Black Couple Left Traumatized After Five Children Taken From Them During Traffic Stop in Tennessee

A couple from Georgia is fighting to get custody of their kids back.

Last month, Bianca Clayborne’s and Deonte Williams’ lives changed after a traffic stop in Tennessee. That’s when their five children were taken away from them, according to Tennessee Lookout. On their way back from a funeral, a highway patrol officer pulled them over for dark tint and traveling in the left lane without passing. After a search, Williams was arrested for possession of marijuana – a misdemeanor in the state.

While Clayborne was waiting for Williams’ release, the children, two, three, five, seven and a four-month old, were forcibly taken from her while an officer restrained her as her baby was crying. A petition was sent to the Department of Children Services, unknown by Clayborne, that the kids were neglected and there wasn’t an alternative to taking the children from their parents.

Seems like the Tennessee Department of Children Services doesn’t have an alternative for anything. Reports from News Channel 5 Nashville show leaked internal emails, revealing assaults, unsafe sleeping conditions, and limited toilet paper so children don’t intentionally clog toilets. Caseworkers have been required to sign up for multiple shifts every month to watch children in offices, even overnights and weekends.

Attorney Jamaal Boykin, who is representing the couple, is calling DCS’s actions “extreme,” “abnormal,” and a violation of the parents’ rights. They also claim race is to be looked at in this case. “It’s just so shocking to the conscience that in 2023 this is happening,” Boykin said. “I just have to believe if my clients looked different or had a different background, they would have just been given a citation and told you just keep this stuff away from the kids while you’re in this state and they’d be on their way.”

The trauma from the incident has had a major negative impact on the kids’ parents. Clayborne is allowed visits but can’t take hearing her children cry and grabbing on to her when her visits end. She told Tennessee Lookout she has lost weight and doesn’t feel she’s producing enough milk. Williams is furious and his trucking company is on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the ongoing legal battle and numerous trips to Tennessee to visit his children.