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Public anger erupts at Durham County meeting over 'Reunification Month' proclamation; advocates demand funding and reforms
Summary
Durham County proclaimed June 2026 National Reunification Month. Impacted parents and advocacy groups criticized the county and Department of Social Services during a permitted public comment period, calling for budget commitments to reunification and alleging long delays in returning children to families.
The Durham Board of County Commissioners declared June 2026 National Reunification Month during its June 8 meeting. The board allowed one‑minute public comments for the ceremonial item, and several parents and advocates used the time to challenge county practice and request concrete budget funding for reunification services.
Wita Burns, who identified herself as a parent, asked why reunification funds are needed "if the kids was not taken in the first place," saying she has been entangled in the system for two years and demanding her son be returned. Antonet Haw, who said her parental rights were terminated in 2016, described her long, ongoing search for her child and called reunification a difficult, faith‑sustained process.
Amanda Wallace, founder of Operation Stop CPS, sharply criticized local practice and pressed the board for funding. "The Department of Social Services is trying to pass this resolution when they are again the second slowest county in North Carolina to reunify children," Wallace said, alleging that children are "stolen from their families and kept in foster care for over 677 days." She demanded that "at least 1% of the budget go to family reunification and preservation."
Director Clap, speaking for staff who manage reunification efforts, thanked the board and said reunification is a central part of the department’s daily work and that staff continue to pursue reunification. During the public comment period, the same participant (Amanda Wallace) continued speaking after being warned about time limits. Meeting staff repeatedly asked the speaker to stop; deputies ultimately escorted the participant from the chamber and the meeting resumed.
Speakers framed the proclamation and the county’s actual outcomes as in tension: advocates said symbolic recognition without funding or improved timelines is insufficient, while county staff emphasized ongoing operational work to reunify children. The board did not take any immediate budget action in the proclamation segment; advocates’ requests were registered during the public comment period and will intersect with upcoming budget deliberations.
