McHenry Times

Illinois state Rep. Tom Weber (R-Fox Lake) blames state officials, including the governor and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) director, for failing abused children in their care.

More than a thousand children have died under DCFS' watch since 2010, including five-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund Jr., a child in Weber's District, Weber and other Republican lawmakers said during an online news conference. The law makers also pointed to the murders of state child welfare workers Diedre Silas, killed during a welfare check earlier this month, and Pam Knight in 2018.

Now Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on the campaign trail in 2018 | twitter.com/jbpritzker

Weber, along with Reps. Steven Reick (R-Woodstock) and Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), demanded hearings and called on majority Democrats in the state legislature and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to join in their effort.

Weber indicated during his portion of the news conference that he isn't going to hold his breath for Pritzker's participation, saying the governor hasn't responded thus far.

"Our state is failing at the single most important job we have ⁠— the care of our children, [the] most vulnerable," Weber said. "And Governor Pritzker has remained silent."

Weber has represented Illinois House District 64 since he assumed office in January 2019.

The following April, Freund, a Crystal Lake boy in Weber's district, was beaten to death following a lifetime of abuse, KIRO7 reported.

"I've been working to try and rectify the problems with DCFS ever since AJ Freund was murdered by his parents after DCFS failed him," Weber said during the news conference. "He was a bright young boy who was taken from us too soon but sadly the tragedies and DCFS haven't slowed down."

Weber referred to legislation that he has filed and co-sponsored "that I think will help but the Pritzker Administration has just sat on the sidelines," he said.

The more recent death of 6-year-old Damari Perry of Lake County, who according to CBS Chicago died of hypothermia but who had other signs of abuse, was "another DCFS failure," Weber said.

"DCFS records show Damari was in the foster care system in Illinois because his mother, Jannie Perry, had already lost custody of her other children due to DCFS investigations," Weber said. "Two years later, all her children were returned to her care. DCFS had two investigations before the boy's death, including an abuse and neglect investigation where Damari's mother wrote a threatening message about harming the boy. DCFS failed again and we are left with another avoidable tragedy."

Perry, her brother Jamari Perry and a juvenile sibling all face charges in the case, CBS Chicago reported.

The Freund and Perry children's treatment by members of their families is far from unique, Weber said, adding that 1,122 children died 2010 to March 2021 while under DCFS's watch. Weber called those hundreds of children "a mind-numbing, horrific figure."

"If that's not a crisis I don't know what is," Weber continued. "As a father I can't wrap my head around it or justify the inaction by our governor, by our legislature and by the director."

Weber also referred to other cases of "undue harm" causes by DCFS action and inaction.

"The children in these horrific situations are the most defenseless people in Illinois," Weber said. "They are being left to suffer by the Pritzker Administration. Pritzker has shown he is not willing to act, so it is time that Democrats and Republicans join together in the general assembly to truly reform the failed policies of this agency."

In a statement issued two days earlier, Weber called for a DCFS investigation, particularly into "questions about DCFS policies" and the leadership of DCFS Director  Marc D. Smith.

"In addition to working to assess how and why the department in charge of protecting our state's children is failing them so miserably, we need to determine what's causing this constant leadership spin cycle," Weber said. "Until we have those answers, join me in praying for those children who suffered harm under these failed policies and for those currently in the system."