Miss. ministers vow to fight "state control" of homes

The Baton Rouge Advocate

JACKSON, Miss. -- Fundamentalist ministers vowed Wednesday to go to jail if necessary to protect their homes for troubled youngsters from "state control" they say would be imposed by bills before the Mississippi Legislature.

"If it takes me going to jail for the rest of my life, I'm still going to stand up for the separation of church and state," the Rev. Herman Fountain of Lucedale told members of a Senate Public Health and Welfare subcommittee. The director of the Bethel Baptist Home was one of nine ministers to speak at a public hearing on bills to require residential child-care facilities to register with the state.

"I would not live with a licensing or registration of our facility," said the Rev. Bob Wills, operator of the former Bethesda Home for Girls near Hattiesburg. "I don't want someone looking over my shoulder. I won't put up with it.

"If you pass these bills, you would close down our facility because I will not practice my ministry that way. I will not operate with the Welfare Department looking over my shoulder."

The three bills before the Senate are similar to House measures now before that chamber's Public Health Committee. Subcommittee Chairman Bill Canon of Columbus said Wednesday that senators probably will wait for the House to act on its bills before voting on the issue.

The Senate bills would require residential child-care homes to be licensed by a Child Care Council, require them to register with the Department of Welfare and be monitored by a Child Care Council, and require them to register with the Department of Health.

Two ministers spoke in favor of the measures Wednesday, but others said such requirements would interfere with their day-to-day ministry.

"If legislation is passed requiring me to be licensed, that says to me that I cannot have a ministry without state approval," said the Rev. Doug Herring, director of Green Valley Boys Ranch. "I won't do it. I'll go to jail over it."

Much of the ministers' criticism was aimed at Welfare Commissioner Thomas Brittain, who was thrust into the public spotlight less than three months after taking office when a special Forrest County youth court judge ordered him to take custody of more than 100 girls living at Bethesda. The Welfare Department remained at the home for four days, and the facility later reopened -- minus 24-hour locks and the designation of "detention facility" -- as Christian Life Boarding Academy.

Bethesda was closed on grounds that Wills failed to comply with an earlier court order to keep court officials informed of who was living at the home. He was convicted of contempt of court and is appealing the ruling.

Wills, who currently operates Christian Life Boarding Academy, criticized Brittain for "pulling me from my pulpit," and several other ministers accused his department of "wanting to invade the privacy of our homes."

But Brittain said the legislation to license and register the facilities, which he helped draft, would provide safeguards for children and ease the minds of parents.

"These bills attempt to assure the public that the safety, health and well-being of children is not only protected but promoted," Brittain said. "There are safeguards throughout the bills that allow us to discuss problems with the homes before any kind of court action takes place on the part of either party.

"Mistreatment and abuse can go on in these homes for long periods of time if there is no regular monitoring or dialogues," he said.

When asked directly if he has evidence of abuse in some homes, Brittain said he has seen documentation of "abuse ranging from mild to severe." He said some girls have been bruised and scarred, while others missed menstrual periods for as long as eight months for unexplained reasons.

Brittain said he could not estimate how much abuse occurs but, based on complaints made to his office, it is substantial enough to justify monitoring by the state.

"But I also believe strongly that the vast majority of homes in this state are making an honest and genuine effort to care well for children," he said. "Our intent is not to close homes but to assure people that children are well-protected."