This is Crystal.

Hi. This is Steve Reid. Child protection hotline.
How may I help you?

And what is the youth's ethnicity
and primary language?

Yes, officer. Uh-huh.

And what is the name
of the minor?

Does the child have
any physical disability?

DCFS. Okay.
Can I have the address there?

What is the home address?

So, child number one.
What's child number one's name?

Okay.

Have you guys
contacted law enforcement?

So, basically, seven years old.

Any issues of domestic violence



-between mother and father?
-And now

you're calling
about child number two.

No injuries.

And you're
a school psychologist,

and what school
are you calling from?

Any substance abuse?

Have you
contacted her social worker?

Are there any other children
in the home?

Any other children in the home?

Any siblings?

Okay?

Approximately how old?

What's the allegation here?

Mm-hmm.

Okay, so, we--

Ma'am, you need to slow down
a little bit. Um...

Okay,
and what were the concerns

that were expressed to you?

Denyshia? Get up, baby.

Good morning.

Sydney, you wanna get up
and start making your bed, baby?

Get up. Denyshia will be out
in a minute.

Okay.

Adrienne? Adrienne?

Come on, baby, time to get up.

I'm tired.

I know you guys are tired,
but you gotta get up.

Casi? Come on, baby.

Sleeping good.

Oh, you're being silly.

I've been a foster parent

for at least 27 years.

I've had all kinda kids
that come in and outta my home,

but I try to conquer them all.

Makes me feel good
when I get a child

that I have really helped.

I don't want a child
that I'm not doing nothing for.

They're just here eating and
sleeping and going to school.

I like challenge,

and I think I mighta asked for
too much challenge...

...'cause sometime
I really get it. But, uh...

so far, so good.

Okay, it's time
for our morning prayer.

Okay, you guys grab hands.

You wanna pray first, Sydney?

Yeah. God, protect us every day.

Keep us safe.
Amen.

-What a-- a quick prayer.

Denyshia, do you wanna do it?

Casi, you wanna pray?
Okay, go on.

Very good. Very good, Casi.

Only God knows what you're
saying, but that's very good.

Lord, we ask you
to bless these kids

as they leave this morning
going to school.

Ask you protect them, Lord,

and keep them safe
in their classroom,

on the playground.

Let them be respectful
to their teacher.

Bless your knowledge, Lord.
Let them be, uh,

alert in what
they're doing in class.

-Amen.
-Amen.

All right.

I was about eight
when I got in foster care.

My parents were doing drugs
and stuff.

Like, they were just drinking,
drugs, being bad.

I was abandoned,

and I was, um,

abused, and I was mistreated,

and, like, no one showed
that they cared for me.

I've been here
going on five years.

At first, I was very depressed.

I didn't think, like,
no one would ever want me,

and that, like,
something was wrong with me,

and, uh...

I didn't, like--
I don't know-- I didn't, like...

I didn't know that I could
actually be loved again,

or ever.

So, what do you have upcoming?

This is my 17-year-old.

Almost gonna be 18.

Yes, just graduated high school.

This is a kid
who doesn't have parents,

doesn't have mentors,

who doesn't have anyone who's
been consistent in his life.

You've had him for a while now.
What, two years?

Yep. To see him trust me
is a big deal to me.

Sometimes I feel like I'm
so close in age to my kids

that they're, like, not--
they're not gonna respect me,

or they're not gonna be able
to take information from me,

but in a lotta ways, I feel like

it made me more trustworthy
to them,

and so when I gave him advice,
he actually took it.

Well, I never wanted
to be a social worker.

That's for sure.

A lot of my youth was spent
in the child welfare system.

I hated the system,
and I hated social workers.

I had a lot of negative things
to say about DCFS,

and everyone would say,

"You need to walk
in their shoes.

You don't know what it's like
on the other side."

And to really be
a true advocate,

you need to know

where the other side
is coming from.

When I started this job,
it was very humbling

because, like,
you don't know anything.

You don't know anything but
what they choose to tell you,

and, hopefully,
some of that is the truth,

so you can try to provide
some services to the family.

This job is hard as hell.

This is Larry Petrosky.

Reporting abuse?

Yes, sir.

-You a mandated reporter?
-I am.

And who abused the child

It's a substance-exposed infant.

Mother tested positive
for what?

Cocaine.

What about the baby?

The infant's urine is negative,

but we missed the first one,
and the meconium is pending.

Baby still at the hospital?

Yes, sir.

And when gonna be discharged?

They will both
be ready for discharge 12/04.

That's tomorrow.

When I get a referral
from the hotline,

I will get basic information
about the family,

what the safety concern is,
what the allegations are.

It's considered
an immediate response referral

because of the discharge date
for the child.

We don't wanna send
a newborn home

with a mom who potentially
has this cocaine addiction.

I always had
a passion for children

and being a voice
for the voiceless.

That's why I became
a social worker.

I always compare
being a DCFS social worker

like being in the Marines,

'cause we're out in the field,
in the front lines.

The social worker came in.

Chris is asking, like,

"Why is there
a social worker here?"

The social worker had told me

that I tested positive
for cocaine,

and that when my daughter,

you know,
when my daughter comes,

that they're gonna test her.

And so...

I-- the first question
I asked is,

"Are they gonna take her
from me?"

There's baby Kris'Lyn.

And then the next day,

that's when
the emergency worker came,

Jacqueline,

and that's when she
started asking us questions.

I came up with a story.

It wasn't a lie.
We did go to a friend's house,

and I told her
that there was drugs there.

They were smoking the cocaine.

And I told her just
this big old lie.

Chris was scared,
so I told him

to just go along with it,
because he didn't know I use.

I talked to mom,
and then I talked to dad,

and they gave me
the same story, that...

she tested positive for cocaine
because of secondhand smoke.

So, after talking
to the medical professionals,

they tell me
that's not possible.

And so, at that point, we have
concerns for mom's drug use,

and we also have concerns
that dad's

not gonna be protective
of the baby

and because it seems like
he's covering for her.

I felt betrayed, lied to.

I left. Went for a walk.

I was just thinking.

She's been here with me,

dealing with me,
for five years.

This is her first time she ever
really, really messed up.

I took dad outside,
and says, like,

"Look, we're going for
a removal order,

so you need to be
honest with me.

Does she have an addiction?
Is she using?"

And he continued to say,

"No, no, no.
I don't know anything."

We have this short amount
of time to make this decision

whether we can release
the baby to the father,

and at that time,

with the information
that we had,

we couldn't ensure
the safety of the child

in the care of the father.

So we moved forward
with the removal order.

I was born a drug baby.

My mom was on cocaine,
crystal meth.

I got taken away right away

and put into
the foster care system.

I went from home to home
to home to home,

sometimes with my sister,
sometimes not.

Overall, I have been in about...

I don't know, 16, 17, 18 homes.

I've always called every single
one of my foster parents

Mom and Dad,

but, like, I always knew that

my real mom
was the lady that we'd visit.

Hey, Mary.

-Jennifer. Nice to meet you.
-Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Mary.

I'm your attorney.
This is Sondra.

-Hi. Nice to meet you.
-Hi, Sondra.

How you holdin' up?

Um, I'm okay.

So, what's kinda different
about what we do now,

versus when you were younger,
is you're in a new court.

It's called
a non-minor dependent court.

It's for kids 18 to 21 that
have experienced foster care.

Your judge is a real pioneer

because she saw the statistics
of how bad it was

for youth when they were leaving
the foster care system.

So she has her very own court
dedicated to you guys.

The other really cool thing
is that we have peer advocates,

and do you mind telling her
what that's about?

Yeah. We've all grown up
in, um, the foster care system,

and I didn't get much support,

so I just--
I wanted to be that person that,

um, you know,
gave the resources and stuff,

'cause it was hard.

Can I ask?
And you don't have to answer,

but, um, I'll ask,

'cause it sounds like it's still
kinda hot for you,

-very triggering, is--
-What?

Is, like, um, your mom.

Did you see or visit your mom
when you were little,

-before you went home?
-Yeah, she was really nice.

She was a nice lady,
and then I moved in,

and first day,
she was sweet and everything.

I remember the third day is
when it all started happening.

But then I was there for like
a year and a half,

and the cops showed up,
and they checked everybody.

They checked our bodies
and everything,

and I was the only one who,
like,

had something from,
like, head to toe,

covered in, like, bruises,
and cuts, and scars,

and stuff like that.

So, then they were just like,
"Oh,"

and then they took us all away.

Then we went to court,
and they put me on the stand,

and they asked me to--
to share the story.

Like, tell 'em what's going on.
What's going on at home?

What's this? What's that?

But my mom was sitting
right there in front me,

and I couldn't--
I was terrified of her.

So, I was like, "No, nothing,
nothing. Everything is fine.

Good, good, good," right?
And, um...

they put my sister up, Yesenia,
and then she said everything.

And then they let us go
back home with her that day.

I don't know why.

But then one day,
out of nowhere,

some social workers showed up,
and they were like,

"All right, pack your stuff,"

and then they took me,
and I went to my grandma's house

and I never went back.

I never understood her,
and I still don't.

There were moments where, um...

she liked to go clubbing
a lot...

...and she'd come back drunk,

and she'd hold me in her arms
and say that she was sorry

and that everything was
gonna change starting today.

"Everything is gonna
be different. I love you."

And she'd hug me...

...and she'd be listening
to music,

and she'd be holding me there,
rocking me,

and-- and I just--
I believed her,

and I was like, "Love you,"
and I'd hug her and everything,

and she'd let me sleep with her
on the bed one night.

And then, the next morning,
she woke up.

She was like, "What the...
are you doing here?"

And she kicked me,
she slapped me,

and me she kicked me out,
and she threw me out,

and I was just so confused,
and I was like,

I just-- I thought-- and then
she did that a ton of times.

Um...

But every time,
I just believed her.

I just believed her.
I just believed her and...

But it just never changed.

Right here, Sydney.

Get the edges
a little bit better, right here.

I grew up in Arkansas,

a small country town.
I'm the third of 18 children.

I wanted to be like my mom,

but I didn't want 18.
I'll settle for five.

Five years,
I didn't get pregnant.

I did everything
the doctor told me to do,

and I couldn't get pregnant.
I thought, Lord,

and I talked to my pastor.

He said,
"I want you and your husband

to come to communion,
and I'm gonna pray for you."

Two weeks later, I was pregnant.

God gave me a miracle baby.

That's why I call my daughter,
Ericka, my miracle baby.

And then, after I couldn't have
any more kids, my girlfriend,

who worked for Department
of Children's Services,

she said, "You love kids.

Why don't you become
a foster parent?"

Erika was seven
when I got my first kid,

which was Steven.

What time is it?

Seven forty-five.

Okay, the bus should be here
any minute.

Casi has autism.

Sweet little girl,
beautiful little girl,

has a lot of problem that
she's not responsible for.

-No, no.
-Come on. Come on. Come on.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no!

-Oh, God.

Come on. Come on, Casi. Come on.

No, no, no!

No, no, no, no, no!

Casi.

Casi, you gotta get on the bus.

Okay, the bus gotta go.
They're gonna go without you.

-I'll go to the door.
-Yes, yeah!

-Okay, come on.
-One step.

Why are they yelling at me?

One more step, Casi.

Please?

No.

Do you think she'll be
all right on the bus?

Yesterday, she bit me again.

God.

Oh, my God.

Hope she'll be okay.

-She'd never act this--

You know what?

Maybe I should just take her.

-Come on, Casi.

Come on, Casi.

-Come on.

-It's okay.

I got you. Come on.
You're okay.

Once I get them in school,

get everybody in school,

and get them situated,
then I can start my day.

So, that's the purpose
of the morning prayer.

So I guess

I need to have prayed a little
bit harder for Casi.

Majority of our children
that we see

live in poverty.

They are minorities.

They come from
single-parent households.

They come from families where

there is undiagnosed
mental illness.

These are the larger society's
problems

that we haven't addressed.

A majority of our cases
are general neglect.

The children aren't being
properly cared for

or provided for.

We just don't get to choose
what families we're born into.

I was actually born
into a pretty normal family.

My parents were married.

I have five siblings,
the usual cat, dog, and bike.

Then when I was eight years old,
my mother filed for divorce,

and just like that,
everything changed.

In what seemed like
a matter of days,

my family became
devastatingly poor.

And somehow, in the mix
of all the commotion,

my mom went to the doctor
and found out

that she had breast cancer.

I'm not sure what happened,

but after a few treatments
of chemotherapy,

she was a different person.

She would beat us
and talk to us viciously

for little to no reason.

I remember being dragged
across the floor

by my hair, naked,

while being punched and kicked
all over my body,

constantly being slapped
in the face,

and called nasty whores
and bitches,

and told to kill myself.

I'm sorry. I've never told
this part of my story.

My mom ended up getting
section eight housing,

but the tragic thing is that

when we actually did
get section eight,

we moved into the hood,

all hell really broke loose.

My sixth grade experience
in my new school was terrifying.

By the end of the first month
in our new school,

both me and my big sister,
Charity,

joined a clique,
which is a mini gang.

I really liked being in a gang,

because it gave me
a sense of normality,

but mostly because I was afraid
of my mom,

and after she would hit me
or degrade me,

I could go hit someone else
and feel better,

because after I discovered that
hitting people

relieved some of the pain
that I was feeling inside,

I stopped crying
when my mom would hit me.

I didn't want her to use me
to feel better.

The first time
I ran away from home--

-Oops!

That's my sister, Charity.
I'm gonna tell her, "Girl,

don't be callin'
while I'm here."

-She can feel it.

She can feel I'm telling
the family business.

She always knows. She's like,
"Stop tellin' our business!"

She always knows
that I'm doin' it.

But...

So, actually, the first time
that I ran away from home,

I remember my mother
was beating me in the kitchen,

and I heard my big sister,
Charity,

I believe, scream out, "Run."

So, I ran
to my best friend's house,

and after one look at me,

her mom hid me from my mom
for about three days.

During those three days
that I was there,

I had mastered shoplifting
to a tee.

One morning, after a successful
shoplifting spree,

I was caught
by the grocery store security

with two cartons eggs
and two packs of bacon

stuffed under each of my arms
in my jacket.

They called my mom
for over 12 hours

before the executive decision
was made to call the police.

I was taken to juvenile hall,

and that's where
my foster care journey began.

All right, let's meet over here.

So, how are you feeling about
your court appearance today?

All right. It's all good.

Yeah?
You feel like you're doing well?

Yeah, just--

I just don't like court.
It just--

What don't you like about court?

It's just the pressure.

-Yeah, stressful.
-Constant pressure, yeah.

Okay. I have questions

about especially last year.

It sounded like a hard year.
Would you say?

-A stressful year.
-Stressful year?

I was never on probation
before last year.

-Yup, yeah.
-Everything changed, really.

Yeah, and it sounded like,
even the year before,

a lot of changes happened,
right?

-Mm-hmm.
-Like, you were in...

four different group homes?

Yeah, I was in
a lotta group homes.

So, I wanna talk
a little bit about that.

When you arrive in court here,
and they don't know you,

and all they receive

is something like
the police report,

they see one act,

and it's typically, you know,
in their eyes, a bad act,

right? And so,
part of what my job is to do

is, um, tell the fuller story
of Dasani.

And so,
my way of working with you

is to figure out what parts
of your story

you actually want to share,

but I don't wanna do it

without your collaboration,
okay?

Shall we go to court?

Uh-uh.

-What'd you say?
-Uh-uh, not back in there.

-Uh-uh.
-Bad place.

All right.

Do you remember how long
you were in there?

Approximately 25 days.

-Twenty-- 25?
-It was the worst 25 days

of my life.

I think,
if you keep doing well,

you won't end up back there.

Let's bring in Dasani.

We need to get
the APD to substitute.

-No, I don't.
-No?

Hello, Dasani.

-How you doin', mister?
-I'm well. Thank you.

So, Dasani, overall,
I got a great report.

Your grades are really good.

I see an A in Algebra,
a B in Life Skills,

a B in History, and A in Lab.

And how'd the C slip in there?
C in English?

-How does that slip in there?
-Oh, I don't know. I mean...

Come on. Let's work on that.

Let's make sure
if you need tutoring,

let's get tutoring in place.

So, you're gonna be at school
on time.

-Mm-hmm.
-Getting your work done.

Getting your homework done,
right?

-Yes, sir.
-You-- You're keeping your word.

So, the only place you haven't

is I got a negative test.

I mean a positive test,
excuse me. 138 nanograms,

which means you took
a couple hits. Yes?

-Yes, sir.
-Your Honor, um,

he's struggling with sobriety,

and relapse can be part--
is sometimes part of recovery.

It is, often.
So, what happened?

My-- I don't-- One of my friends

gave me a brownie.
I was unaware.

Hey, come on.

But I take full responsibility.
Yeah, yeah.

-You were-- You knew.
-I didn't-- I really didn't--

You're sophisticated enough
to know. Please don't play me.

Yeah, I didn't-- I didn't know,
but I take full responsibility.

I wasn't born yesterday.

You know. When you took
the first bite, you knew.

And now, the other question is,
you called him a friend.

Now, this friend may be using,

but the friend should respect
your decision not to use

and should be supporting that.

You may wanna assess
who you have as friends.

-Who your friends are.
-Your Honor,

by way of clarification,

this is another young person
who lives at the group home.

So he is a friend,

but he also is living
at the same place as Dasani.

Maybe we need to recategorize
that as an acquaintance.

Your Honor,
I also just wanted to flag

that the team,
the defense team and probation,

will be working together
to identify

more individualized counseling

to address some of
the underlying needs that, uh,

may be manifesting itself
in substance use.

Um, as the court knows, um,

Dasani has quite a, um,
traumatic childhood history,

and some of that
seems to be unaddressed.

So we would like to explore,

-for instance...
-Maybe I'm a Neanderthal.

-...trauma informed therapy.
-I'm not into it.

I need you
to take care of business.

Perform,
which is what you're doing.

-Don't make excuses, right?
-Yes, sir.

All right,
that's all I'm asking for.

-Thank you, Dasani.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

-Good work.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

Thanks, everyone.
All right, next case.

Deputy Garcia,
ready to rock and roll?

Watch your fingers.

All right, good afternoon.

Let me hear from children's
counsel, parents' counsel,

and then I'll last hear
from the county

with respect to
detention issues.

Your Honor,
on behalf of Kris'Lyn,

we are asking for her to be
returned to her father today.

Even with the department's
low burden,

they haven't established
by prima facie evidence

that there's risk
if Kris'Lyn were released today.

The department will now be
testing the mother,

can do unannounced visits
to make sure that

father isn't allowing
unauthorized contact,

and that she's not visiting
or caring for the baby

if under the influence.

On behalf of father,
Your Honor,

father is asking
for the child to be,

uh, placed with him today.

Father did not know
about mother's drug use,

and mother misinformed
the department.

Um...

Misinformed is not exactly
the right word, but, uh--

Did not tell the department
of her drug use

and did not tell father of--
of her drug use, as well.

But father is in a position now
to care for the minor

and he's asking for the minor
to be returned to him today.

All right. Mom's counsel?

I think my client made mistakes
on so many levels,

and the court pointed out
something

that I felt was important:

that my client lied
to the department

in not disclosing
the correct circumstances

that led her to use drugs
and the full story,

but when DCFS is involved,

parents are afraid
to lose their child,

so the stories that come out

may not really reflect
what transpired.

She's certainly
not the first parent

that's not telling the truth
to the department.

Exactly.

So I don't think father
should be judged

on misrepresentations
made by my client, and--

What are you asking for?

I'm asking for release
to the father.

My client would not in any way
conduct herself

in a way to sabotage
a release to the father.

So, my client would continue
with the program that she is in,

which is
Tarzana Treatment Center.

She will continue testing.

She is amenable
to supervised visits.

Uh, she will be grateful
if father could be the monitor.

So we are joining
father's attorney

and minor's attorney
in making that request.

I'm not happy
about the misrepresentations.

We'll be charitable at that.

And those even could potentially
be tied to the father.

But the father works.
He's got strong family support.

I do think,
under the circumstances,

it is appropriate
to detain from the mother,

and I think that it's
appropriate

to release to the father
with conditions.

The release, I think,
should be conditioned

on the father staying with
the grandfather

so that there's
some level of supervision.

So, let's discuss visitation.
It should be monitored.

Uh, mom can't breastfeed
till she's testing clean.

Dad, although the child
is released to you,

she remains under
the supervision of the court.

You're also not to
move addresses

without notifying
the social worker.

And, also,
let's make sure we have

a holiday visitation schedule

so that the mother
can see the child

on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

-All right, thank you.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

You remember our conversation

about the origin
of this problem?

-Right.
-You have to deal with that...

-I know.
-...squarely.

-Okay.
-Okay?

-Thank you.
-Take care, okay?

Okay.

And nice working with you.
Okay, thanks, guys.

This is your attorney's
direct dial extension.

-Okay.

This is a release slip,
shows that you have custody.

Um, they're gonna call
the social worker

and let the social worker know

your daughter
was released to you.

You can call her and arrange
to pick up your daughter, okay?

Everything is okay, baby.

See? I told you.

-All right?
-Okay.

Right? We got the best news
ever, right?

-Yeah.
-Okay, then.

Everything just seemed
to have hit us at one time.

We lost our car, place,

and me being pregnant,
being homeless,

I hit rock bottom.

It was like, dang,
take everything away from us

to give us this blessing that
we've been wanting for years.

I made some bad decisions,

and I allowed that situation
to take over me.

I used cocaine
the day before my water broke.

I just told her,
"We in this together."

I'm here for you just like
you've been here for me,

but just don't-- don't make
another mistake like this again.

-Butterfly.
-She's fussy, fussy.

I have a bottle in the bag,
so you can make her a meal.

Okay, thank you.

Hey, beautiful.
There goes daddy baby.

So, this is--
How are you with handling?

Oh, I'm good.

-It's okay.

It's okay, beautiful.

So, do you have a bed?

-Bassinet.
-It's in there now?

-No, it's, um-- Mm-hmm.
-So, it's all coming?

Do you know around what time
she'll be here?

She's-- I don't know.
About an hour.

-What's wrong?

Huh?

-Hi.
-Oh, hi. How are ya?

I'm Redina Sheriff,
the social worker.

Okay, social worker.

-Nice to meet you.
-Okay, how you doing?

I'm gonna give you my card.

So, the baby is gonna be where?

Uh, I'm gonna have to
set her bassinet up in here.

-Okay.
-Yeah.

I'll probably just sleep
on the couch now.

You're home now.

I'm so happy I got you back.

Ready?

A one.

Look at Jake.

-Surprise!
-Hey, Jake.

Hey, Mama.

Have a nice weekend!

We've been waiting on you.

Yeah, for a very long time.

-Are your friends on the bus?
-Yeah.

Jake was three years old

when I got Jake,

and he had cerebral palsy.

He had a lotta things
wrong with him,

but he loved people.

I remember he couldn't do
anything for himself.

I had to bathe him.
I had to brush his teeth.

I taught him how to walk.

I taught him how to use
a knife and a fork

and not to use his fingers
and eat.

And then the social worker
came to me and said,

"You have worked miracles
with this child.

He can be adopted now.

We wanna take him
and put him in an adopted home

to get him ready for adoption."

I said, "Are you crazy or what?
You're not taking my baby.

I have worked with him for years
to get him to where he is now.

Why would I let you take him?
You're not taking him.

If anybody adopt him,
I will be the one to adopt him,

but you guys can't take him
from me

'cause I'm all he knows."

I was in seven other
foster homes before this one.

The difference is,

in between this home
and the other homes,

is I used to run away,
and now I don't run away.

I would always throw stuff
around at people

and, like,
just tore down things,

and so I just don't do it
here anymore.

Once a kid is taken
from their parent,

if they didn't have
an issue before,

they got one now,

and that's what I try to tell
some of the social workers.

I said, "Once you took
that kid away,

they're gonna become bitter.

They're gonna become
destructive.

They're gonna become angry.

They're gonna have
a lotta problem wrong with them

because you took them
from their comfort zone,

from their parents,

from their school,
from their friends.

You took them away,
and you expect 'em to be

okay with that. They're not."

When I turned 18,
I thought I was ready.

I was excited. I was like,
I'm gonna do my own thing now.

The social workers
would often say,

"Oh, you know what?

You're one of our
most successful kids."

I just feel like I have to
meet up to their expectations.

I have to do good.

If I get a C in a class,
that's not good enough.

I feel like I have to do better.

There you go.

In the system,

you hear a lot about kids

who go into homes where,
you know,

they're sexually abused,

even physically, verbally,
any kind of abuse, um,

you can think of. Um...

These parents, foster parents,
however you want to call them,

um, sometimes the parents
don't know

what the child has
been through, or they do,

and, you know, they'll send
the kids to therapy,

take medications, the, um, um...

And just-- or the kid is
too much for them to handle,

so then they--
they send them off.

So, it's like-- it's--
it's delicate. It's...

Um, okay...

College was nothing
like I expected.

It's a lot harder
than I thought it would be.

I think having been born
a drug baby

has definitely affected
the way I learn.

It's hard for me
to process things.

It's hard for me to focus.
It makes me feel dumb.

I want to be able to handle it.

I want to be able to
get my stuff in order, but...

I'm not ready.

-Where were you born?
-Chicago.

And how long
did you live in Chicago?

I was there for, like,
five, six years.

Okay. What do you
remember about Chicago as a kid?

Not much.
Yeah, I was a little kid.

I mean, I remember streets.

Okay.

My mom used to walk me
to school when I was little,

as a toddler.

I remember that street.

What were the streets like?

That's...

You're telling me
something with that look,

-but I-- I can't translate it!
-As-- As in-- As in--

What you-- What-- What kinda--

What are you asking
about the street?

Like, do you have
good memories of the streets,

or do you have bad
memories of the streets?

Both good and bad.

Okay, give me
an example of the good.

-I liked the weather.
-Okay.

And that's not really
a lot about...

Not a lot about
the streets that were good?

-It-- It--
-Okay.

It's--
It's not so much as that as...

Ooh.

I'm getting memories.

What's coming to your mind?

My little brother.

Oh.

-Can we stop, please?
-Mm-hmm.

I'm gettin' that-- that--
that good glory sweat, dude.

Right.

Dasani did witness his mother
being murdered.

-Mm-hmm.
-By a father figure.

It's unclear whether that
was mom's boyfriend

or whether it was
the biological father.

When he tells the story,

he says that his dad
killed his mom.

-Right.
-Okay. And then, at that point,

the father that he knew
gets incarcerated.

Mom is now deceased,

and he gets placed with
a 60-year-old family friend.

And gives him up in 2014.

Yes.

Then he ends up
in a number of group homes.

-Then he's bouncing around...
-Right. Right.

...from group home
to group home.

What I hadn't
delved into as deeply

is the ten years he was
with his adopted parent.

-Mm-hmm.
-She physically abused him.

He said that the foster mother
burned him,

and he's got a burn mark,
with an iron. She denied it.

And when she decided to

call DCFS and say,
"I don't want him anymore"--

She said,
"And I think, at this point,

I just need to let him go."

-Mm-hmm.
-That "he's a big boy now."

-Mm-hmm.
-He was like 13, 14.

No, they couldn't
pick him up quick enough.

So she took all of his clothes,

put them in trash bags,
and dumped him off at DCFS.

Well, I wish I had gotten
on the case earlier,

but I'm really grateful that
we have collaboration here

because I think
it's the case management,

your relationship with Dasani,

and all the handling
of the social work,

the placement that makes
getting off probation quicker.

-Mm-hmm.
-Dasani is a foster youth.

I mean, this is--

His delinquency is a product
of that.

They recognize that a lot
of his actions are trauma.

So, he really did,

and these kids really do
fall through the cracks.

I think he fell
through a major crack.

Right.

The tough thing
about the system

is that it is a system.

Los Angeles County
is a massive county.

So it's like trying to treat
everybody the same,

but everyone is not the same.
Everyone's unique.

It's kinda maxed out.
It's at capacity.

So, a lot of these
social workers,

they aren't able to go
the extra mile for every case.

Foster youth,

they're in trouble,
they're on probation,

and everyone has a judgement
on the youth,

and what they did,
and what they should do,

but nobody is with them
day to day.

I spent most
of my teenage years

in between
lockdown group homes,

juvenile hall, and staying
with friends and boyfriends.

As a probation youth,

when you run away
from placement,

they put a warrant out
for your arrest.

I just kept on AWOLing,
get locked up,

AWOL, get locked up, AWOL.

I don't know if I was
really depressed or indifferent,

but I just don't remember
any light, like, ever,

besides, like, the...

I don't remember ever seeing,
like, light.

It's always been open like that.

-It's always been open?
-Mm-hmm.

I was in eternal darkness.

Do you remember
when you first got here?

You didn't wanna interact
with the other kids.

You didn't like the staff.

You didn't wanna
come out your room.

You didn't like the food.
You didn't like the shower.

I think a lot of it
is for safety reasons

that they have the open-stalled
restrooms and showers,

but, you know, I'm a kid.

I was embarrassed,
I was humiliated,

and I didn't want them to see
inside of me or over me.

And, you know,
they used to laugh

'cause I used be the one,
like, walking like this.

To me, it was so degrading

and so awful that...

I don't know. It's just really
hard to care about yourself

when you're being punished
at that level.

I saw in Jessica

a person that was crying out
for help.

She didn't realize
she was screaming, "Help me,"

but I-- I felt it, and I saw it.

I think she had been told
many times

that she was never gonna amount
to anything.

Nobody made her feel like
she was worth anything.

"You're never gonna be anything.
Nobody cares."

You know, but I saw something
in her that--

that told me different,

and if somebody can reach her,

this could be one of
the kids that we can save.

So, Jessica,

what really helped you achieve
the success that you've had,

and why do you believe
those forces around you worked?

The biggest thing, I think,

was having people come into
my life and hold hope for me.

There was very long
periods of time

in my adolescence
where I had given up,

um, on believing
that I could achieve anything.

When I was 18, I went to
a nonprofit organization,

and I met people there
who started talkin' to me

for the first time
about education,

and at that time,
I had very firm beliefs

that I was a stupid person.

I tested very low
in community college.

I tested into third grade math
and eighth grade English,

which was very discouraging,

but they believed in me,
and I really needed that

because even after they
discovered that I was pregnant,

and I thought that they were
gonna give up on me

'cause I wasn't gonna
become a success story,

they still pushed me.

People have spoken life
into me that--

and-- and I was dead.

-Jessica Antonia Chandler.

No crying, baby.
This is happy. This is happy.

Mom! Go Mom!

Two of my former
foster sisters,

when they found me on Facebook

and saw that I had got
my master's degree,

they decided to go to college.

I guess I was just so terrible
that they were like,

"If Jessica got a diploma,
if she graduated from college,

anybody can.

Like, this must be easy."

And even thought it wasn't easy,
it wasn't--

since they knew my story,

and they knew
how much I had struggled

and how bad my behaviors had
been at one time,

they knew that transformation
was possible for them, too.

-Hi.
-Hi, Miss Redina.

-How are you?
-Good. How are you?

Good, good.
Do you wanna go into the room?

Yes, please.

Here's baby.

-Oh!

Here's mommy.
Here's my mommy.

-Hi, babe.
-Hi, beautiful.

Here's your mama.

And Merry Christmas.
This for her.

Thank you. Thank you.

So you can get more
little baby items.

Here's your mommy, baby.

I was gonna go
right to Walmart, too, after.

-Oh, okay, that's good.
-Thank you. I appreciate it.

Your mommy missed you. Aww.

Miss Sheriff got you a present.

-What's the matter?
-You're probably wondering about

-the whole monitoring...

-...who can monitor.
-Yeah.

And then how, for father,
I'm gonna provide

family reunification services.
Um...

What does that mean?

They come once a week,

and they'll address
any of your issues,

and they have
quarterly meetings,

and you would go to the meeting,

and we'll discuss
what we've accomplished,

-what we still need to do...
-What needs--

...and so forth.

-To get us back together?
-Right.

That's our number one thing:

to reunify families because,
really and truly,

we don't wanna see you
back in the department.

And I don't want to
come back.

-And so, in order--
-I wanna come back

and show you
how good we're doin'.

-Right.
-Right.

And how much progress
we're making.

See the progress
that you're doin'.

Right, right, right.
And that's understandable.

I miss both of them,

'cause it's not just her
that's taken from me.

It's him, too, right now.
So it's hard.

-How long is our visit?
-And--

I can allow for two hours.

-Is that fine?
-Yeah.

I'm gonna give you guys
a little time, okay?

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Miss Redina.

Yeah, I'll be back
to check on you.

Thank you.

-I miss you.
-I miss you, too, baby.

How has she been
through the night?

I got an alarm
for every three hours...

...but it's-- it been all right.

She eats every three hours?

Yeah.

-She's eatin' a lot?
-Yeah.

Look at all that hair.

I didn't grow up

with social services
involved in my life.

I did grow up in
a domestic violence household.

I was always the one
to go take the kids,

and go in the room,
and close the door,

and shelter them,

and tell them not to listen,
and...

The only thing
that I got out of that

was to not tolerate
any man to hit me.

That was one of my main things
growing up,

when I'd seen them
go through that,

that this is what I don't want,

and so when I, you know,
when I got with Chris,

he gave me that.

My mom had me when she was 15.

She's a single parent.

I seen stuff a three-year-old,

four-year-old shouldn't have
never seen.

My mom and my dad was arguin',

and my mom was saying,
"Don't leave. Don't leave."

My dad went to the front door,
and he put a dollar in my hand,

and then he left.

Then I looked back
in the kitchen,

and then I see my mom,

um... trying to kill herself.

Um, and, uh...

that right there,
that scarred me for life.

Growing up, I--
I couldn't be like my dad.

I couldn't be like him.

My mom always struggled.

She struggled
after my father left us.

She did her best,
but, you know,

she-- she just couldn't do it.

She's going crazy

'cause she don't know how
she's gonna pay the rent,

so... started hustlin'
on the streets.

Been hustlin' since I was 11,

stealing cars,
selling them to chop shops,

and helping my mom pay rent.

My number-one rule was,
I asked my mom not to--

never ask me
where I got the money from.

Just pay the bills.

My mom always drilled in my
head she wanted me to stop,

but it was just I was-- I was--
I was addicted to money.

It was something that I--
I didn't grow up having,

so it was, "I want that
instead of studying in school,"

until I went to jail,
and I realized, uh, you know,

I was-- I felt that
I was being selfish.

I wasn't caring about my mom.

I wasn't caring
that I'm the oldest son,

and I have three little sisters.

So, that-- that made me
want to change my ways.

I see myself
sort of in my mom's shoes.

Me struggling to try to
take care of my family

like a-- like a man should
take care of his family.

This is where Zoila lives,

and I lived here
for seven years.

Mary!

-Hi, guys.
-Hi.

I don't wanna
start hugging you.

How are you?

How are you? Hi, Babba.

Mary was a...
little skinny little girl.

She came when she was seven.

She got along with my kids
and with my other foster kids.

We just loved her to pieces.

-The social worker said

that she had been in 12 houses
prior to mine,

and, to me, it was like,

I'm gonna make this
the final home for her.

I wanted her to stay here,

and I wanted to see her
get married and move on,

but it didn't work that way.

-You didn't go to school today?

-Shame on you.

You've gotta be motivated
to go to school.

That's the only way that you'll
be able to finish your classes.

I know.

-So, you started off good.
-I know.

Even though she lived
with me for so many years,

some of my rules
here at the house

were rules that she didn't
wanna accept,

and so
she wanted to try it out,

um, elsewhere,

to see if maybe
they didn't have any rules

as strict as I was.

Oh, she was okay. She's...

you know, we don't have
no problem with her.

But I was always in trouble,
remember?

Yeah, but, um,
I-- I-- I cannot say nothing.

She's in trouble
because she wants to do it.

Like I always told her,

I see her as my daughter,
and I want the best.

So, when I see her doing
something that wasn't right,

I would always call it
to her attention,

and I think that's where our
relationship was breaking up.

It was very difficult.

I cried, and she cried, and,

you know, but I think that,
at that time,

it was the best thing
for both of us.

I didn't really think
I was gonna do it.

I was just being
a teenager rebel.

I just wanted to leave.

But then when I was actually
in the new home,

and I arrived,
and I had my luggage,

then I was in, like,
a little room,

I just looked around,
and I was like,

"What the heck just happened?"

And I just started crying,

and then I called my mom
right away,

and I was like,
"I miss you. I wanna go back."

It was really hard.
It took me a while

to get used to the fact that
I wasn't here anymore,

but they never said anything
to stop me.

They never said,
"No, stay. We want you here."

They just said, "Fine.
If you wanna leave, leave."

I've always kinda just wondered
what was wrong with me.

Why did all these families
just give up on me?

Why didn't any other--

any of my other family members
take me in

instead of just watching me
get passed around?

Definitely,
one of the biggest reasons

why I'm trying so hard
not to give up

and to keep pushing forward
is to show my mom.

Look who you called a mistake.

Look who you tried killing
several times.

Like, look.
Look at who I-- who I can be.

Look at where I'm going.

And I just kinda wanna show her,
like, I wasn't a mistake.

Being in a group home
is like lockdown.

It's like having
a big ol' chain

attached to your leg.

You go,
and if it don't work out,

you go somewhere
completely different.

It's like you're just bouncing

from place, to place, to place,
to place, to place.

You don't know
none of these people.

These people is brand new.
This is a whole new experience.

This is a whole new way.
You feel me?

It's a whole new environment.
Everything is different.

You give a man feet,
he gonna walk.

You give a man a scooter,
he gonna scoot.

You give a man a skateboard,
he gonna skate.

Give me a bike,
I'ma ride that damn bike.

You feel me? It's just...

Damn. It's a getaway.

All right, I got, um, Dasani.

He's here for a JDRV,

which is a six-month
progress report.

It covers the services that we--
that we provided for him.

My concern is what's happening
on page two.

-Yes.
-My concern was behavior issue,

suspended. Um,
then he started blaming

the house manager and threw
a pitcher of juice at him.

Not working at, um, therapy.

Not working at substance abuse
because they think he is, um,

supplying marijuana there,
which seriously annoys me.

They're allegations that
other young people

were saying that he was selling.
Those are unsubstantiated.

We did not take the time
to investigate that further

because he was all--

If the other kids are saying it,
the likelihood is, it's true.

Your Honor, there--
no one found any weed on him

-or any drugs.
-And not a surprise either.

-No one saw him.
-Importantly--

You're saying that they're
picking on him?

They're focusing on him?

I'm saying that
it's com-- it's not evidence.

It's not-- there's-- I mean,
you can assume it's true,

-but it's-- you can assume--
-I am.

-Well, that's not fair.
-Importantly,

he is enrolled
in a program currently.

It is school based.
It is weekly.

He is attending,
and it seems to be--

How often is he tested?
Do you know?

I don't believe
he's tested positive since--

Do we know
how often he's tested?

-He has a negative.
-Yeah,

he tested earlier this month,
and he tested negative.

So, I've still got
these other issues going on.

Um, they're working with him
in counseling.

If I just read
between the lines here,

he's just not engaged
in the counseling.

Dasani goes to counseling.

He's not refusing to go.
He is not emotionally able

to talk about what he witnessed
when he was four years old.

Um, I know that
last time we were here,

Miss Soung had talked about
getting him involved

in trauma informed therapy,
and he was terrified of that.

He is now receiving his therapy

at Didi Hirsch.
In the spirit of the way

we discuss things
to see how they're doing,

why don't we give him a chance
at Didi Hirsch?

All right. Um,
so I guess I'll yell a bit...

and bluster,
and he'll walk out the door

unless he annoys me too much,
but he'll walk out the door.

Anything else I--
anyone thinks I should do?

All right. Anything else?

-No.
-No? All right.

All right.
So, I got a report,

and I want you to know
that when I first read this,

I was lookin' to detain you
for the weekend.

I was not happy with what
I'm reading here about--

Now, they say you threw
a pitcher of juice.

Was it a pitcher
or just the water or juice?

I-- I threw everything,

but the only thing that really
projected was the-- the juice.

You got lucky, you mean.
You missed.

It's unacceptable.

Something like that happens,
I'm detaining you.

With regard to drug counseling,

they kicked you out of
the drug counseling program

'cause they think
you're selling.

I've been clean, sir.

I appreciate that,
but there's a lotta smoke.

I'm not gonna be happy

if I find out
that you're selling poison

or giving poison away
to any other kids.

-Yes, sir.
-Don't.

And then I also am reading, um,

that you were a little reluctant
with your counseling.

You go to the counseling,

but I'm hearing that you're not
fully engaged.

-To which one, sir?
-Well, your-- your counseling.

-At the group home.
-The group home?

-Yes.
-I went every day

-and participated.
-I know. You're going.

And participated actively.

You think you're
participating fully? Okay.

All right. So, I'm-- I'm gonna
ask you just to pause

and to think about how
you could, uh,

you could participate more,

how you could be engaged more
to deal with the trauma--

and I-- I don't mean
to be using that word--

but that you experienced in your
past to work through this.

I know that it's reluctance
to talk about it.

We guys don't like talking
about this stuff either,

but I need you to truly try.

-Yes?
-Yes, sir.

So, I understand he's
working with your arts program.

He's very engaged. He's a good
leader in the program.

Um, he does our
music program twice a week.

He's very involved with that.

Like I said, he often spends
lunches there as well.

Uh, and I think it's
a good outlet for him.

He does express himself
in there.

Good. I like it. And--

Yeah,
he's been a very good addition.

The thing that I--
that I take from all that

is intelligence,
and I've seen that.

We all see it.
Let's not waste it.

Nothing worse in this world
than wasted potential.

All right, Dasani, uh, um,
came--

started with being
pretty upset with you.

I've come around a bit here,

but know I'll be
watching closely.

Have a good day.

The Los Angeles population

is ten percent
African American.

The foster care system
is 25 percent African American.

That's--
it's extremely disproportionate.

The foster care system
is a punitive system.

Punishment is just more hurt.
Like, there is that--

the saying that
hurt people hurt people.

People who are hurting
hurt people.

Well,
punishment is just more hurt.

Everyone open your little bags.

Hold it. Hold it like this.

Don't spill it, please.

-Ice cream.
-I don't really need it.

I scream.
We all scream for ice cream.

Hold it. Be careful.

Denyshia was--

she came to me
with an attitude.

She came to me with
a lot of baggage

and a lot of problems,
and the social worker told me

I was gonna have some problem
with Denyshia.

From day one, she said,

"My father said
I had the devil in me,

and he's not comin' out."

She had got in her room,
under her bed, and she said,

"I'm not coming out. The devil
told me not to come out."

I said, "Denyshia, you don't
have no devil in you."

"Yes, I do. My dad said
I have the devil in you."

I said, "You know what?

If he's in you,
tonight he's coming out,

'cause the devil can't stay
in my house."

So, she came from under the bed,
and she said,

"How you gonna do it?"
I said, "I'm gonna get--

watch me." I said,
"One of you kids,

go open the front door.

Go get me the broom.
Open the front door."

I said, "Devil,
you gotta come outta here.

This kid-- come outta her heart,
right now,

and you get outta my house."

So, I got the broom,
and I swept him out,

and I told her, I said,
"Now he's gone.

He's outta your heart,
and he's outta my house."

And she said, "Mom, you"--
I said, "He's gone.

He's gone.
Do you feel him in your heart?"

"No."
I said, "He's gone.

Don't ever let him
come back again."

And she believed that story.
That's an old wives' story...

...but I believed it, too.

My hands are turning red.

Okay, what will happen
if the ice melt,

and it's still not done?
You put more ice in it?

Well, then that means
y'all did something wrong.

Y'all are not shaking
good enough.

If they like milkshake, I mean,

why can't you guys do that?

You guys can do
whatever you want.

I'm gonna make ice cream.

Even if I have go
to China to get ice,

I will do it.

The kids need
a lot of love,

and the type of love,
it has to be long suffering.

It have to be beyond measure.

You know, you just can't
just say, "I love you."

Prove it.

Do something about it.
Show them.

There, it's coming out.

It's not coming out.
It would've been done already.

I'm gonna go in the house.

Okay,
let's wait until she come back.

Set that-- put that down, Jake.
Let them do it.

When she come back out here,
just tell her, "Okay, Denyshia,

you done a good job.
We've been waiting on you."

Blah, blah, blah. Give her some
encouragement, okay? Sydney?

-Yes?
-Can you do that?

-Yes.
-Okay, when she come back out,

-just pump her up.
-That's fine with me.

Okay. But don't overdo it, okay?

-Teamwork.
-Teamwork, okay.

You're doing an amazing job,
and something else.

Okay,
you think of that.

Teamwork make perfect.

Teamwork--
Teamwork make perfect.

That's right.

Okay,
let me go get her outta there.

Everybody think of something,

but don't overdo it.
Okay, something to say.

No, she's too irritated.

I got a new idea.

-Okay.
-Yippee.

I'm gonna pour this ice water
over you.

Go ahead.

Go ahead. I don't care.

I love this family. It's like
the only family I have.

It's like... I really love them.

Like, I don't know
what I'd be without them.

-Yes?
-Hi, I'm Christina.

I'm the person
you've been talking to.

-Mm-hmm.
-This is my supervisor,

Robin Kovalsky.
So she's just here with us.

Okay.

Oh, look at how cute she is.
She's adorable.

-Thank you.
-Is she eating?

Yeah.

-Aww, great.

How old is she now?

-She is a month and nine days.
-Oh, okay.

-She's doing really good though.
-Yeah, she is.

-I don't see any concerns.
-Uh-uh.

Let's go get your bassinet.

Does she like going out
on walks in her stroller?

Yeah. When I walk to the store,
by the time...

by the time
I get to the front gate,

-she's already asleep.

Yeah, that's--
I know.

-That's-- it's so soothing.
-She's already asleep.

It's wonderful.
Yeah, it's great.

Yeah, it is.

Yeah.

I know she's little,

but what kind of baby
would you describe her as?

-A happy baby.
-A happy baby.

A happy baby.

You don't want nothing
right now?

She's kinda frozen, huh?

Yeah, she is.

Hey. Hey, sweetness.

-She's kind of frozen.
-She's kind of frozen.

-Hey, baby girl.
-Oh, she's daydreaming.

-Hey.
-Does she do that often?

She daydreams constantly.

-I don't know.
-Hmm.

When you take her back
for her shots,

tell the doctor about that.

Yeah, her daydreaming?

-Yeah.
-Yeah, um, 'cause she, like,

she was really kind of frozen.

That might be
a little concerning.

Yeah. Um,
sometimes it could be nothing,

but sometimes it could be
a sign of something

-going on in the brain.
-Okay.

So we wanna make sure
the doctor is aware of that.

Yeah.

Yeah,
'cause she didn't even blink...

No, she didn't blink at all.

...for a good amount of time.

-Yeah, yeah.
-Okay.

And she had no movement.

It was like
she was completely...

Yes. Yeah, let's make sure she--
you get that followed up on.

When's the doctor's appointment?

The sixth.

Do you know what?
Maybe you should call

and see if you can get her in
before that.

Okay.

And let them just check her out.

Okay.

I mean,
everything else looks great,

but that was
a little bit of a concern.

Uh, let me hold her again,
and...

I'm-- I'm-- uh,
so, her head control is good.

Uh, don't worry.
I won't drop her.

I'm just checking how she
controls

-not just her arms and legs...

...but her trunk and head.

You know,
what people are concerned about,

sounds like, is, you know,

did your daughter have
a little seizure?

Your brain is obviously
composed of a bunch of neurons,

brain cells, and they all have,
uh, electronic properties,

like telephone wires.

A seizure is uncontrolled
electrical activity.

You know, she's had one episode,
which is a little concerning.

We-- I'd like to do a test.

Uh, I have to order it. It's
called an electroencephalogram.

We put about ten pairs of wires
on-- on her scalp,

and we try to see if her brain

has any abnormal
electrical signal,

which could be a sign that she's
at risk for seizures.

-Oh, okay, okay, okay,

okay, okay, okay. Mama's sorry.

I know.

It's been about ten years

since I'm at
Nurse-Family Partnership.

I talk about you guys
all the time.

I met Doljai, my nurse,

when I was about four
or five months pregnant

with my first son, Noah.

After I decided to keep Noah,
I had a lotta ideas and dreams

of how I would disrupt
the cycles of violence

and poverty in my life,

and prevent Noah
from experiencing my fate.

These ideas included
unconditional love,

never throwing him away,

and providing him
with all the material things

I longed for as a child.

Doljai.

-Aww.

I--
Doljai Chaikumnerd--

I would never remember
a name like that.

I'm from South Central L.A.

We don't have names like that
in South Central L.A.

I had-- I had no idea
that it would take so much more

than love and good intentions.

Don't be surprising me.

When I first met my nurse,
Doljai,

I didn't think
she was gonna work out.

One of her first comments
was that I shouldn't be drinking

two-liter sodas and eating
Top Ramen noodles every day.

But, after she told me
about the lack of nutrition

in my diet

and how my feet were gonna
swell up like sausages,

I threw it all away.

Doljai was like a human

"What to Expect When You're
Expecting" app on steroids.

The only other voices in my life

were my child's
father's parents.

"Don't hold that baby,
or you're gonna spoil him.

Don't do this,
or you're gonna do that."

I was able to say,
"Well, my nurse,

she has a degree,
and she said this,

and here is a handout
if you need to read it."

-So--

So it was very
empowering for me.

Today, Noah is nine, and his
brother, Jonah, is seven.

They play basketball
and football

and get good grades.

Noah is
a self-proclaimed vegetarian,

and Jonah eats
everything in sight.

They have never known
what it's like

to be abused or neglected

or had to wonder
if they are loved,

and they never will.

I have been very privileged
to have had many people

positively impact my life.

However, my experience working
with youth and families

as they overcome
tremendous obstacles to success

has taught me that sometimes
it just takes one.

I needed you.

I also know that, at 18,
I didn't love myself,

and I didn't care about myself,

so I needed someone to care
what happened to my child

as I was becoming who I am now.

So, I just wanted
to thank you guys so much

for all you do,

and, hopefully, inspire you guys
so just one of 'em

-out of your 50,000...

...hopefully, one of them makes
you very proud.

You did a good job.

You tricked me into doing this.

Order 44C is now in session.

The honorable Margaret S. Henry,
Judge, presiding.

Hey, guys. Okay?

Good morning.

Hello. My stomach hurts.

All right. Counsel,
state your appearances, please.

Jennifer Lorson, CLCLA 4
on behalf of the youth.

She goes by Mary, Your Honor.

Mary is present and seated
at counsel table.

Mary,
what can we do for you today?

Let's see. One of the things
that didn't happen is,

she did not get
immediately linked to

the Resilient Scholars over at
Cal State University Northridge

to try to get her--
Oh, well, then that's true.

I also heard
that she's thinking about

not wanting to continue
in school.

No. What? Stop. Oh, my gosh.

Oh, you're thinking about
dropping out. Oh.

No, no, not-- Um...

Just out of that school.

I want to go to
an all-performing-arts academy.

What's your career goal?

I want to be an actress.

That's a tough one.
You know, it's very difficult.

I know.

Um, yeah,
and a lot of competition.

You graduated from high school.
That's a big deal,

but I think even as--
as an actress,

if you could study acting,
um, in college,

it'll help you
with everything in life.

-Okay.
-You know, if you--

if you get some more education.

So, this semester was definitely

really, really hard for me,
and, uh...

I saw a therapist, and,
you know, they told me,

"It'd be best to take a medical
leave for you, right now."

It doesn't mean
I'm not going back.

It doesn't mean I'm, like,
you know,

completely through with it.

It just means, right now,
I am not ready.

I'm not really interested in
people that want to be famous.

-Mm-hmm.
-I'm interested in people

that really want to be artists,

because so few people
become famous,

and I don't think it's really

all it's cracked up
to be anyway.

What calls you to acting?

In theater, when I was on stage,
when I'd perform,

I'd forget about everything.

It made me happy.

It felt nice to pretend to be
somebody else for a moment.

I just also get to imagine
another life for me

when I have a-- a--
a certain character.

I can, you know, build up
her background story

and pretend that it's mine, and,
you know,

depending on the character,
most of the time,

I give myself a happy
childhood memory and, like,

family and stuff, and it's--
it's nice to...

I guess, kind of imagine that.

Come in and get a chair.

Closer in the circle, please.

The floor is cool.

All right, our topic tonight
is what?

Family.

Man, the shit starts at home.

If stuff is not good at home,
it's really difficult.

We got a beautiful family
in the room right now. Um,

I don't know where I'd
be without it.

So, um, Dasani, are you ready,
or you want a little more time?

Uh, I'm ready, right now.

How y'all doin' tonight?

I'm doin' real good.

This is a sensitive top--
topic tonight,

so it's-- Man, never mind.
Just let me get to it.

Let me get down to it.
Let me get down to it. Ah.

There's only one thing
I want you to work on.

-Yes, ma'am.
-You and I share something else,

and you do it every time
you get up,

something I do, too.
What is it?

Goofy?

You always smile. It's easier,
right? It's a good--

It's just a natural feeling

when you're around what you
wanna be around,

'cause you don't get
to be around

what you really wanna
be around a lot,

and I feel that here.
I really feel that.

This is the only place.
So, I appreciate y'all.

That's awesome.

So, um, take a deep breath
and give us your piece.

♪ Look
Some live in the gutter ♪

♪ Some were born
With silver spoons ♪

♪ Born in the world-- ♪
Can we turn that down?

-Goddamn!
-Yeah, we gotta

-turn it down and start again.

Hold on. It's okay.

Let's start it all over again.

-Good Lord.
-We're good.

All right, let me get it
all the way back,

one more time, please.

You wanna do it
one time without the music

-and then come back with it?
-I wanna do it

one time without the music
real quick. Yeah.

Can we just
stop the music for a sec? So...

All right, so acapella one time,
and then I'll get into the beat.

Yeah,
I wanna hear. Just--

♪ Some live in the gutter ♪

♪ Some are born
With silver spoons ♪

♪ Born into the world ♪

♪ Live your life
You don't get to choose ♪

♪ Grow up in society ♪

♪ Deciding if you should
Break the rules ♪

♪ We were brought up
In the world blind ♪

♪ Without a clue ♪

♪ Everybody got
The same motive ♪

♪ Tryin' to find
Who's really you ♪

♪ They're allegedly
My mother and father ♪

♪ But is it even true? ♪

♪ Whenever I think about 'em
I get sick like I got the flu ♪

♪ 'Cause I had no father figure
And I ain't know what to do ♪

♪ Everybody talk about
They mom and pop ♪

♪ Talk about family
Or backyard cookouts ♪

♪ Everybody chillin' happily
Lost mama but I pick-- ♪

Ooh, hold up. Hold up.

-Ooh, damn.
-Why don't you sit down.

-Yeah. Jesus.
-Just have a seat.

-I know. This is a lot.
-Yeah, hold up.

♪ 'Cause ain't I got
No father figure ♪

♪ And I ain't know what to do ♪

♪ All that mom-and-pop talk
And family ♪

♪ Or backyard cookouts
Everybody chillin' happily ♪

♪ Lost my mama ♪

♪ But all I did
Was pick up gradually ♪

♪ I didn't know
till I got older ♪

♪ It was my worst tragedy ♪

♪ When I could finally count
ABC past the Z ♪

♪ Kids runnin', schools out
Into their arms ♪

♪ Passin' me ♪

♪ I noticed the heartbreak
The casualty ♪

♪ That experience
Changed my mentality ♪

♪ I start observing, listening
And reacting tactically ♪

♪ 'Cause what you love
Can disappear drastically ♪

♪ 'Cause-- ♪

♪ 'Cause every day
People witness fatalities ♪

♪ 'Cause people can't come
To a peaceful analogy ♪

♪ Lost all my family
And now I got the last DNA ♪

♪ In my anatomy ♪

♪ People often ask questions ♪

♪ 'Cause they think
It's sad to see ♪

♪ I wonder why people think
It's so fascinating ♪

♪ To see
a young man challenging ♪

♪ Probation big way malicing ♪

Hold up.

I wanna try to do it
with the music, man,

because it really slap
with the music.

-I'm telling you all.
-I know.

I was in my room,
really in there goin',

-for, like, two hours.
-I already know.

Honestly, like,
without the music,

I can hear
exactly what you're sayin'.

You know what I mean?
Like, it ain't hidin' be--

What you got to say is not
hiding behind the beat,

right now, and what you got
to say is so important.

That was the most vulnerable
and authentic piece of you

that you shared with us,

and I don't know
if you're aware,

but when you show up that way,

it gives everyone else your
permission to do the same.

Right, exactly.

Because not everyone here
may have experienced the system,

but I can count maybe
at least four or five of us

who've experienced abandonment,

who have experienced loss,
including myself.

And even thinking about
my own piece today

and how I wanted to deliver it,

I now feel the sense of you
within it.

So thank you.
Thank you for showing up.

Appreciate that, really do,

all y'all, for real.

He told me that he felt like
these last couple of years

has been a waste of his life.

-You know, he's just--
-Right.

Time is just passing
until you get into adulthood.

He's so insightful.

So, he really wants that
connection, like, that family.

And, like, how can you not want
that for him

when that's what wants?

I mean, you know, we-
we all got that phone call,

ten o'clock at night,
when he was, you know,

really upset and--
and about to AWOL,

and, you know, Lanny and you
talked him down,

-calmed him down, and he stayed.
-Mm-hmm.

I don't know. With all this,
I mean, you know,

with all the effort around it,
I still fear that one day

not bein'-- not bein' able
to answer the phone, you know?

-Right. Yeah.
-And him--

And-- And--
my fear is, also, is, even if

you hadn't answered the phone,
and he'd taken off, I mean,

knowing Dasani, he could
come back later that night

or the next day,
and the consequences for that...

Yeah.

...are so much more severe,

again, than a non-foster youth,
or a non-probation youth.

If he'd been at home
with two brothers...

-Oh, yeah.
-...and they'd got in a fight,

-and somebody, you know...
Right.

...got angry and threw a book,

-and it broke the window...
-Right.

You know, the three brothers
would have been grounded.

Right.

And our kid gets thrown in jail
and charged with felony.

With a felony.

And I see this over
and over and over,

and it's just so unfair.

Can we talk about
your appointment?

Your neurologist appointment?
How that went?

Uh...

I was hurt
for the simple fact

just that now my daughter might
have to deal with something

that I feel she shouldn't
have to deal with

for the simple fact of
what her mother done did.

But, um...

um, I already knew
it was a possibility,

but it's just the simple fact
of just knowin'

that she can have a seizure, or
just knowin' that type of stuff.

You know, I already have a lot
on my-- on my plate, you know,

with just trying to juggle
working and being a parent.

You know, it's--

-Overwhelming.
-Yeah, it's very overwhelming.

Now I see what single mothers
go through.

And it's hard.
It is-- it is very hard,

'cause I'm not the type that
wanna be sitting on the county,

collectin' money.
I'm not the type of person

that wanna be sittin' on my butt

'cause I know that's not what
a man is supposed to be doing.

And, right now,
I feel like

that's what's gonna be
having to happen for a while.

With the neurologist, I was...

Excuse my language,
I was pissed off

for the simple fact

just that Raeanne
done did something,

and it's-- and it's gonna--

it's gonna reflect
on my daughter.

Why the hell did you choose
to do this fucking drug?

Can I share something, Chris?

Just hearing you talk now,

the benefits of having
someone that you can talk to

and express
some of those feelings

and get that
off your chest because,

yes, mom made a mistake.
Mom, I think,

is going through her own
processes, as well as you are.

You guys have to come to a--

a point where you
have to forgive her.

-She has to forgive herself.
-And I-- and I-- I do.

-I do forgive her...
-Yeah.

...and I'm still gonna be
here for her.

It's just that--
that it was just like, wow,

I had to leave out the room
for a second

and go walk 'cause it--
it put tears in my eyes

just 'cause my daughter
is gonna have to deal with that,

but...

And I think that
counseling piece,

and not to cut you off,

but that counseling piece
can assist you.

I know sometimes--

You're trying
to get me counseling.

-I know. I'm gonna--

-I'm workin' it in.
-Trying to get me counseling.

And I'm not--
And it's not, like--

I think sometimes being--
even just being an, um,

African American young man,
you're like,

"I don't need no one to talk to.
Like, I'm a man.

I can take care of this myself."

But you may need somebody
just to spend 30 minutes with

to say, "You know what?
I'm frustrated. I'm tired.

Like, I need some help."

So you don't have to
keep it all in.

Can I just say that
I have been doing this

for a long time...

...and I am really proud
of this young man right here.

-Oh, yeah.
-Twenty-four years old...

-Yeah.
-...takin' the responsibility

-at the levels that he is.
-Yeah.

It makes me proud.

Thank you, and I really do
appreciate that. I really do.

Parent Partners,

we are parents who have had
open cases in the past,

and now we work in collaboration
with the department

mainly to support you
through the whole entire time.

Okay. Okay, good.

So, in my case, it took me

ten months to get my kids back,
but it was in program

that I learned that

once you're an addict,
you're always an addict.

Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna admit my faults,

and I'm gonna admit
that I had a problem

'cause if I didn't
have a problem,

I wouldn't have used
while I was pregnant.

If I wouldn't have got
this open case,

I could have been
one of those to use

breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
and that's why I'm happy that--

I'm not happy
with the situation,

but I'm happy
that it stopped now,

and I'm only 23,

and I still have
my life ahead of me,

and I still have time
to grow with my daughter

and to-- to be able to see her
learn how to crawl and to walk.

So I heard that you have
a-- a court date coming up.

Yes. I don't really know
what to expect at court.

I checked right into
outpatient treatment.

I attend five days a week,
9 to 12.

I attend two NA meetings, um,
outside of my treatment a week,

and I'm testing clean.

So I don't know
what more I can do

to show that I'm taking
my consequences serious.

You know, I-- I often
share with parents that, uh,

-the consequences.
-I know.

Not what I went through,

but what I put
my children through.

I'm grateful
that, you know,

that my daughter is here
and she's okay

because I done fucked up.

That's why I don't take off
my hospital band.

That's why I keep it on,
'cause it--

every day, I look at it,
and I'm like,

I'm doing this to get her.

This is my piece of her.

What a cute apartment.

I told you.

It's adorable.

This is my side
of the apartment,

and that's Silvia's.

That's great.
Is this-- So, this is your room?

-Yeah, but it's locked.
-Oh, right, until, yeah--

But it wasn't locked before.

No, because you have to
sign paperwork.

-Have you opened the room?
-It's locked.

-No, it's not.
-They locked it.

-Why would it be locked?
-That's what I said.

-Oh!
-Why don't you think, Mary?

This is new.

-Hey, Silvia?
-What?

Are we allowed to take
the plastic off the bed?

I dunno. Probably.
You just take it off.

You got the papers?

Yes, I do.

Should we maybe
go sit down?

We have a bunch of papers
we have to sign.

You're gonna be
stuck over there.

There we go. Okay.

Okay, so.

We are so happy
that you're finally, um,

in this program,
and I am especially glad

you get to live
with your sister.

-That is just really--
-Yeah...

-That is so special.

I got taken away
from my sisters

at, like, age seven or eight,

and it wasn't till I hit 14
that I found out that

Silvia went back
into the system,

and they set us up for,
like, a visit.

She just seemed so happy,
full of life.

Like, every time
we had a visit,

she'd make sure
I had so much fun.

I turned 18,

and I found out that she went
into transitional housing,

and they said, you know,
you have the opportunity

to get into this program, too,

and maybe get into
the same apartment as her.

I was, like, excited,
off the wall.

I was-- I was-- you know,

that's all I wanted
for the longest time,

to be close to somebody
in my family,

just 'cause it's different.
There's a different connection.

Well, around 2012,
the State of California

came out with a law to extend
foster care to the age of 21

because they were finding
that youth were being discharged

from foster care at age 18

and they weren't prepared
for life.

You know,
they just didn't have the funds,

they didn't have
the financial basis,

they didn't have the education,

they didn't have
the life skills,

and they didn't have
the family support

to make it on their own,

so there's this huge
homeless rate.

But we do have expectations.

You have to be either working
or going to school.

We do expect you to

maintain your status
with school, and, of course,

we encourage you
in every capacity that way.

If you need tutors,
we will get you tutors.

I need tutors.

-We'll do it.

So, do you have any questions?

Can I take off the wrap

on the bedsheet?
Am I allowed to do that?

-Please do.
-Oh, okay, okay.

Uh, that would be uncomfortable
to have that on there.

'Cause in some of--
in some of the foster homes--

It's on there because
it's brand new.

Well, in some of the foster
homes, they made us

sleep with that on.
We couldn't--

-No, no, no.
-What?

They did that
at the other foster homes

in case there was a problem
with wetting the bed.

Yeah.

In our program,
that's your mattress.

Okay.

Hey, Mary,
does it feel weird being here?

Like, knowing this is
your new home?

-Yeah.
-Why does it feel weird?

'Cause every time I start to
get used to somewhere,

I move.

Hi.

-I love your flower headband.

Hey, you are a chubby,
healthy baby.

-Wow.
-Yes, chubsters.

Mm-hmm.

We got the electroencephalogram,
EEG.

We didn't see any
abnormal electrical activity

that would tell us there's
a part of her brain

that is at risk for generating
more seizures,

but the EEG measured
45 minutes in her life.

Now,
it's been another three months.

Um, she's five months old now,

and you're not noticing
anything concerning,

so that is exceptional.

I have no evidence that
cocaine exposure

caused a seizure or--
or injured her brain

in a fashion which would explain
the seizure that she had.

When we look at the best studies
of infants exposed to cocaine,

methamphetamine, amphetamines,

the main thing we worry about is
long-term developmental issues,

and it's something
only time can tell.

Every day, every week,
every month that passes by,

your daughter's risk
does go down,

and it makes me feel
more reassured.

Then I just continue to just
monitor the way how I've been?

Absolutely.

Miss Beavers.

You guys can sit right there.

The county really wanted
Sydney adopted.

Sydney said,
"I'm not going nowhere.

I'm not leaving my mom.
I'm not leaving my church.

I'm not leaving my sisters.
I'm not leaving nobody."

And so the lady said,
"Miss Beavers, how do you feel?"

I said,
"I feel like Sydney feel.

She doesn't wanna go
and she don't have to go."

And so, now we are ready
to close the case,

and, um, Sydney is in agreement
with closure,

and we'll be submitting

on the department's
recommendation today.

All right.

She is in the--
in a permanent placement.

She is in a legal guardianship.

So, at this time, uh,
the court believes

that continued supervision
by the, uh, court

is no longer necessary,
and jurisdiction is terminated.

-So, that'll conclude the matter.
-What?

Jurisdiction's terminated.

You do not have to
come back to court anymore.

-Yes! Yay.

And, Your Honor,
I think Sydney wanted

to, um, say something.

-All right?
-I wanna thank all you guys

for being there for me.

You're very welcome.

Great.
Thank you, Your Honor.

-Thank you so much.
-Thank you, Miss Beavers,

for coming to court.

No more court.

Well, now you are part
of the Beavers family.

Yes!

-Beavers.
-Wasn't she always?

-Not like she is now.

She's now legally.
Now, she's a legal part of it.

-Whoa.
-Before, she was just, um...

What makes her such a great mom
is because she just got me,

and she kept me here
for three years

and legal guardianed me,

and now I can just
live my life happy.

Calling number nine

on today's calendar

for jurisdiction
and disposition hearings.

Are there any issues
concerning notice for today?

No, Your Honor.

I have read and considered

and admit the jurisdiction
disposition report

provided by the department,

and the recommendation is
to dismiss the petition.

Does anyone wish to be heard?

The parents have
been very cooperative.

They obviously love their child,
and they're doing all they can.

So I think the, uh,
the picture is pretty good here,

uh, and I'm glad they received
this recommendation.

Thank you, Mr. Brussel.

Uh, Miss Rak, wish to be heard?

Your Honor, we're
in agreement with the dismissal.

Thank you. Uh, I am, as well.

So, the petition is dismissed
pursuant to section 301.

That's it, folks.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Congratulations.

So just continue
what you're doing, okay?

Yes, ma'am.

And if you have any questions,
you can call me.

Got good news, baby.

You can come back home.
I can get more sleep.

Shut up.

You're stuck with me now.

Say, "Yay."

Yes, you're with mama.
Yes, you're with mama.

-Hey, big girl.
-Hey, butterfly.

Yes, mama.

I can go spend the night
with her tonight

for the first time.

With no worries.

What happened to the book?

Oh, here it is. Okay, so,
can we pick any chapter we want?

-Mm-hmm.
-Okay. Noah? Yeah, here.

The last one, 106.

-"Justice Prevails."
-I haven't got...

When you disrupt
a cycle for me,

you save Noah and Jonah, too.

My kids are forever changed
because of the trajectory

that I'm on now.

-Stop looking at me!

I don't wanna throw
away the child welfare system.

I want to help restructure it.

And maybe we'll discover that
when other people are healthy

in our communities,
that we actually thrive, too.

There are other Jessicas.

My mission in life is to find me
and to save me.

All right, good night, you guys.

I believe that
there is gonna be someone

who's just waiting for someone
to give them one more chance,

and that's gonna be me.

Good afternoon, Mr. Totten.

-How are you, Dasani?
-Amazing. Great.

-What's that?
-Amazing.

You are? Well,
you don't look that way to me.

Yes, he is.

All right. All right, you do.

All right.
So, um, I got a report

that says you heard me last time
'cause I was upset,

and you-- I'm very impressed.

It says, "Outstanding effort,
respectful."

Since your last court date,

you've been doing
excellent behavior.

Um, went on a camping trip.

Uh, went fishing, hiking,
snow play, chopped wood.

May I, for the record?

Yes, Miss Soung.

I have submitted, on behalf
of Dasani, four documents.

Um, one is a letter
from his school,

documenting how, uh,
well he's doing,

that he finished out
the school year.

He's in a summer school program.

He is actually doing
a paid internship.

Um, you've also received
a letter from, um,

the camping trip group, uh,

also affirming how well he was
on the trip

and a clear leader in the group,

and also documentation
that he's completed

48 hours of community service
at the school.

He's also done
additional community service

at the group home,
so we estimate he's done

approximately 60 to 70
community service hours.

There is also a letter

from Didi Hirsch
Mental Health Services

that Dasani has gone to every
appointment for weekly therapy

that's been scheduled.

Good stuff. All right.
So, we left off last time,

I said, "Hey, where's the--
where's the flow?"

Yeah, got the flow
right here for y'all.

-You got it?
-Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

All right.

♪ I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ Man
I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ Man
I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ Man
I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ I ain't got the answers
Why you keep on asking? ♪

♪ I ain't Kunta Kinte
And you sure is not my master ♪

♪ All these people make me ♪

♪ Wish I could disappear
Like Casper ♪

♪ Boy I'm a natural
Almost like I work at NASA ♪

♪ People gravitate towards me
'Cause I'm not average ♪

♪ Most people fake
Barbie dolls they all plastic ♪

♪ I've been 100 since day one
I'm so classic ♪

♪ Mama would be proud
Of baby boy ♪

♪ It's what crackin' ♪

♪ Do it for my loved ones
Buried in those casket ♪

♪ What happened was tragic ♪

♪ But over time
I learned how to manage ♪

♪ Opportunities come
Once in a lifetime ♪

♪ I'm glad I grabbed it ♪

♪ The 360 turn around I made
Was so drastic ♪

♪ People asking questions
I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ Man, I'm lookin'
For the answers ♪

♪ Man
I ain't got the answers ♪

♪ Man
What is you even askin'? ♪

♪ You're talking to me
That is your wealth ♪

♪ I ain't had no parents
Hard to believe I know myself ♪

♪ Reviewing right ain't just
Another book on your shelf ♪

♪ You say
What you want for me ♪

♪ Is good for my health ♪

♪ We'll go to hell ♪

♪ Talkin' to me ♪

♪ Unless you're gonna
Pay a fee ♪

♪ They're standin' there like
Who is he? ♪

♪ Who could it be? ♪

♪ It Dasani ♪

♪ It Dasani, hey
It Dasani ♪

♪ I ain't got the answers ♪

-Come on, everybody, chant that.

♪ I ain't got the answer ♪

I like it. I like it.

-Very nice, yes, absolutely.

Very impressive, Dasani.
You have a--

you have wonderful skill.
I'm jealous.

And having seen all
kinds of talent in this court,

I think that's a ten.

-Aww, that's great.

You've come a long way

from somebody who was
constantly getting stoned,

breaking things, hurting people.

Wouldn't know it was
the same person.

Just really proud of the growth
you've shown.

I know you're gonna miss us,

but I'm thinkin'
that we're done.

What do you think?

-I think I'm ready.
-You're ready? Okay.

So, I need you to come on up.
Congratulations.

You're gonna be terminated,
graduated from our program.

I'm very proud of you.
Keep up the good work.

Great potential.

Don't give it up, all right?
Don't give it up. Good job.

I wanna thank Mr. Totten.
You feel me?

'Cause although he put my ass
behind them bars,

he also taught me a lot
of positive things. You feel me?

And now I'm on a better road.
You feel me?

If I was never on probation,
I probably would've been

down that-- down that same road,

doing the same thing
I was doing.

If not, just locked back up.

But Totten was always
in the back of my head.

He still is, and it's crazy
'cause I'm off probation,

but I still be thinkin'
about Totten, like, oh,

it's gonna be a different
Commissioner Totten

if I do the same shit.
Feel me?

-We done, brother.
-Ah, congratulations, man.

Whew.

Let's get the fuck
outta here, bro.

The reason I went
back to college

this semester is

I started seeing it more
as a-- as a privilege

to be able to be there.

Having a degree is something
nobody can take away from you.

And I'm taking
a bunch of theater courses,

so that's definitely made me
want to come to class.

Yeah, just go--
make sure you go get your power.

You're not gonna let her
give you that power.

You can't always write
the beginning to your story,

but you can definitely
write the end.

My past does make a lot
of who I am, but that title,

the-- the foster kid,

the girl
with the social worker,

that does not define me at all.

I just feel like
my purpose here

is much bigger
than just my past.

That's what I'm-- I'm-- I'm--
I'm figuring out.

That's what I'm chasing,
and that's what I'm--

I'm fighting for.

My favorite quote does come
from Audrey Hepburn.

It is, "Nothing is impossible.

Even the word
itself says, 'I'm possible.'"

There we go.

Lord,
we just thank you for this day.

We thank you for this
Mother's Day, a special day.

I have so much
to be grateful for.

You know, just to have us
all together.

I'm grateful for you
to be my mom,

and I love you too much.

-Too much?
-That's sweet.

Casi, you wanna say something?

Say, "Happy Mother's Day, Mom."

-Happy Mother's Day.

A lot of people look around,
and we use terms like,

oh, this is, you know,
foster sister,

or foster brother, or adopted,
and all that stuff,

but we don't use those terms
in this house.

We just use the term,
"This is my sister.

This is my brother."

We just welcome them
in our house.

I'm just grateful that my mom
has taught me to be like that.

Words can't describe
how much I love you.

You've always been there for me,

and you've never given up
even if I stress you out a lot.

You've been there
through thick and thin,

and you even came off
your vacation getaway

to tend for my bad self.

You are the carbo to my hydrate,
the eco to my system.

I love you more than science,
and I love you more

than the number of atoms
in a human body.

P.S. There is about 100 trillion
atoms in the human body.

-Denyshia.

This is my--
this is my honors student.

And I would like
to award you

this award behalf of
the Adoptive

-and-- and Foster Co...
-What?

...Inc.

Look it. How does she know
that? She is too smart.

-Too smart, Denyshia.

When I get older,
and I have enough money,

I'm gonna buy her a house,
and a car,

and then someone
to take care of her.

Or, if she doesn't want that,

she can come live
in my big house.

Like, she can have
the west wing of the house.

Every three months,
I'll send her to trips,

so she can have a break,
'cause, you know,

she needs breaks.

And then I will just give her
everything she wants

and then, like, care for her
like she did for me.

I would like to take care of her

for the stuff she's been doing
for me,

and I would also like to
give her her own coffee shop,

'cause she loves coffee a lot.

-How you know about that?

I was brought up
with a lotta kids

and a lotta love.

My mom taught us to love
each other no matter what,

and I teach my kids that now.

Love your mom and your dad.

They couldn't take care
of you guys.

They have a problem,
but you got to love them

'cause they're still your mom
and-- and your dad.

You can't not like them,
say they're not your mom.

They are.

I'm just fillin' in for them
till they get better.

Some will get better,
and some won't,

but you have to have hope
that they're gonna get better.

♪ Some days
I look in the mirror ♪

♪ And I think
The meanest things ♪

♪ Oh, the meanest things ♪

♪ Some days I'm holding
My self-worth up ♪

♪ By a string ♪

♪ A string ♪

♪ But every day that I don't
Hide myself away ♪

♪ To me is a tiny victory ♪

♪ Some days
Giving up on myself looks so ♪

♪ So easy to do
It's so easy to do ♪

♪ The struggle is slow
I'm barely moving the needle ♪

♪ And the cracks may be few ♪

♪ But there's light
Coming through ♪

♪ And if battles
Can win a war ♪

♪ I can keep picking
My sword up off the floor ♪

♪ And learn to treasure these ♪

♪ Tiny victories ♪

♪ Tiny victories ♪

♪ Tiny victories ♪

♪ Tiny victories ♪

♪ Every day that I don't
Hide myself away ♪

♪ Every day that I don't
Hide myself away ♪

♪ To me ♪

♪ Is a tiny victory ♪

Subtitles from
Wonder Woman