Could the death of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos have been avoided?

While we're focused on the outrages still being perpetrated against immigrant families and kids, let's not forget some of the outrages taking place here. This child, Anthony Avalos, was apparently beaten to death after years of abuse. Before that happened, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services had received at least 16 calls since 2013 from school administrators, a teacher, a counselor, family members and others to DCFS and police alleging child abuse. At least 13 of those calls were received by DCFS and specifically mentioned Anthony as the alleged victim. DCFS Director Bobby Cagle confirmed that his department received calls reporting that Anthony and/or his six siblings were denied food and water, sexually abused, beaten and bruised, dangled upside-down from a staircase, forced to crouch for hours, locked in small spaces with no access to the bathroom, forced to fight one another, and forced to eat from the trash. He now says that despite the years of severe abuse alleged in Anthony’s home, it was “premature” to say his case represented a failure of the child welfare system. "That's a very complex question. It's much more than a black-and-white issue. There are many shades of gray,” Cagle said.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-boy-death-gay-20180626-story.html