AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett!

About Me

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Welcome to the OFFICIAL Myspace profile for the child advocacy website, "A.J.'s Place." In this profile, you will find many links to other advocacy profiles of all kinds (the home of "AJ's Advocacy Network"), many blog entries about DCF/CPS -- many being real eye-openers, photos of children we have lost over the years and much, MUCH more.
Andrew was of no relation to me, as I did not know him or anyone in his family. A.J. is merely my inspiration to get my psychologist's degree and work with abused children. Not only that, but it is also my dream to build the state of Florida's largest advocacy and foster care shelter.
Andrew James "A.J." Schwarz was a small boy, who lived with his mother and sister until they were taken away by HRS because of allegations of sexual abuse in the home on the part of the mother's boyfriend. A.J. and Patsy were placed with AJ's father and stepmother (neither were of any relation to Patsy) and endured a lot of horror at the hands of Andrew's stepmother, Jessica Schwarz. Jessica made it clear that she didn't like either child, but it was abundantly clear that she hated Andrew.
She came up with a wide array of abusive actions that she would constantly inflict on Andrew. Among these horrifying actions, she would make him edge the lawn with scissors, clean out the garage everyday, walk to and from school when her daughters were given rides -- even in the rain, run naked down the street, collect cans before school, make him eat by the cat pan or out of the dog's dish, sit at the dinner table with tape over his mouth, wear a shirt that said "I'm a worthless piece of s**t. Don't talk to me." and she also made him eat a cockroach when she found it crawling in the cupboard among the dishes, claiming that Andrew didn't clean them correctly.
After Jessica bloodied Patsy's nose one time, Patsy made such a ruckus that HRS finally reunited her with her mother. BUT... HRS also left Andrew with Jessica Schwarz, DESPITE the neighbors calling them on her. It eventually became so chronic that caseworker Barbara Black threatened to take one neighbor's kids away, thinking it was Andrew's own mother, since she shared the same name with Andrew's mother.
Jessica broke A.J.'s nose, and A.J. was told to tell everyone that he'd fell against the handlebars of his stepsister's bike. The bruised eyes that surfaced as a result were bruised for 2 long months following the incident. Ms. Black asked Andrew about them, heard the messed-up, fake story about the bike and immediately CLOSED THE CASE.
The night Andrew died, he was out walking his best friend... the family dog, which often got treated better than him. He came home to Jessica, drunk on the couch. What he had been put to bed in was a t-shirt and Ninja Turtle sweatpants. They were found the following morning beside Andrew's bed. After arriving home from walking the family dog, he was beaten so severely by Jessica that it was said by the coroner who performed the second autopsy that had he not drowned, he definitely would have died from the head injuries inflicted upon him. After the beating, he was forced to remove his clothes and get in the pool, where Jessica forced him underwater as he fought against it and drowned him.
She almost got away with it.
Since this all happened when I was 16, it has stuck with me, almost haunting me in ways -- begging me to do something about it -- for the past 14 long years. I've remained inspired because I didn't want A.J. to be one of the "forgotten angels."
I am now ready to begin answering my calling. Will you please come with me on my journey, be a part of the advocacy network and support A.J.'s Place and allow him to live on in your hearts as he has mine?
I look forward to meeting you! I accept everyone who has a love for kids as well as a desire to protect them here, no matter what your beliefs are. I am very open-minded, so please don't feel like I only sit on one side of the fence!

Layout by CoolChaser

My Interests

Words cannot express how much this graphic meant to me... thank you to "Just Wondering" for her thoughtfulness in creating this graphic for the site.

I was told when I had Child Development class in 2005 that there isn't one for children that need foster care here in Florida, and now I have a new passion in my life: how to get one started. A.J.'s place will become a reality someday soon!

I'd like to meet:

Anyone who works hard to make this world better for the children!!!

We also LOVE honoring any and all law enforcement! Why? Because James E. Restivo (formerly of the NYPD and the PBSO) had a huge hand in bringing AJ's stepmother to justice. Now, both he and Andrew are watching over us. Officer Jimmy passed away on July 2, 1997. R.I.P., Officer Jimmy, this page is for you AND Andrew.

From his official obituary:

James E. Restivo, Age 59, of Boynton Beach, died Wednesday morning July 2, 1997. He had been a resident here for the past ten years coming from New York City.

Mr. Restivo had served 24 years with the New York Police Department, receiving 35 citations for bravery in the line of duty. He most recently served 8 years with the Palm Beach Sheriff's Department, and was a member of the Honor Legion, Detective Endowment Association. Holy Name Society, Fraternal Order of Police. Police Benevolent Association, 10-13 Club, Colombian Association, Emerald Society, and was featured on an episode of T.V.'s "Top Cops".

James is survived by his wife Sheila, son James E. Restivo, II. daughters Laura Younghese & Patricia Uhland, step-sons Neil, Richard & Alex Gross, mother Veronica Restivo and a brother Timothy Restivo.

Music:

Concrete Angel by Martina McBride, The Little Girl by John Michael Montgomery, Dear Mister Jesus

Missing children information is provided via RSS feed, free of charge by NCMEC
Mapping provided free of charge by Yahoo! Maps

Movies:

For The Love Of A Child: The ChildHelp USA Story

Television:

COPS, America's Most Wanted, The Academy, Real Stories of the Highway Patrol

Books:

Anything by Torrey L. Hayden and Richard and Dave Pelzer. Also "Why I Didn't Say Anything: The Sheldon Kennedy Story" by Mr. Sheldon Kennedy himself. Really great read. Also highly recommended if you're going to work in the child advocacy field: "No One Can Hurt Him Anymore" by Scott H. Cupp and Carol J. Rothgeb. If you read either one of those, please visit my sites, The Road To Anaphe for more background information on Sheldon's story, and AJ's Place Online for more information on AJ's story.

Heroes:

Sheldon Kennedy, Mike Modano and anyone else who speaks up for children when they need a voice. Mark Lunsford, Mark Klaas and John Walsh are heroes to me as well, changing the law for the better to help our nation's children.

My Blog

NEWS - Wis. teen gets 5 years for sex assault on girl, 11 (WI)

Wis. teen gets 5 years for sex assault on girl, 11 By DINESH RAMDE Associated Press WriterMILWAUKEE The last defendant sentenced in a group sexual assault on an 11-year-old girl was ordere...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:48:00 PST

SAFETY - Police wnt u to fight crime w/txt msgs (FL)

Police wnt u to fight crime w/txt msgs ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:40:00 PST

NEWS - Lauderdale Lakes woman, 30, accused of trying to kill newborn (FL)

Lauderdale Lakes woman, 30, accused of trying to kill newborn ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:34:00 PST

NEWS - NY considers help to victims of child prostitution (NY)

NY considers help to victims of child prostitutionALBANY, N.Y. -- Tiffany was 12 when her mother died. That was the same year she ran away from her sister's house, lived on the streets for six weeks a...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:53:00 PST

NEWS (UPDATE) - Child rapist, killer executed (FL)

GOOD RIDDANCE.--------------------------------------------------- ----------Child rapist, killer executed ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:29:00 PST

NEWS (UPDATE) - Marines get help from Boca Raton friends after fire hits camp in Iraq (FL/IRAQ)

Marines get help from Boca Raton friends after fire hits camp in Iraq ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:20:00 PST

NEWS (UPDATE) - Persons of interest ID’d; deputies continue search for leads (FL)

Persons of interest ID'd; deputies continue search for leads ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:15:00 PST

NEWS (UPDATE) - Mother faces prison in drug-overdose death of toddler (FL)

Mother faces prison in drug-overdose death of toddler ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:10:00 PST

NEWS - Accused killer of 4-year-old girl vomits in court (FL)

Accused killer of 4-year-old girl vomits in court ...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:08:00 PST

CAN YOU HELP? - Local Marine loses everything in fire (FL/ IRAQ)

Local Marine loses everything in fire Last Update: 5:50 pmBOCA RATON, FL -- This week, as we prepare for the fourth of July celebrations, a local mother is looking for support.Ka...
Posted by AJP Online - Remembering Brooke Bennett! on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:23:00 PST