Two Kids Found Caged In Truck Back Seat

A 35-year-old Midlothian man faces two counts of child endangerment after a witness spotted two children in the back seat of a pickup that had been enclosed with a wire cage to keep them from getting out of the ...

[Nice Job Posen PD]

I applaud the quick and professional response of the Posen Police in this situation. Their intervention may truly be a benefit to the lives of these two young girls.

From what people at the scene said, the police actually interviewed witnesses and conducted a thorough investigation before arresting the father and charging him with two counts of child endangerment.

This is in marked contrast to the actions of the Crestwood Police in their infamous WalMart debacle where they arrested an innocent woman and took her two year old child from her... with absolutely no investigation whatsoever. No witnesses interviewed, they didn't even bother to go into the WalMart to look at the video surveillance. They were simply set on throwing the now exonnerated mother in jail and breaking up her family.

The citizens of Posen should be proud of the professionalism of their police officers and the department in this case. By all indications it appears that they were the consumate professionals all police officers should aspire to be, especially in a case as sensitive as one that deals with the welfare of a child.

They also spoke to the media, while keeping the fathers name anonymous, to explain their actions, of which they should also be proud. They have shown that not only have they most likely made a good arrest, but also that they have nothing to hide from the public.

These are complex and sensitive cases with innocent children that can benefit from or be injured by the actions of the police involved. The Posen Police and detective Quirk have made a good example of how to conduct themselves in such a situation.

My hat is off to you at the Posen Police department. Your training and professionalism should make you a shining example to other police departments like Crestwood.

I hope those two little girls are ok and come through this with as little impact as possible.

Your work here may just be a lifesaving action for these two little girls.

Thank you Posen PD!

[lisa]

let the animals out..why would you cage a child

[DLCL]

Were they his kids'? Why didn't he just take them in with him if they were?

[I Hope]

I hope that what the cops did was right. It's easy to jump to conclusions. Was Gonzalez arrested because he had a different cultural view? Were the children really endangered? What if he had purchased a "Chinese" built restraint system? Did he think his children were safer to be locked in a cage?

I hope there is more to the story. The guy is a "scrap hauler" read: guy who drives from dumpster to dumpster and fills his truck with hatever metal he can get to bring to the recycling center. I think that indicates he is not in the middle or upper socioeconomic class. Does he take his kids with him because his wife is working and they are barely scraping by?

Are felony charges warranted? That seems unlikely. What Ricardo Gonzalez could use is a hand. It sounds like he is less a criminal and more a parent in need. Could we, the community reach out and help him? Or should we cry out for his prosecution? "Take the chilren! Jail the father!" some say.

DCFS has had prior contact with the family. I don't know what they found or determined.

Ricardo Gonzalez may indeed have endangered those two little girls. Then again, Gonzalez may just have been doing what he needed to do as a parent to survive and take care of his family.

Barely able to squeak by with high gas prices, cook county sales taxes...

Regardless, the Posen Police look to have done their job well. They did all of the things the police are supposed to do in a situation like this. They should be commended.

Before we crucify Ricardo Gonzalez lets find out what's really going on. Already they use words like "children jailed by father" in the press. This story will be a nationwide sensation by the end of the day.

If Mr. Gonzalez is a bad parent, he could use the help of his community. If he is a good parent, he could use the help of his community even more.

[Nina -- Chicago]

I Hope wrote:

I hope that what the cops did was right. It's easy to jump to conclusions. Was Gonzalez arrested because he had a different cultural view? Were the children really endangered? What if he had purchased a "Chinese" built restraint system? Did he think his children were safer to be locked in a cage?
I hope there is more to the story. The guy is a "scrap hauler" read: guy who drives from dumpster to dumpster and fills his truck with hatever metal he can get to bring to the recycling center. I think that indicates he is not in the middle or upper socioeconomic class. Does he take his kids with him because his wife is working and they are barely scraping by?
Are felony charges warranted? That seems unlikely. What Ricardo Gonzalez could use is a hand. It sounds like he is less a criminal and more a parent in need. Could we, the community reach out and help him? Or should we cry out for his prosecution? "Take the chilren! Jail the father!" some say.
DCFS has had prior contact with the family. I don't know what they found or determined.
Ricardo Gonzalez may indeed have endangered those two little girls. Then again, Gonzalez may just have been doing what he needed to do as a parent to survive and take care of his family.
Barely able to squeak by with high gas prices, cook county sales taxes...
Regardless, the Posen Police look to have done their job well. They did all of the things the police are supposed to do in a situation like this. They should be commended.
Before we crucify Ricardo Gonzalez lets find out what's really going on. Already they use words like "children jailed by father" in the press. This story will be a nationwide sensation by the end of the day.
If Mr. Gonzalez is a bad parent, he could use the help of his community. If he is a good parent, he could use the help of his community even more.

.......Did you know him or something?? How did you find out his name when the reports states the Police dept kept his name anonymous??

[Terri]

I think there are better ways of taking your children than putting them and locking them in cages this is disgusting.And whats more disgusting they said in the news it will be a misdemeanor,what an example that is not! I feel so sorry for the children in society today with the horrible parents,predators,and a judicial system that doesn't work.But you can be sure the media will give you the story!!

[I Hope]

No Nina, I don't know him. I do know that he is up against long odds. He needs an advocate. If he really endangered his kids this intervention is exactly what is needed. He shouldn't have said a word to the police. They can take anything you say and use it against you. If english is not your native language things can go terribly wrong. Look at the mother in that case at the Crestwood WalMart. She didn't say anything. That was smart.

If Gonzalez didn't endanger his children, he needs the help of the community, the understanding of the public and a good advocate. I doubt he can afford a good attorney.

Those children are in a foster home. Dad now faces felony charges. A family is broken apart. Was that the action that should have been taken in the interest of those kids? Maybe, maybe not.

The authorities need to be sensitive and careful. Childrens lives are at stake. Gonzalez needs to be even more careful. He is dealing with a heavy machine. He needs help.

It might have been endangerment, it may have been a misunderstanding, it could just be bad judgement.

Will dragging Gonzalez through court, facing jail time or fines and heavy legal bills benefit those children? I doubt it.

Community is what makes the difference. Seems like the Gonzalez family could use a little help from their neighbors. I don't think they could afford child care.

From what all have said, the police response was professional and appropriate. It is now in the hands of the prosecutor. I hope they do a better job investigationg than they did in the Treffly Coyne case in Crestwood.

Whatever happened or did not happen, I wish those children well. Their father is in trouble. That is never good for a family.

[I Hope]

patgeigerssaggingsac wrote:

what an axxhole - they need to lock his axx up in a cage in prison for life!!!!!!!!!!

That may not be in the best interests of those children. What Gonzalez failed to do was to not try and support his family and apply for welfare so he could stay home and watch his kids.

[Mrs Bennett]

This is so disturbing, I hope he gets to rot in a cage called jail! Those poor children, where was the mother, i wonder???

[Obama]

maybe they were really bad kids?

[josie]

did anyone notice that it said the family has had prior contact with DCFS? And I don't care if he didn't have anywhere else to send those kids while he worked. Imagine what could have happened if he had those kids in a cage rather than a child safety seat and got into an accident.

Whether he was ignorant or malicious, the police did the right thing, and now he will either be enlightened as to what proper care of your children should be... or he will be sent to jail.

[Oh Timmy J]

Nice Job Posen PD wrote:

I applaud the quick and professional response of the Posen Police in this situation. Their intervention may truly be a benefit to the lives of these two young girls.
From what people at the scene said, the police actually interviewed witnesses and conducted a thorough investigation before arresting the father and charging him with two counts of child endangerment.
This is in marked contrast to the actions of the Crestwood Police in their infamous WalMart debacle where they arrested an innocent woman and took her two year old child from her... with absolutely no investigation whatsoever. No witnesses interviewed, they didn't even bother to go into the WalMart to look at the video surveillance. They were simply set on throwing the now exonnerated mother in jail and breaking up her family.
The citizens of Posen should be proud of the professionalism of their police officers and the department in this case. By all indications it appears that they were the consumate professionals all police officers should aspire to be, especially in a case as sensitive as one that deals with the welfare of a child.
They also spoke to the media, while keeping the fathers name anonymous, to explain their actions, of which they should also be proud. They have shown that not only have they most likely made a good arrest, but also that they have nothing to hide from the public.
These are complex and sensitive cases with innocent children that can benefit from or be injured by the actions of the police involved. The Posen Police and detective Quirk have made a good example of how to conduct themselves in such a situation.
My hat is off to you at the Posen Police department. Your training and professionalism should make you a shining example to other police departments like Crestwood.
I hope those two little girls are ok and come through this with as little impact as possible.
Your work here may just be a lifesaving action for these two little girls.
Thank you Posen PD!

Timmy J GIVE IT UP!!!!

[Suburbanminority]

Another ignorant Mexican from Mexico?

2 year olds are into everything, and if he was a father who wanted to protect his children, he decided to build a cage to keep the children safe while he worked junking.

[Jude11066]

Good grief! That is just sickening. Absolutely sickening.

[Christine]

I bet the parents are illegals THRIVING ON taxpayer DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!

[Christine]

Suburbanminority wrote:

Another ignorant Mexican from Mexico?
2 year olds are into everything, and if he was a father who wanted to protect his children, he decided to build a cage to keep the children safe while he worked junking.

LMAO

[puff]

looks like he'll be spending his 4th of july holiday with "BUBBA"..........AND HOPEFULLY his girls are in a place where they can get a little peace of mind........

[Bess]

Can't be an illegal! He's trying to make a living. Not just get FREE housing, medical, food etc etc etc etc!Shame on DCFS!!!

[Terri]

I'm certainly glad they charged this person with child endangerment I can't imagine the mental effects this will have on these poor kids.The news initially said a misdemeanor and thats ridiculous.

[Children]

In the newspaper picture this man looks so tired and sad. His wife works long hours, he drives around with the children at night picking scrap metal out of dumpsters to make ends meet. I noticed in the picture the house if for sale, I wonder if it was foreclosed on. Now the father faces felony charges, his truck is in impound, he will need a lawyer he obviously cannot afford. These people it appears were just barely squeaking by.

I don't know if he hurt those kids or not but it's going to be tough times for the Gonzalez family. I wish I could have helped you before it came to this.

Something seems wrong when it does come to this. Our society seems to say "punish the struggling father... he is not good enough or smart enough... jail him and take away his children!" Others focus in on your hispanic last name and accuse you of being an illegal alien. I don't know if you are or you aren't. That doesn't matter to me, I'm concerned about your children. Whatever happened, you and your family, your little girls are all in my prayers.

Ricardo, your story has made it around the world. In the brief media descriptions of your actions you have become "the man who caged his children." Reduced to a soundbite and a few photographs of the interior of your truck. In the coming days the call to prosecute you for your actions will be raised. Our society is right to be concerned at and appalled by child abuse. It makes us feel good to defend those we percieve as defenseless.

Ricardo Gonzalez, let me be the first to admit to being a hypocrite and offer you my apologies. I am part of a society that claims to care about the children, yet we have ignored your struggle, we have failed to reach put to you and lend you a hand. Instead we take our soundbite, react instantly and call for you to be jailed and your children to be taken away. That makes us feel better for the moment. It's easy. It would be too complex to look at why we are to blame for this. And it might make us feel bad.

There your family was, in the middle of our community, struggling to survive as a family in America 2008. Why does mom have to work long hours as well as you, with one job and evenings spent finding scrap others have discarded and selling it to keep your children fed and clothed and housed. Were you too proud or too isolated to ask us, your neighbors for help? Could we have allowed your children to play with ours while you worked pulling metal out of dumpsters in the evening? Or did you feel isolated because of your race? Did you feel like you couldn't ask us for that help? If only we had noticed and reached out to your family. Where has the concept of community gone?

Has community come to mean "notice them who violate our standards, call the police or dcfs and have them punished or dealt with." Is that what community is in America now?

Ricardo Gonzalez, have you failed your children or have we failed your children?

At the very least, everyone has failed the Gonzalez children. Unable to process it all in the soundbite we were given, we say "You should be punished! Upgrade the charges to felony status!" That's so much easier than for us to bear the guilt at what we have let our America become. Let's blame Gonzalez for what he did to his family... that way we can sleep soundly tonight and avoid the guilt we should feel at what WE did to your family, what we allowed to happen to your family and countless others struggling along in silence, we should feel guilty for the help we could have offered you but didn't.

I look at your picture Ricardo and I see a sad man. I see heartbreak and pain. I feel your struggle. God help the Gonzalez family get through this and make right.

God help America to take a deep and hard look at what we have let this nation become.