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Getting By After a Life of Meth

11 images Created 29 Nov 2017

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  • Home from their juvenile court hearing, Maria Rivas is pensive.  The court would not allow the three children to be released back to their parents nor for Maria's parents to care for them. It is a very dark day for Maria and her partner Missael Palma. They are determined to stay clean.
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  • Missael Palma walks Lucy, 8, from Sheridan Elementary School to the Boys & Girls Club. More days than not, Lucy has to make the walk alone because both parents are in court ordered recovery programs.
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  • Angela often gets anxious when Maria drops her off at daycare at Le Petit Academy in Ventura. A daycare teacher tries to get her through the first few moments of Maria's absence.
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  • Angela, 2, catches her last moments of sleep before leaving for daycare during the summer.  Four months later, according to her father Missael Palma, pinch marks appearing on Angela's caused concern from a teacher and Child Protective Services were alerted.  The young couple welcomed parenting classes and one-on-one therapy.  Weeks later a bite mark appeared on Angela's face that her mother said she did as a love bite. Now the children are in foster care while Maria and Missael are involved in intensive counseling.
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  • The sun won't rise for another hour, but Maria is in the kitchen making breakfast while Missael uses soap and water to shave. Things are very tight.  Shaving cream is an unnecessary expense.
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  • Predawn, Missael flags down the 6B bus across the street from their apartment on the avenue.  He takes it to work at Macy's in Ventura where he stocks shelves in the warehouse. He is struggling to support his family. Missael says that when he was dealing meth his daily cash take home averaged $1500.00.
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  • Adrianna, left and Angela run alongside Maria to catch the 6B to Le Petite Academy.  Maria has forgotten her inhaler but getting that bus takes priority.
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  • Maria watches over the girls (from left: Angela, 3, Lucy, 8, and Arianna, 4, as they play on the grounds of an abandoned building on the avenue. They are on edge, Missael left in anger last night.  He called at 5:00 this morning to say that he was ok.  Maria says that her family was supposed to go to a birthday party at Chuckie Cheeses but when Missael took the car, he also took all their cash and Maria's bus pass. Missael's driver license has been revoked after a double D.U.I for meth.
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  • Angela, 3, comforts her sister Arianna, 4, as they play outside of an abandoned building on the avenue under their mother's watchful eye. They are on edge, Missael left their home after an argument last night. The family was supposed to go to a friend's birthday party at Chuckie Cheeses but when Missael took the car, he also took all their cash and Maria's bus pass. He is not licensed to drive.
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  • The children are in school, Missael is at work, now Maria continues on to Ventura College. She lost her standing as a nurse's assistant. Meanwhile she earns college credits while she figures out how to get it back.
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  • Maria Rivas, left Leah Davis, middle and Missael Palma make a toast for good fortune as they wait for the couple's custody hearing.  Davis, a parent advocate for Parents With Purpose, has been helping Rivas and Palma understand the justice system and what they must do for Rivas to regain custody of their three girls.  After a month of being in foster care, the girls were returned to Rivas.  Palma moved out on November 16.
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