.jpg)
a nonprofit organization for children's rights
From the Greenwood Commonwealth (Mississippi)
Tchula rallies behind accused mother
by Deborah Bulkeley, Associated Press
November 17, 2002
"Despite us being one of the poorest counties in the nation, so to speak, we've always cared for the children," said former Mayor Jessie D. Banks. "And in spite of the handicap that we've had, of the struggles that we've had, those parents, it seems to me, always put their children first."
TCHULA - The deaths of six children in a fire that gutted their mobile
home weigh heavily on the heart and in the prayers of Rosie Howez. So,
too, does the fate of Angela Williams, who faces manslaughter and
neglect charges.
Howez does not blame Williams, even though the local prosecutor does.
Instead, she and others in the Delta town of 2,300 are supporting the
woman, saying the lifelong guilt the 28-year-old will carry is
punishment enough.
"I guess you'd have to be there to know how hopeless it can be," Howez
said, describing Williams as a young mother, desperate to find a home
for her children.
"That's the only thing I can see about her, is her trying to provide,"
Howez said. "I never saw Angela try to neglect her children. She sent
them to school every day."
District Attorney James Powell said Williams was at a nightclub when the
fire broke out early Oct. 19. Three of her children and three of her
sister's died - all between the ages of 3 and 12. Two of the children
had been in Head Start classes that Howez taught.
Williams had left the children alone in the mobile home that had no
electricity, heat or water. Authorities said the fire probably was
started by one of the candles used to light and heat the mobile home.
Officials are still unclear on why Williams had moved her children into
the trailer before the utilities and water were connected. She had moved
from the nearby Mileston community less than two weeks before the fire.
Williams' two surviving children, a 4-month-old who was rescued by
firefighters and another child who was not staying in the trailer, are
in Department of Human Services custody.
Tchula, a predominantly black town surrounded by farmland and patches of
trees, has a median household income of $11,571, according to the 2000
Census. It is located in Holmes County, one of the 10 poorest counties
in the nation, census figures show.
Jacques Bobrowsky, president of Haley's Rights, a children's advocate
group in Boca Raton, Fla., said making parents accountable for their
actions is the only way to protect children.
"As a parent, I would hope she would have guilt and remorse. Is that
enough? Absolutely no," Bobrowsky said. "The mother should be charged to
show other people that this is what will happen if you neglect your
children and they die."
In 2000, an estimated 552,000 children suffered neglect and 1,200
children died of abuse or neglect nationwide, according to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services "Child Maltreatment 2000"
report.
In Mississippi, 1,233 neglect reports were substantiated last year.
Neglect and abandonment were blamed for one death in 2001 and three
deaths in 2000, according state Department of Health statistics.
An earlier study showed a connection between poverty and neglect. The
National Incidence Study on Child Abuse and Neglect said that, in 1993,
27.2 out of every 1,000 children suffered neglect in households with
income less than $15,000 a year. That rate decreased at higher incomes.
Only 0.6 children out of 1,000 were neglected when a household earned at
least $30,000.
Bobrowsky said those statistics may be
misleading, since poverty has nothing to do with loving your children.
"Contrary to popular belief, neglect crosses all racial, demographic and
socio-economic boundaries," he said. "The public hears the most about
cases from the lower socio-economic demographics because they do not
have the means or recourses to devote to hiding it."
Angela Williams and members of her family have been either unavailable
for interviews or declined comment.
In Tchula, those who would speak about the case expressed concern for
Williams and disagreed with the charges against her. Local church
leaders urged their congregations to support Williams and a community
effort to either raise the woman's $75,000 bond or try to get it
reduced.
Howez, 63, said that, as early as age 5, she had watched younger
siblings while their parents worked the cotton fields from sunrise until
sunset.
"That's a long time to leave babies at the house, but that happened to
me and that happened to my brothers and my sisters and most people that
you know that grew up poor, having to struggle to make ends meet," she
said.
However, Jessie D. Banks, Tchula's former mayor and a retired teacher,
said that with a local daycare center, children are normally not left
alone.
"Despite us being one of the poorest counties in the nation, so to
speak, we've always cared for the children," said Banks, 75. "And in
spite of the handicap that we've had, of the struggles that we've had,
those parents, it seems to me, always put their children first."
Banks said she doesn't know if Angela Williams was negligent, but "this
was nothing purposely. ... I just think that by her losing her children
I believe that is going to be enough punishment for her."
Banks said she believes some good will come out of the tragedy, which
has brought her sometimes-divided community together.
"I believe our parents are going to be more careful and there's going to
be more caution to be sure that there are fire detectors," she said.
Yvonne Brown, Tchula's current mayor, said the deaths prompted her to
seek $2 million in grants and donations for housing, and she's working
to create parenting classes.
Haley's Home | Awareness | Haley's Story | Haley's Rights Contact |Links Statistics |Music Fundraising Event | Officers and Directors | News Archives About Haley's Rights | Calls to Action
All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2001