It’s laudable that the state law focuses on preventing family separations, but is it enough?
by
Left: Washington state s capital building is seen in Olympia, Washington on Thursday, June 14, 2017.
(Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut) Right: Paula Bryant, mother of Ma Khia Bryant, the 16-year-old girl shot and killed by a Columbus police officer on April 20, holds a photo of her daughter while talking about her during a news conference Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. Attorney Michelle Martin representing the family has called for full investigations into the teen’s fatal shooting by a Columbus police officer. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Last month, on the same day that 16-year-old foster child Ma’Khia Bryant was shot to death by police in Ohio while attacking a young woman, lawmakers 2,500 miles away in Olympia officially acknowledged that foster care is a disastrous system in need of top-to-bottom reform.