We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America

by Roxanna Asgarian

“Family destruction has historically functioned as a chief instrument of group oppression in the United States,”

the “troubled teen” industry rakes in up to $1.2 billion annually.

“We remove kids for neglect and place them in strangers’ homes, and give the stranger a monthly stipend to take care of the child,” Dettlaff says. “What if we just gave that one thousand dollars a month to the mother who needed it?”