Open letter to the President

First and foremost I would like to thanks you for taking the time out of your busy scheduler to read over this information for me and my family would like to send you and your family best wishes and great you and your family.


My name is Mahdee Muhammad and my wife and I about 2 years ago felt that we were doing something to help a family member and one little boy name Zion Washington. Zion mother name is Joyce Washington and she is the granddaughter to my Uncle (my grandmother oldest son). Joyce had decided that she was going to leave her mother house and make it out on her own about the age of 14 because she did not like rules. While out on her own Joyce became wise to the street and found herself in and out of a couple of mental hospitals and group homes. Joyce also had live at almost every family member house that would take her in and while her stay was short there she would leave a lasting memory. Sometime during the year of 2006 Joyce became preagent and decides to go back to her mom house in hopes that her mother would help her to terminate the preagenese. Joyce mother is a Johav Witness and would not take Joyce or pay for her to have this treatment done.
I believe that everything in life has the rules of for ever action there is a reaction and this came into play. As you read thought my reports of what my family has gone thought since March of 2007 know that my wife, kids and I love Zion with all our hearts. We don’t hold him at fault for anything that has happen these two years. Zion is a part that makes up our family, we tell people that we have 4 children and our biology children think of Zion as their brother. Zion has been living with us since he was 4 months and now he is 27 months so we are mom, dad, sister and brother.
January of 2007 my wife wanted to know if we could adopt Joyce child. Joyce was trying to give him up and my sister was not able to take him because she could not afford another child and Zion was not a ward of the state so she would be not be getting any finaluce help. I had never seen Zion or his mother and I told her no! Well February of 2007 my wife was keeping Zion some times to give Joyce a break that she said she needed. By the end of May 2007 Zion was living with us and I was keeping him most of the time and taking him to the doctor. During the time that lead up to this Joyce had been leaving Zion at by himself in a room while she would go out. And there had been two calls place into DCFS of child abuse.
In May of 2007 my wife and I were ask by Joyce caseworker if we could take in Joyce also to give her a stable home. Joyce was living at my mother house as a foster child; however once Zion was not there my mother had wanted DCFS to remove Joyce from her home because of Joyce actions. I had to decline this offer of taking in Joyce I had a daughter who was in eight grade and I did not want Joyce to bring her ideas into our house. Joyce was going to place into a shelter and I ask my mother could she stay at her house until DCFS was able to place her somewhere and my mother said yes.
About July of 2007 Joyce was place into a group home for young women with children. Although Joyce did not have a child with her and at this point did not want one it was some hope that she would want her son seeing all these other young women with children. Well about the end of July Joyce came to our house and for the first time I must say did what was best for her son. Joyce wanted my wife and me to keep Zion forever because she did not want him to grow up in the system. We took the steps to make this a legal action. During the summer of 2007 we notice that Joyce was becoming very jealous of Zion and all that he was doing with us and getting. Joyce express this to my wife when were set to take a family trip. Joyce told my wife that she should be able to go with us and why can Zion go and she could not. She also would ask for us to buy her things since we were buying Zion things. For the rest of the year my wife an I would go sit in on Joyce counseling session at the group home giving our input about her education and things that Joyce would tell my wife that were wrong at the group home.
In November of 2007 Joyce had become very demanding and wanted us to get her a pair of Pink Air force ones I had brought her some pink K Swiss, however she wanted air force ones. Then Joyce kept coming to our house with out calling and was taking things out of the house without asking. So one night I had a talk to her about this and other things and Joyce told me that she was a adult and could do what she wanted to and that since she was family she can come to our house when she wanted to and last that if we did not like it she was going to take Zion back. Well at that point I ask her to leave and told her that we were not going to treat her like a child anymore and she would have to get her own ride to our house and home. She began to cry and my wife took her home for the last time. The next day I stop up at the group home to find out what was going on and to let them know what Joyce had said. For the first time I meet a woman who told me that she was in charge at that home and she had been out on Medical. She also told me that Joyce should have never been place in that home. She did not have a child when she came nor did she want one. And I was told once the guardianship case was over that they were going to be placing Joyce some where else. My wife and I did not talk or see Joyce anyone more till the time she came to court and told the judge that she thinks she change her mind about giving up her right to Zion. Joyce was giving visiting days on the Saturdays for 5 hr.
Joyce did not make a lot of her visit for that rest of that year and in 2008 she made few also. She did make one on March the 7th 2008 the day that I was sent to Jail because Joyce said that I had taking her head and pounded it into my oak floors in our house. She told others that I knock her head into the walls at my house but still she had no marks on her face or head. For some reason I had a cook county police officer to take me to jail for this. Joyce was able to get her visit change to the Aunt Martha’s group home in May 2008 since she did not come and see Zion or call about him for about since she left our house in March the 7th 2008.
On June the 24th 2008 my wife was giving guardianship of Zion and Joyce was giving overnight visit on Sat from 4 pm to sun 4 pm. From June till Oct of 2008 Joyce had only call about 2 times about seeing Zion and both times was when my family was out of town during the summer and she knew we were gone out of town. And on Oct the 16th Joyce came to our house to destroy a party that we were having for Zion; after I had to place an order of protection on her for saying once more that she was going to do harm to my family and trying to forcer her way into our home.

There has been so much going on these two years in our dealing with Joyce Washington and all that we have ever ask for was that DCFS and Aunt Martha’s keep Joyce from doing harm to our family. At ever step of the way I have been told that although Joyce is a ward of the state she is an adult and so she is reasonable for her own action, and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop her. As you read though my packet you will see that I have look for help and have not been giving any.
My family just wanted to make sure that Zion is able to have a life and not find himself place into a system that does little for little black boys in there care. Ever persons that were asked and know anything about this matter has said that the best for Zion is to stay with my family and give him the love, education and life that he has got to know. All that Zion is to his mother and DCFS is a check. I have said over and over that I can not out spend DCFS and for the first time that anyone can think of DCFS has put money into trying to help a ward. DCFS is helping Joyce make my family life unstable. As you read the packets of information you will see that I have been fighting for the life of Zion and I need some help in this fight.



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Inclosing I would like to thank my Aunt and Uncle Hammond Passmore for seeing that I have the chance to get this information out.