UPDATE: FOLLOW-ON PROTEST PLANNED AT DCF HEADQUARTERS – 500 Main St. HYANNIS, MA THIS THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016 from 8 until 12 NOON.
Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, Siblings, Neighbors, Friends, EVERYONE Urged to Attend and Bring Own Signs
By Lonnie Brennan
HYANNIS, MA – In a case with certain similarities to the infamous Justina Pelletier kidnapping by the Mass. Department of Children and Families (DCF), Brooke Mueller (14) and her sister Summer Mueller (11) were recently “grabbed” out of school by DCF – taken away from their grandparents, because their mother refused to force the children to visit with their father, who was recently sentenced to one-year of probation for assaulting the youngest child in the Fall of 2015.
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This past week, Brooke and Summer’s mother, Ginamarie Tolentio, after months and months of getting nowhere with DCF officials, and now unsure where her daughters are being held, organized a standout protest on Main Street Hyannis, where she was joined by friends and family members and other mothers who charged that over-reaching, often lying DCF officials had taken their child, resulting in harm to each child.
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The protest swelled at times, with strangers coming up to Ginamarie and explaining similar situations with DCF. After several hours of similar stories, a pattern of DCF over-reach, often resulting in harm to children, emerged.
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WXTK longtime morning talk show host Ed Lambert had Ginamarie on his vastly popular Cape Cod radio program where she explained the taking of her children and their placement in various foster homes, and how in her last conversation with them, the call ended abruptly with the children screaming to be released, begging their mother for help, before the line went dead. Ginamarie filed a complaint with DCF officials and was told the children were subsequently moved away from that foster home, but she has been given no details on what occurred, and DCF has refused to tell her where the children are now, and refused to let her communicate with the children.
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Protesters against DCF gather on Main St. Hyannis, MA – as Brook and Summer remain separated from their mother
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Mr. Lambert visited with mothers at the protest, and invited three of them. including Ginamarie, to join him in his nearby radio studio the following morning to share their side of the DCF story.
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The radio station’s phone lines apparently ignited, as caller after caller related horror stories with DCF. Mr. Lambert carried over the mothers into segment after segment in what at times was an extremely emotional broadcast.
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Here’s an excerpt from one general discussion portion of the broadcast:
ED: So she [DCF official] was lying to you?
Ginamarie: Absolutely.
ED: Either that, or your daughters were lying to her?
Ginamaire: No, as a matter of fact, my daughter was able to smuggle a note to me before the end of school, and she wrote in there that DCF has been lying to them [Brooke and Summer], she’s caught them in lies. And she wants out of there. She can’t trust anybody. Neither one of them [the DCF workers].
A portion of the letter is shown below:
In another segment:
Ginamarie: The theme that I’m seeing is: the parent, or parents if it’s grandparents that seem to be doing the right thing, the kids are taken away from them and being put in a household or in a situation that’s not healthy for them. That’s the theme that I’m seeing.
ED: I don’t get that.
Ginamarie: I don’t either.
ED: If the grandparents are good, and your parents are good and the kids are – why the hell would they take them from your father, a dentist, well known in the community, a great house in East Falmouth. Why would they take them from your folks’ place, and throw them down to Fall River? What the hell is up with that!
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The podcasts of his broadcast are available at the WXTK 95 website. They’ve posted 8 separate segments for online listening. (Caution, some contain extremely blunt, graphic descriptions of the horrors of DCF custody, apparent lies, brainwashing, alienation, sexual abuse, and suicide in some of the cases discussed on the show.)
After hearing story after story from callers, including one of the suicide of a child under DCF internment, Mr. Lambert shared several e-mails from his audience, including one that said “Ed, today’s show is brutal to listen to. Never mind what these courageous women” he began, apprently chocking back emotions, before continuing, “and callers have gone through, shame on the State, along with the DCF.”
After the break, Mr. Lambert discussed the taking of the children by DCF with Dr. Tolentino who related his story.
“I put a uniform on for this Country,” Dr. Tolentino related, “I served my time with the Marine Corps – I was naval officer with the Marine Corps – but I never thought I would be defending this sort of a system where children are grabbed from a family, break up a family, break up a happy family, and punish those kids. And talking to those people down there [at DCF] is like talking to a zombie.”
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WXTK ED LAMBERT AUDIO LINKS:
- We’ve liked together a few of the segments dealing mostly with Brook and Summer in a short clip available by CLICKING HERE.
- Listen to the entire broadcast in 8 segments by CLICKING HERE to go to the WXTK website.
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“My kids are being silenced,” the mother told The Boston Broadside. “They [DCF] don’t want the truth getting out. They won’t even let my parents, their grandparents, speak with them. We have no idea where they are, how they are, what they have been through. I just want to talk to my daughters and know they are alright. Are they eating? Are they going to church? Are they being taken care of? Where are they?” the mother pleaded.
Portions of a letter written by Brooke
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The children were living with their grandparents Anthony and Stella Tolentino of East Falmouth at the time of the recent taking by DCF.
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Dr. Tolentino and his wife had filed to become foster parents several months ago, after DCF gave the children a choice: return to your father, or enter a foster home. The children refused to return to the father and were scooped out of court and placed in a foster home with strangers for three days while the grandparents scrambled to return from Florida and file with the courts to get temporary custody of the children. That custody ended without notice when DCF officials “grabbed” the children from school, and then notified the grandparents of the taking.
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DCF charged the grandparents with alienating the children from their father. In a written response to DCF, Dr. Tolentino replied in part “We do support reunification of the family but we are also concerned with the physical well-being of the children. We support the reunification if and when the Father is clean and sober and is undergoing counseling for anger management. Keep in mind that the Father is presently on probation for his last assault on the children.”
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“This is wrong,” Dr. Tolentino explained. “They have a loving family. They’re intelligent beautiful girls. This was the end of the school year and they were just grabbed,” he said as he explained the actions of DCF (see related story, July 1 edition, The Boston Broadside). “The DCF case worker, Brian Gordon, he called us and told me that they [DCF] grabbed the kids. That’s his word – grabbed,” Dr. Anthony Tolentino, told The Boston Broadside.
“Brook and Summer’s grandfather Dr. Anthony Tolentino explains the taking of the children by DCF officials who told him they “grabbed” the kids.
Children’s grandmother Stella Tolentino listens as husband explains the phone call, and how DCF insisted they clean out all personal belongings and stuff the children’s clothes and other items into bags for DCF confiscation.
Portion of letter from Brook Mueller
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The mother, Ginnamarie Tolentio, divorced from Kurt Mueller in 2009 – and the pair has continued to be embroiled in a 7-year custody battle roller-coaster over the children. In a letter dated March 15, 2016, Brooke wrote in part “Basically, my father has been abusing us, me and my sister, not just physically but mentally, and we stopped going there.”
Portion of letter from Brooke Mueller – March 15, 2016
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Boston-based 680 AM WRKO talk show host Jeffrey T. Kuhner showcased this latest DCF case on his tremendously popular “Kuhner Report” program aired daily from 12-3 PM.
Kuhner was at the forefront of the Justina Pelletier case (MAY 2014), at one point holding an unprecedented rally in front of the State House which drew in thousands of protesters against DCF and then Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick. Justina was held by DCF for 18 months while they neglected her physically and mentally, subjecting her to a series of psychological batteries, and finally resulting in the deterioration of the teen – going from a happy ice-skater pre-DCF, to a wheelchair-bound girl, and multiple surgeries due to medical neglect. She was finally released after the family went public, and local, statewide, and even national attention was placed on DCF for their erroneous methods…we’ve re-posted a few of the stories on our archives pages, and included a gallery of photos below from Mr. Kuhner’s rally:
He went on to discuss the case, and had Ginamarie address questions.
Partial Transcript:
“There is a huge development, it’s red hot, it’s breaking just as I speak, and just like Justina Pelletier, I predict that this is going to go everywhere. It’s going to go national, and again, it involves DCF.”
“And before I get into the actual story itself, which is mindboggling, it’s it’s, you cannot believe we’re living in the United States of America – something is rotten in Massachusetts, something is rotten at DCF. Profoundly rotten.
The link to his first segment is here: CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO JEFF KUHNER‘s OPENING MONOLOGUE.
We’ll add further links for other segments over time, as well as more court documents and letters.
End of Last Note from Brook Mueller to her mother, smuggled by a classmate before the end of school.
WHERE FROM HERE?
The mother has not been allowed to speak to the children for several weeks. DCF has denied her any opportunity to speak with the children, and have scheduled a July 8 court date in conjunction with the father, Kurt Mueller, on a motion to suppress any letters and testimony by the children in the upcoming July 14th custody trial at which the father is seeking full custody of the children.
While the mother will have had no contact with her girls for more than six weeks, it is believed the father and others have not been denied access. We are awaiting documented confirmation.
IF YOU KNOW WHERE THE
CHILDREN ARE BEING HELD HOSTAGE PLEASE CONTACT THE BROADSIDE: 978-352-6800!
WE WANT TO KNOW IF THEY ARE ALIVE. AS SO MANY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR MURDERED OR ALLOWED TO PHYSICALLY DETERIORATE AND REQUIRE EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS WHILE UNDER DCF CARE.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN. CALL US PLEASE. WE PROMISE ANONYMITY. IF WE DON’T PICK UP THE MAIN NUMBER, LEAVE A TIME TO CALL OR WE WILL SET THE CALL TO RING FORWARD AFTER HOURS SO THAT WE CAN PICKUP THE PHONE AND YOU CAN SPEAK TO A LIVE PERSON AT NIGHT!
mation.
My on going prayers for this family!
My granddaughter has been in the system since birth. She is doing to be 10 years old. She has gone from foster home to foster home, twice to a children’s facility in Boston, once to a family member who had her own children permanently taken from her, and back and forth to her mother.
I have been a constant , loving, caring very involved grandparent throughout this whole ordeal with my granddaughter for 10 years.
I wrote the Governor, met with my state Rep,. To no avail!
I have each and every email I have sent and that they have sent me! I’ve fought for 10 long years with DCF over the mishandling and torture they have put my granddaughter and family members through.
DCF needs an immediate overhaul! Until this happens we are losing a generation of children to this terribly broken and dysfunctional system.
It is appalling, that. We treat pets far better and with great respect than we do children! The time has come to end this once and for all.
DCF is totally screwed up, they came and took my kids for no reason that could be proven subjected them to mental torture,placed them in foster homes where the were treated like shit, no contact with them ,changing school, trying to convince doctors they had mental and physical neglect issues. They have forever changed my children’s lives through the horrors they suffers for a year . Now they one is on high dose of medication thanks to DCF doctors or should I say so called , and now this child is an adult taking meds that are extremely hard to discontinue. More people have to sue DCF for damages caused so they stop making stuff up and stealing these kids from their homes for no reason.LETS HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE! SO THESE KIDS DONT GROW UP TO BE ADULTS WITH PTSD OR HOOKED ON MEDS THAT WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PRESCRIBED ONLY TO KEEP KIDS SEDATED AND COOPERATIVE!
My prayers are with you and all the families who are victims of DCF, I am also going through the disrupt system alone with all the lies they create to have their way.
You are doing well and we should not give up or accept unnecessary service plans that may in one way or another make you look guilty……even if they say ” that is not what we are trying to do” at some point they need to be accountable for all the dishonest moves they make to present cases before judges .
I have personally known Mr. and Mrs. Tolentino for over fifty-seven years. As a Christian Pastor, Missionary and Health Care Professional I can attest to their integrity, and Christian beliefs. I urge the Nation, The Church Body, to speak out against what is happening to this family regarding the abduction by DCF of these children, together with the pain and suffering imposed upon this “FAMILY”. What has happened is “wrong”! As a parent, and grand parent I am shocked to think that this could happen in America. The pleas from the children speak volumes. The Scriptures remind us that “We shall know them by the fruits they bare”. As to this matter something is rotten in the DCF. The Scriptures also tell us: To whom much is given, much is required”. Having said this, stand up for justice before the rocks cry out!
My daughter and her boyfriend their rights are being terminated Monday by Plymouth Dcf because they missed a couple of counseling appointment the children have been in Dcf care for year I am devastated they’ve maintained being clean Opiates
To the family, now that this is public, look into Dorcy Pruter, director of High Road to Reunification. I’ve worked on exposing the facts in the Tsimhoni case in Michigan with my group Tsimhoni Revisited. Dorcy Pruter is basically an ambulance chaser for these types of cases. Feel free to email us at tsimhonirevisited @gmail.com you visit our website http://tsimhonirevisited.com to learn more about her traumatizing program. She has no credentials to be working with children in this capacity, she has a high school diploma and is practicing threat therapy on children who speak out against their abusive father’s.
Hold them accountable???? I say we march. Surround them. Demand our children back and not leave until
that occurs. They don’t play by the rules, neither should we.
We are trying to get our grandchild home from foster care and we are denied because Gal attorney said in court he was a foster child and my grandson would be better off with foster family. Judge said I don’t think you want him anyway. Craziness when you approved by social worker with you background checks and home evals. And the department wanting you to have your family into family. May God help us all and set our families free in the name of Jesus. corruption is happening in every state. Just like hillary Clinton demolished emails. Records at the department is disappearing to. Sick twisted system.
CPS is out of control across the nation. The harmful funding is fueling this legal trafficking. Nothing good has come from this agency, and much harm has. We must end funding that destroys lives. Most people do not have support, therefore, a voice. It’s outrageous. We must end Child Protection.
I am a foster parent and have been given the most difficult, hard to place, children. I only take in one at a time. I started by helping a neighbor teen girl that was taken out of her home (her mom was a severe drug addict with a nasty disposition), then was asked to become fully licensed. I did. Now, 7 years later, I’m so done with DCF! Foster parents are in such a precarious and vulnerable place, much like the parents. As a foster parent, I am the foundation of the system because I care for and love the children daily and have endured so much abuse and bad behavior (I’ve been punched, kicked, had a knife pulled on me because I was cooking supper and refused to take a 12 year old to the Y, I’ve had a 5 year old set a fire in the middle of the night, I’ve had extensive household and automobile damage done, three phones broken, uncompensated by DCF, I’ve discovered, too late, a jewel collection missing). Some of the kids were just totally sociopathic and system smart by the time they came here. Others, just needed so much love and nurture and security over time to normalize. DCF has been completely dishonest, they have withheld reimbursements for expensive childcare programs and sports, they even most recently failed to pay my bimonthly stipend and when I informed them, it’s just, “oh, i’ll put in for it. It happens all the time. You should get a check by the end of the week”. They have neglected to pay PAC funding for kids in fragile mental health. They are paying over $3,000 a day for a team of 12 for my present child, including 2 attorneys (one educational GAL, one for the child), two therapists, one spy that is a social worker and claims to be giving my child weekly, “therapy”, but only pumps him for information and traumatizes him, one mentor (I just fired the first one for abusing him; I have a nice one now), one personal social worker for the child (his 5th in 4 months), one social worker that is a resource worker, one CASA worker (she’s a volunteer), one court reporting attorney, on and on. All they do is talk and fault find. I put up with all of the tantrums and shell out money for all of the daily fun activities and food and clothing and toys and bikes and scooters. I go to the nine million meetings a month, I spend hours per day answering team status emails, i go to all of the many medical appointments. I get paid 11 cents an hour for my trouble. If you tell them you need support, they hire more therapists to come into your home and probe around. What the foster parents really need are in home child-care workers to help with the mundane and arduous tasks of supervising a high needs child. Someone to accompany the child in the neighborhood while they play to ensure their safety. They don’t want to pay for that. They want the 11 cent an hour foster parent to do it, all alone, and do everything else. When you ask for support, they’ll file a 51A on you. The whole system is FAT and top heavy with social workers and layers of administration and peripheral psychological para-professionals. My social worker’s salary can be found on-line. Last year she earned $73,000. Not a lot, but not exactly volunteer heroism. They need a complete overhaul, and just hiring a new director and more social workers is not the solution.
My Grandchildren are and have been in DCF custody for a year now.
My daughter had a friend over one night and he od’d on her floor. She had no idea he had a relapse, she tried to do CPR while calling 911.
Next thing she knew the cops were there with DCF and they went into the kids room, took a few things and whisked them out the door. They told the kids “they were going on an adventure”. I’m sure that sounds great to 4 yr olds! My daughter sat there in shock over everything that had just happened. She did nothing wrong.
DCF wrote up a ‘Service Plan’ for my daughter, which she is constantly working on… her calendar is literally full They keep adding to it as she chips away at it. She still only gets 1 hr ‘supervised visits’ with them when they should be longer by now after she talked with others in the know.
The supervisor, for some reason or another does not like my daughter. I can see my daughter is right about that, I’ve been there every week with her for the past 7 months. This woman looks to me and speaks to me like I’m a piece of garbage as well. There’s no way to fight DCF it seems. They certainly get their own way. And.. they are far, far away from “Reuniting Families”.
My daughter had one Worker that was wonderful! So very helpful.. next thing you know? She’s gone! My daughter got stuck with a young witch, just like her boss! The bunch in Plymouth are absolutely horrible. A disgrace.
The poor little kids are the ones that suffer the most. When we can hear my Granddaughter screeching at the top of her lungs “Mama, Mama!!!!” it breaks our hearts.
The whole system should be shut down and replaced with people that care and know what they’re doing! I know the services are needed for some but these people go about it all the wrong way.
Mr Charlie Baker is useless because I only see it all getting worse. Very sad indeed.
The same Dcf Suppervior that did this to these poor girls have done it to my daughter and we just want her back! The physical emotional abuse. My daughter is and has been going through the cover up sexual assaults on her. We can’t visit her Dcf. said. They stuck her almost 3 hours away. and we were denied Christmas ! My daughter’s Grandpa. my dad has internal cancer we don’t know how long he may have? And DCF and court called my child a burden on my dad and family. We want her home with us and her Grandpa . She is getting No Education DCF took that along time ago. I have every bit of proof from hospital paperwork and pictures of every type of abuse on my daughter. More then 4 concussions. My daughter is on an IEP and DCF has put her in Dys (jail) no placements available for her . Yes there is our home !