Saturday, October 09, 1999

J. Leonard Henderson

403 West Hwy 82

`Wallowa, OR 97885

Wallowa Valley Mental Health Center

207 SW First Street

Enterprise, OR 97828

Attn: Tom Uchison

Dear Tom,

As you may be aware, I unfortunately become involved with the Oregon Service to Children and Families this summer.

Wrongly accused, I found little help, no advocacy, and the specter of facing alone- a huge bureaucracy with unlimited resources and no controls. It appears that they violate with impunity people’s civil rights found in Amendments 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 14 (Section 1) to the Constitution of the United States.

They introduced me to an unprecedented new level of helplessness and depression in the face of my fear of their power to destroy my family and my life. The worry devastated my ability to perform at my occupation. I seriously wonder how a person with less fortitude survives this experience.

There appears to be no support to help parents who find themselves in such a perilous situation. The SCF uses the words “support the family”, in their literature and letters- but their behavior and actions hardly feel like “helpfulness”. In my experiences this summer, I observed significant parallels to George Orwell’s “1984”.

I imagine several families find themselves in this terrifying situation every year in Wallowa County.

Do you think that initiating a new program of positive support for “parents in trouble” might be a worthwhile endeavor?

Sincerely,

J. Leonard Henderson