“CPS lies, Durham County pays, how many kids did you steal today?”
A crowd of about 30 Durham advocates chanted those words at the Durham County Department of Social Services’ doorstep Wednesday as part of the “Stop Family Policing Rally.” In response to the noise, employees on the third floor pulled shut their gray blinds.
Another round of yelling. “Shame! Quit your job!”
The gathering was organized by Operation Stop CPS and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. In Wednesday’s steady rain, the activists held umbrellas over one another and marched between DSS and the Durham County Courthouse.
Janki Kaneria of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice explained the protestors’ intent: “We are part of a movement here in Durham, North Carolina and nationally that is calling for an overhaul of the family policing system.”
The existing foster care system disproportionately impacts Black Durham residents, organizers said. In 2022, Black families comprised 36% of the population in the county but accounted for 64% of the Child Protective Services investigations, according to Emancipate NC, a nonprofit focused on criminal justice reform. According to a report in the Assembly, Durham County’s rate of reunifying families is 22% — well below the national rate.
In an emailed response, Pamela Purifoy, senior public information officer for the Durham County Department of Social Services, defended the department’s record.
“Our staff works tirelessly to ensure the safety of children that come into our care through very difficult circumstances,” Purifoy wrote. “Every effort is made by our agency to maintain and strengthen family bonds, specifically with our In-Home Care program. Our agency adheres to all North Carolina statutes regarding our foster care program.”
Other speakers had pointed critiques for Durham County District Court Judge Doretta Walker, one of the two judges presiding over the Durham County court that determines foster care placements and family reunification.
Elizabeth Rossi of the Civil Rights Corps, a D.C.-based legal advocacy group, outlined the corps’ lawsuit against Judge Walker and Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead. The suit, filed on Nov. 13, accuses Walker and Birkhead of routinely preventing court watchers from observing such hearings, and charges that doing so violates citizens’ First Amendment rights.
Judge Walker declined to comment on the lawsuit. Sheriff Birkhead could not be reached for comment.
In an interview after the rally, Rossi explained such hearings were invaluable to evidence-building in previous cases of wrongdoing, such as cases Civil Rights Corps pursued in Tennessee against private probation companies.
“By sitting in those courtrooms, I could see the relationship between the private probation company and the judges and the prosecutors, because you can see them talking,” she said.
The rally also featured first-hand accounts of the foster care system from Sheryl Smith, a Durham foster and adoptive mother and Rafik Zaidi, a Durham resident and president of the community group Black Concerned Citizens. Zaidi entered the foster care system at age 5 and attributes its instability to his later 44 juvenile felony charges.
As they wrapped up, protestors marched towards the courthouse, holding a large banner labeled: “STOP KIDNAPPING BLACK CHILDREN.”
Above: At a recent rally, Amanda Wallace had pointed criticism for Durham’s Child Protective Services department. Photo by Abigail Bromberger — The 9th Street Journal
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly suggested that Elizabeth Rossi of the Civil Rights Corps criticized Judge Doretta Walker by name during the rally and that the Corps was among the rally’s organizers. The story has been updated to correct the errors.
