MONEY RAISED FOR MOM ON HUNGER STRIKE

Sunday, May 29, 2005
The Halifax Herald Limited

Money raised for mom on hunger strike
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE / Staff Reporter
A Nova Scotia couple who say they're full-time human rights activists are trying to raise money to support Larry Finck and Carline VandenElsen - and other parents whose children have been removed from their care.
Connie Brauer and Vic Harris, who have each lost custody of children from previous relationships, said Saturday any donated cash will go toward fighting what they say is an unjust child-welfare system.

Ms. Brauer of Falmouth said part of the money raised will finance planned advertising to target what they call government abuse of parents.
Another reason the couple is seeking funds is to build a database of children removed from their homes by child-protection agencies .

Ms. Brauer acknowledged she and her husband are friends of Mr. Finck and Ms. VandenElsen. They've joined others who have called for a public inquiry into the case.
A little more than a year ago, Mr. Finck and his wife were involved in a 67-hour armed standoff with Halifax Regional Police. They were convicted of several charges and are to be sentenced in late June.

Mr. Finck and Ms. VandenElsen are both in custody in metro; their 17-month-old daughter is in foster care.

Ms. VandenElsen has been on a hunger strike for about a week to back demands for an inquiry.
On Saturday, she phoned ATV news and said she expects to be put in solitary confinement soon.
"I'm not getting any health services, nor am I getting any counselling," she said. Ms. VandenElsen said she now weighs about 114 pounds.

Jail officials will not comment on a prisoner's hunger strike. Justice Minister Michael Baker has said the province won't authorize an inquiry unless new information comes to light.
A spokeswoman for Community Services, which handles child-welfare issues in Nova Scotia, has refused comment on the standoff case because it's still before the courts.
Ms. Brauer said only an independent probe can properly get to the bottom of the Finck-VandenElsen case.

She had harsh words for Halifax police and their use of emergency response officers during the widely publicized standoff.

She was appalled by what she called "Gestapo" police tactics used in the middle of the night.
A police spokeswoman told The Chronicle Herald recently the department is conducting an internal review of how it handled the incident but that it feels officers acted appropriately.
Copyright © 2005 The Halifax Herald Limited

DONATIONS CAN BE SENT TO :
BRAUER AND HARRIS
1061 MINES RD.
FALMOUTH, NS BOP 1L0
Canada
Paypal: cbrauer@lincsat.com