“I can’t breathe”were among the last wordsof CorneliusFrederick, a Black 16-year-old who died in Kalamazoo, Mich., on May 1 after being restrained for throwing a sandwich.
These heart-wrenching words have become all too familiar as we have watched the lives of our Black brothers and sisters being taken at the hands of law enforcement — Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, George Floyd — as well as so manymore people who areless known. Through an investigation from theMichigan Department of Health and Human Servicesand alawsuitfiled on behalf of his family, we’ve learned that workers there sat on Cornelius’ chest for a horrifying 10 minutes.
As protests galvanize this country, it has become evident that we must take urgent action to ensure the safety of all Black people who are openly and systematically victimized in the community as well as those hidden behind closed doors. The death of Cornelius Frederickmust propel the state to make institutional changes, not just at Lakesidebut to Michigan’s overall approach to child welfare.
Across Michigan, youth of color are disproportionately placed in child welfareand juvenile justice residential facilities.Black kids account for over a quarter of those experiencing abuse or neglect, although they make up only 17% of the general population, the Michigan League for Public Policy’s annual KidsCount Data Book revealed. National statistics collected by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention show thatBlack youth are 4.5 times as likely as white youth to be placed in detention or residential placementin Michigan.
As a ward of the state, Cornelius was housed at Lakeside Academy, a for-profit residential facility operated by Sequel Youth and Family Services that serves at-risk teen boys who need intensive behavioral and mental health therapy. While a formal investigation is still under way,an inquiry by DHHS's Division of Child Welfare Licensingrecounts a horrific scene of four facility staff restraining the teen, who went into cardiac arrest and died two days later.
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Youth were placed at Lakeside Academy to receive help, yet a long list of licensing violations there — including multiple instances of inappropriate restraints — speak to a pattern of abuse that is all too common in these types of facilities. We are glad that both Gov. Whitmer, who ordered the state tosuspend licenses to facilitiesrun by Sequel Youth and Family Services, as well as MDHHS, who decided to revoke the one that was held for Lakeside, have moved to address these providers.
We can still do better by our kids.
The recent announcement by nine members of theMinneapolis City Council to reimagine their police force in favor of a new model of public safety is intriguing, and has made me wonder whether a similar approach could be used within behavioral health, juvenile detention and correctional settings. If our intent is to provide treatment and rehabilitation in a safe and therapeutic environment, why are we using restraints?
Amid calls to reallocate resources for the police to address systemic racism, let’s consider what it looks like to reallocate resources in the juvenile justice system.
Hundreds of youth have been released from residential facilities and juvenile detention centers to receive treatment and supervision in the community to curb the impact of COVID-19. There is no reason that these beds need to be refilled when the pandemic is over.
Community-based programs are highly effective at addressing problem behavior. They allow children to stay in school and they engage the entire family in treatment.
If a child must be removed from home, we need to ensure their well-being by strengthening oversight, transparencyand accountability within private facilities, and within MDHHS, which oversees facility licensure. The state must collect and report data on how many youth of color are placed in facilities, and the reasons why they were removed from their homes. Additionally, the creation of an independent juvenile justice ombudsman, in addition to the existing child welfare ombudsman,would help ensure that youth and families can report concerns without fear of retaliation.
Under no circ*mstances should a company be allowed to make a profit by housing children in facilities.
Cornelius lost his life at the hands of those who were charged with protecting him. Cornelius’ life mattered. We owe it to Cornelius to make sure justice is served and that he did not die in vain.
Hazelette Crosby-Robinson is the board president of the Michigan Center for Youth Justice, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a fair and effective justice system for the state’s youths.
