by Cynthia Gutierrez
This article was originally published at Prism
The 2020 uprisings against police brutality and state-sanctioned violence pushed more people to recognize how police forces disproportionately abuse and kill Black, Indigenous, and people of color. But policing by other branches of the state also extends to people’s homes. The families of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have been systematically torn apart under the guise of protecting children by the family regulation system, commonly known as the child welfare system or Child Protective Services (CPS), creating a climate of fear and erecting barriers that keep families apart.
Families have to navigate confusing and often contradictory systems that make it challenging to keep their family members together and receive much needed support. Because the surveillance of parenting is interwoven into so many systems, seeking shelter from intimate partner violence, getting treatment for substance use disorder, or even showing your home in the background of Zoom school can be fraught with fear. My colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital repeatedly hear from families that they are scared to access prenatal health care for fear of CPS getting involved.