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Advocate urges county action, alleges families torn apart in trafficking and court abuses
Summary
Michelle Basham, an advocate for families, told the Plan Commission she believes families are being torn apart by trafficking and alleged court and guardianship abuses in Washington County; she named organizations and urged immediate action and research.
Michelle Basham, identifying herself as an advocate for families, used public comment time to allege that families in Washington County are being torn apart by what she described as trafficking tied to court and guardianship processes. She said she has been fighting for her mother for more than two years after her mother was placed in a locked ward and the family faced financial consequences.
"There's families being torn apart for money. That is trafficking," Basham said, urging commissioners and staff to research the issue and to help affected families. She named the group Justice Without Limits and individuals she said were doing work in this area and encouraged the commission to look into their findings.
Basham described challenges she said families face in the court system — including guardianship and restitution she said was levied against her family without prior notice — and asked commissioners to act more quickly than the multi-month timeline she feared would otherwise apply. Staff reminded her of the public-comment time limit and ended her remarks when time expired; Basham said she would return to continue pressing the issue.
The commission did not take any formal action in response to the allegations during the meeting; the comment was entered into the record.
