They're Making Their Way Into My State!

You heard that right.  Trio and the minions have inched their slimy claws into my state.  They are working with a local foster family in another great effort to destroy native sovereignty and demolish reunification laws.  The case involves a little girl who was placed in foster care as a toddler.  She was placed with Pete and Laura Lupo.  Little girl Elle remained with the Lupos for approximately two years before the Department of Children and Family Services transitioned her to the care of an Aunt and Uncle.

The Lupos were mad that Elle was placed back with family.  They wanted to adopt her.  No doubt some miscommunications took place or the Lupos merely had selective hearing, but they were under the belief they'd get to adopt her.  Well, as much as it sucks, they were merely foster parents and when the aunt and uncle did all that DCFS required of them to gain placement of Elle, per state law, Elle was transferred to their care.  

The Indian Child Welfare Act was invoked in this case.  While I don't doubt it played a part in what is happening, state law is quite clear when it comes to permanency plans for state dependents.  Family has preference over non-related caregivers so Elle would have gone to the aunt and uncle regardless.  

The Lupos got the backing of the infamous Trio Minions and they have a support page.  They've plastered their faces on a local news station.  Per the Trio playbook, blame ICWA for breaking apart a family, stretch the truth or just outright lie.  Same shit, different child basically.  They claim the aunt and uncle just appeared out of nowhere to take her and didn't want her until she was recognized as a native child.  Funnily enough, the aunt and uncle had been working with DCFS for at least SIX MONTHS or more to meet the requirements to become a relative foster placement.  And the Lupos even tried to claim Elle was suddenly just torn from their home.  Well, it was discovered that the Lupos themselves couldn't handle the two week transition period that was going to take place to transfer Elle to the aunt and uncle and they called DCFS and demanded she be removed now because it was too hard on them. 

Trio and the minions are hard at work, claiming in every forum they can that the uncle only stepped forward when it benefited him and that they are using the little girl for tribal money and whatever other bullshit these idiots love to spew.  They are flaunting Veronica's kidnapping as proof the Lupos will be able to fight, claiming the little girl simply isn't native enough.  Hell, Pete Lupo even said on the news segment that Elle is only "one percent" and not entitled to native protections.  Here's the thing, you wanna be hipster, YOU and the courts do not get to determine whether or not that little girl is native enough.  The tribe itself gets to do that and they have determined that she qualifies.

Her native ties aside, the point here simply is that the Lupos were well aware that Elle would not be an adoptable child and would be transferred to the care of extended family.  They decided they were more entitled to her and want to fight it.  The law is the law.  Family placement will always take precedence over non-related foster parents.  Especially when it comes to permanency and the parents themselves are no longer a valid option.  Elle's uncle and aunt were determined to be a suitable placement and had done all DCFS required of them.

If Munday and Trio dare show their faces in my state, you better believe I'll make sure I'm there to call them out on their lies and bullshit.  I'll call them out for the lies they spread about Dusten, the lies spread about John and the lies being spread about Elle's uncle.  Christ, one would think Munday and her minions would think twice about the shit coming out of their mouths.  They're being sued for defamation, remember?  And they're finding out that Elle's extended family isn't going to just stand by while they flame Elle's uncle all over the internet.  They've come out in force, giving the assholes some pretty good virtual bitch slaps.   

I do sort of feel bad for the Lupos.  For one, they are most likely unaware of the monsters who have extended their helping hand.  Secondly, I don't doubt that they do love little Elle.  But she was not their child.  She never was.  If they were made to believe she'd be their child, they either misunderstood or were grossly misinformed.  Part of me suspects they heard only what they wanted to hear.  Maybe they were told there was a high probability she'd become adoptable.  That still doesn't make her legally free to adopt.  Maybe a caseworker did get their hopes up.  But the pendulum could still swing in the other direction.  Either way, being told there's a chance she could become adoptable does not mean she IS adoptable.

So listen up, Trio, Jessica, Dev, Bonnie, Aria, and the rest of you pathetic muppets:  Your days of trying to make it open market on other people's kids will be over.  Welcome to the evergreen state, assholes.  You will not succeed in manipulating our laws like you did in South Carolina and Oklahoma.  Will will not succeed in trampling our dependency and reunification laws.  You're on our turf now, fuckers.