Syesha Mercado's newborn returned to her as protesters call for child welfare system changes
"American Idol" alum Syesha Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener's newborn baby girl has been returned to their custody after being removed by child welfare officials earlier this month, the singer shared Friday on social media.
"Asset is home," Deener told followers on an Instagram Live video from Mercado's account, panning the camera to show their weeks-old infant in her car seat. Their 15-month-old son, Amen’Ra, has not yet been returned to their custody.
"We want to say thank you," Deener continued. "We've still got work to do to get Ra back, but we want to say thank you. Because of y'all and my family, we've had the support to get the best attorneys in the country to be able to bring justice. … Just know through the people through you all we were able to counteract this unjust system and this corruption to get our baby back."
Over the weekend, nearly 150 parents, activists and community leaders gathered in Sarasota, Florida, in support of the couple and their ongoing custody battle with child protection authorities.
Previously: 'American Idol' finalist Syesha Mercado's kids are with an 'estranged relative' amid custody battle
Those at the rally Sunday in Sarasota's Payne Park withstood the blistering heat to hear stories and testimony from Black mothers from across the county who faced similar trauma. Protesters called for a change in the way child protection services treat all families.
Deedra Zee, a board member with Manasota Black Lives Matter, says the incident involving Mercado is an example of why the organization advocates for Black mothers.
“When you hear her on that video, that blood-curdling scream ... that set a fire under all of us,” Zee said. “We must come and stand in solidarity with not only her family but countless other families that go through this same exact thing.”
Mercado and Deener both spoke briefly during the peaceful rally Sunday. Deener said he understands the agency’s tough job and harbors no ill-will, but he stressed that he believes their child was taken unjustly.
Earlier this month, Manatee County sheriff’s deputies surrounded a car carrying Mercado, Deener and their baby girl, 10 days old at the time; then, authorities took custody of her to bring her to the hospital.
Deener broadcast the encounter on Instagram Live, and the video went viral.
The incident came as the couple has been working for more than three months for the return of their 15-month-old son, who was previously placed into foster care after what the couple thought was a routine trip to the hospital. The couple was concerned about malnutrition after Mercado’s breast milk supply started to run dry, and the boy would not accept other fluids.
He still has not come home.
“Ra was taken from us; we are not criminals,” Deener said. “But our kids have been stripped from us because we are misunderstood. We respect that process, their position ... but at the same time, there has to be a level of transparency so they don’t target specific types of families.”
Mercado called for more community support, specifically in times of need for children.
“There is a problem here,” she said Sunday. “Babies are being taken from homes from parents who love them and cherish them. That’s a big problem. We need the community and the people to come together and be aware of what’s happening to families. Our baby should be with us right now, but he’s not ... and other families are going through this exact same thing.”
Samantha Gholar Weires covers social justice news for the Herald-Tribune and Paste BN Network. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagweires.
Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, Paste BN