JD Pratt’s Removed Reaction Paper
This is the third or fourth time that I have watched the video Removed Part 1 & 2. It doesn’t get
easier the more times you have watched it. These videos are about a first or second grade girl named
Zoey and her perspective of the foster care system. There are facts about what is happening in the
videos
Zoey originally lived with her biological mom, her mom’s boyfriend and her little brother Beniah.
There was a report not shown on camera about the unsafe conditions within the home, abuse, and/or
Zoey’s personal hygiene. In slow motion the video shows the boyfriend getting arrested, Zoey running
from a social worker and Zoey’s mom running after her boyfriend. Ultimately Zoey and her little brother
Beniah were removed from their home because it wasn’t safe for them. The rest of the video chronicles
Zoey’s time in 2 foster homes with a flash forward scene after Zoey is grown up. One is closer to her
family of origin and culture. It was a two white foster parent home. This was probably done to try to
ease the transition for Zoey. The other foster family was completely different from Zoey’s home. The
second foster home was a single black foster mom. The second one was needed because Zoey acted
out in the first home and was abused by her foster parents. The second foster mom seemed to have a
more trauma informed approach with Zoey throughout her time in the video. She gets down on Zoey’s
level and doesn’t just look at the behaviors Zoey is having. She looks at her behaviors and understands
that something has happened to her to cause her to act out in each situation. The trauma informed
approach to care is one that includes looking at things in a big picture perspective. The foster mom
wasn’t successful in everything she did. She was able to gain Zoey’s trust through the consistent way
she approached Zoey, how she was able to gain placement for Beniah, and how she advocated for Zoey
in court, during psychiatric sessions, and during visits with her mom. The last part of the videos shows
Zoey as an adult teacher. She is interacting with another little boy who is in foster care. She is
encouraging him to never give up and remember that he is in control of how he reacts.
Zoey’s perspective during part one is centered on trauma and loss. The trauma she suffered was
from her abuse by her mom’s boyfriend, witnessing domestic violence, being the victim of domestic
violence, witnessing substance abuse, and the removal of her from her home. She lost her mother,
brother, home, school, and everything she had while she was at home. The biggest loss she had was not
having her brother who she cared for frequently while she was at home. From her perspective
everything was ripped from her. She knew that her life wasn’t perfect, but she still wanted to have hope
that the good times were not behind her and her family. When she came to her first foster placement
she probably felt alone in a strange new place. She was exploring and ate an apple from the apple tree.
She must have not been allowed to do that because the foster parent scolded her. She didn’t know how
to react to the scolding other than what she had been shown at home. She through a record player off
the porch and her foster parents forced her into a running shower. This caused her to feel more alone
and worthless. The abuse she dealt with at that foster home caused her to be sent to another. This
foster parent treated her differently and she didn’t know how to handle it. She reacted to acts of
kindness, such as receiving a dress, at times with yelling and throwing things because that was all she
knew. She started to feel more normal and at peace when her brother was able to stay with her second
foster mom. Despite the hope Zoey experienced more loss when her brother was adopted. She blamed
the foster mom and acted out more than she had before. During all the visits with her mom she
continued to feel unwanted and unworthy of love because her mom was preoccupied with boyfriends
and Beniah. Her mom even verbalized prioritizing Beniah over her. Throughout all this time her foster
mom stood by and advocated for her which took a long time for Zoey to understand. When Zoey was an
adult, she showed discernment, understanding and kindness to a little boy in foster care. She brought
hope to him because she knew what he was going through.
Zoey had a few triggers throughout the videos. They were yelling, receiving a dress, losing her
family and home, losing her brother on two separate occasions, and visions of her removal from her
home. They never showed Zoey witnessing an adult abusing alcohol or substances like her mom and her
mom’s boyfriend, but if she witnessed that I think it would be another trigger for her. Zoey experienced
trauma and this interrupted how she interacted with others.
While watching these videos I was reminded of the foster care placements that my wife and I
have had. Every one of the kids we have had experienced trauma and loss in a number of ways. Four of
the five foster kids that we have had acted out from triggers or trauma in some way while they were
with us. 3 instances involved the police getting involved to keep them and our family safe. Those
situations involving the police introduced trauma to these kids and my family. It is not easy to just move
on when trauma happens in your life. It is something that you need to recognize and work through. The
closest story to Zoey’s happened with a 14-year-old boy I will call Bob. Bob’s previously live with his
single mom, her slew of boyfriends and his little brother. He and his brother were taken from their
mom when Bob was around 7 years old. When he came to us as a teenager he had already worked
through the feelings and emotions that Zoey had but he still held out hope that his mom would get him
back one day. He talked about how he used to act out and react to others because he didn’t know how
to handle his own emotions. I’m happy to say he is going to graduate this year and plans on visiting us.
He is a success story in a world of trauma and loss. That doesn’t happen as often as it should. I hope to
be able to be a part of the success stories with not only kids but their entire families in the future.