By Sarah Ruf | Maricopa Monitor
Manuel and Vivian Peña fell in love among the cotton fields. Both Arizona natives, they spent much of their lives working hard in the fields, traveling between California and the Grand Canyon State to provide for their five daughters.
They experienced heartache along the way, losing one of their babies to yellow jaundice, but they didn’t let grief consume their future.
Vivian relishes her time spent volunteering for Cesar Chavez, helping other farm families get the resources they needed at the Centro Campesino. “We would save covers for people that would sleep outside,” she said. It was a busy schedule, raising the family while working, but the couple made it through.
Comment by Rose Law Group Partner/Director Family Law Dept.
“This sure is a heartwarming story about a community rallying around a family in need. But below the surface, it is also a sad story about Department of Child Safety (DCS) yet again wasting resources and energy investigating a family absent good cause.
“The goal of DCS is to root out instances of abuse and neglect. That clearly isn’t happening here with this family. Sometimes DCS just can’t seem to help itself from meddling and making judgment calls on families who may be struggling financially.
“Poverty is not a basis for removal. Despite the financial struggles these children seem to be happy and thriving, so DCS just needs to mind it’s own business.”
