Aidan’s dad, Morgan Firecloud, needs help urgently.
By Anthony Pearce for Morgan Firecloud
In December of 2013, Aidan’s mother assaulted his father in front of their son. She was arrested and awaits trial on charges of asault. [1] In a hearing in the Superior Court of Arizona, the judge, seeing a clearly evident history of domestic abuse, has granted a full Order of Protection for Aidan and his father Morgan against Aidan’s mother. [2]
You may conclude from this, that the matter ended well. Not so fast.
In the state of Arizona, father’s rights are minimal. In fact, Aidan’s father Morgan may now lose custody of his son, not to Aidan’s mother, or even to the state, but to a corporation. This summer Child Protective Services (CPS) will be restructured, giving case workers and investigator more power to seize children at the discretion of the CPS Worker. The other part of Arizona’s child welfare system (foster care, group homes ETC.) will become privatized, and all operations will be run by a for-profit corporation. Aidan is in very real danger of ending up in that system as well.
Here’s why:
Aidan’s autism and other special needs issues make schooling problematic, requiring a specific, supportive environment and extreme patience and understanding. Although Aidan’s school was just such an environment and he was enrolled in Special Education classes, one of the staff was clearly not up to the task. On March 13th of this year Aidan suffered an autistic episode. A teacher’s aide assaulted Aidan, by responding so aggressively to the autistic meltdown that the bruises on Aidan’s arms could be seen a week later by Aidan's doctor.
Morgan filed charges [3] and removed Aidan from the school to protect his son from retaliation by the school. Afterwards, someone filed a complaint with CPS regarding Aidan not being in school. For Morgan, home schooling Aidan is ideal, as Morgan’s severe case of pneumonia in 2009 has left him dependent on an oxygen tank, with his mobility severely limited. (Oh, and did we mention that Morgan is also autistic?)
So now, to cover their own violation, the school is trying to paint
Aidan’s case as a disciplinary issue, marking him as the
problem. This innocent, challenged, eight year old is being targeted
by the system. In Arizona, school related disciplinary cases such as
this are often handed over to law enforcement, resulting in the
incarceration of a child with special needs.
As the dilemma continues, CPS, even as they are now, represents
a threat, seeing only a household where abuse has taken place –
despite Aidan and Morgan being the victims - and a child who
is not attending school - despite the unresolved legal issues
preventing it. CPS has enrolled Morgan in the Family Preservation
Program, while this is “voluntary”, Morgan has to deal with living
under the constant supervision of CPS, in addition to everything else.
Being supervised by multiple agencies in this manner sets this family
up for failure, regardless of those agencies supposed assistance and care.
Almost every professional involved in this situation (from legal consultants to physicians and child psychologists) agree that Aidan is best off in his father’s custody and free of his mother’s abuse. However, the rights of fathers in Arizona are such that Aidan runs of the risk of being taken from his father and imprisoned in the custody of a corporation. At eight years old!
I wish that you could see the two of them together. Morgan is a loving, supportive father who understands his autistic son and nurtures Aidan’s insatiable passions for science, Lego's, electronic music, and learning. Aidan is profoundly attached to his father, seeing him as both a protective figure and as his best friend.
Hopefully the attached videos will provide some sense of this remarkable child and why Aidan needs to stay with his father. Morgan, of course, wants what any parent wants, to give his son the best possible chance at a happy, healthy life.
The primary goal is Aidan’s safety.
But for that to happen he must have representation by someone knowledgeable in rights for children and fathers. For a special needs father and son, the challenges to this are many. It includes a financial burden as well as overcoming substantial legal obstacles.
This is where YOU can help.
What are the donations used for?
While Aidan’s mother was abusive, she was also a bread winner for the home. The consequences of her assault and repeated abuse have severely impacted their household income. With that income gone and Morgan’s physical limitations, the added burdens are challenging for him to manage alone. The primary goal is to enable them to win their legal freedom and relocate to somewhere where Aidan is no longer in danger. There are, of course, many obstacles to overcome along the way.
Your donations will provide for:
- Legal Counsel
- Living expenses (such as transportation, rent, utilities, and food)
- Aidan’s education
- Medical needs falling outside of their current state coverage
Are there ways that I can help beside financial donations?
1.) Absolutely! There are a number of ways to provide for this family in need.
They require legal assistance. As Morgan’s household income was decreased, his options for legal representation did as well. Thus, Morgan has had to proceed representing himself in all legal matters including the case with Aidan’s mother, the suit and counter suit with Aidan’s school, and matters involving CPS. They need attorneys who are willing to help, particularly attorneys specializing in matters of family law and child rights.
2.) Morgan needs the support of the press to get Aidan’s story out to the public.
Beyond the question of their own struggle there is the larger issue of the pending privatization of CPS. Children in this system will become wards of the corporation, essentially property of a corporation, and for those children with learning or emotional disabilities there is little hope of freedom or healing. This is a corporation designed for incarceration for profit. It has no concern for rehabilitation or treatment, as every child in the system is just an asset for its stockholders.
Any press interested in contacting Aidan’s father please contact by posting comment here:
Are there documents to verify this case?
Of course. Morgan has been diligent in maintaining a paper trail throughout, knowing that well-kept records may be the only tool he has to protect his son. Currently, such documents are not available for the general public, but are on file with the proper authorities. Documents can be made available for responsible parties such as legal representation.
[1] - [Phoenix Police Report # 2013 - 02191673 - DV-Assault
[1] - http://www.maricopamugs.com/locations/arizona/maricopa-county/22748213
[2] - [Order of Protection - Superior Court of Arizona/Maricopa County - AZ007035J/0700 – Case # FC2013-009757
[3] - [Phoenix Police Report # 2014 – 00436430-Assault)
Anthony Pearce
April, 2014, Los Angeles