Sunday, January 27, 2008

Hope you enjoyed your stay in Queens

Two teenage girls from the British countryside were searched, photographed and dumped in a group home when their mom got sick during a Christmas week shopping trip in New York City.

British mom gets sick during N.Y. trip, her kids end up in group home

Child welfare officials grabbed Gemma Bray, 15, and her sister, Katie, 13, and held them for more than 24 hours at a Manhattan shelter for children and teens, while their ailing mother scrambled frantically to find them.

Adding insult to injury, Yvonne Bray, 38, has received a letter from the Administration for Children's Services saying she is under investigation for possible child neglect.

The family's New York misadventure began when the mother became sick with pneumonia on the second night of their stay at the LaGuardia Marriott.

Her daughters rode with her in the ambulance to Elmhurst Medical Center, which was a world away from the quiet clinics they are used to in England.

She admits allowing an ACS worker to take the two girls, but she believed they would be staying with a nice family for the night.

Instead, the girls were taken to the facility on First Ave. in Manhattan, where they were given uniforms and had to pose for mug shots.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another example of Bloomberg's greatest city in the world BS.

Anonymous said...

Embarassing

verdi said...

I hope their mom notifies
the NYC Visitors & Convention Bureau
about their "wonderful" experience
as tourists in the rotten apple!

(And I wish they tell their
friends and relatives back home
to beware of visiting NYC).

This is a far cry from the treatment that I received
when traveling in Britain back in 1977.

I suddenly became very ill while in London
and as soon as I was able to.... I went to
(I believe it was) London Hospital.

After I was diagnosed and told to fill a prescription at the hospital's chemist (drug store)....
I asked what the fee was.

The answer was that I was covered
by the British National Health System ....
EVEN AS A TOURIST.....
and that NO PAYMENT was required!

My only charge was 33 pence for the medicine
(about 78 cents U.S.) !

NOW THAT'S A CIVILIZED COUNTRY !

The medical attention that I received, by the way,
in that London emergency room ....
was far better than anything I'd ever experienced
back home in The States!

Their medical staff was sensitive, cordial,
caring and proffessional.
I WAS THE STAR ....NOT THE DOCTORS!

Are any of your cronies reading this
Mayor Dumb-berg (or Mr. President) ? !!!

faster340 said...

Welcome to New York! Nice job NYC! NOT!

I am glad I wasn't treated like that when I went to England.

Anonymous said...

Imagine how many local kids with parents who lack bureaucratic expertise end up in similar circumstances. The blip is that the people who work at DCS think they are doing an adequate job. Loyalty to the organization and its playbook trumps decency and humanity.

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine this happening to me in France, Italy or Switzerland, countries that I have visted often and had personal issues that I had to deal with buracracy. Granted when my rental car in Italy was vandalized, the process to report it was less than friendly but private citizens helped me get my vehicule repaired and on the road otherwise. New Yorkers themselfs are the same that way, too or try to be. NYC buracracy has folks that are wooden in thought and unfriendly. I am glad this family harbors no ill will towards us - it makes me sick to hear of this type nightmare. I hope the Mayor makes this PR nightmare right and looks at the process we go through that is otherworldly.

Anonymous said...

"they were given uniforms to wear," probably full of cooties and stinking to high heaven.

Anonymous said...

Guy guys guys, calm down.

Most of this country is civilized and sensible. I wonder if something like this would have happened even in Mahattan (did anyone out here even know what an 'emabassy' is?)

This happened in Queens. Everything is geared for our ... she we say unique situation.

Anonymous said...

"Adding insult to injury, Yvonne Bray, 38, has received a letter from the Administration for Children's Services saying she is under investigation for possible child neglect."

This is 100% Bloomberg. All his appointees have run wild with no regard for anything but power.

ACS has blood on its hands from the numerous deaths of innocent children put into its care. And Bloomberg promotes the guilty.

"Child Neglect"? This is an ACS Specialty.

Anonymous said...

I sincerely hope these people have escaped back to the UK. Once they are safely there, I suggest the mother consult a good solicitor on whether or not these (to me) misguided ACS bureaucrats can extend their hassles to her across the Atlantic. Oh, yes, how thoughtless of her to come down with pneumonia! Selfish!

Anonymous said...

take those kids, fingerprint them, photo them, and get them "in the system." They may grow up to be potential "terrorists" (in Bush voice plesae).

Anonymous said...

I became ill as a result of a required smallpox vaccination during a trip to visit Irish relatives in 1964. My father was not charged one red cent to treat me--this when Ireland was still one of the poorest countries in the world.

America is becoming a third-world nation, and I for one am sad to see it come to this.