FOSTER PARENTS WIN CUSTODY FIGHT FOR BOY, 3

A Chicago judge abandoned her efforts Tuesday to reunite a former drug
addict with her 3-year-old son and ruled that the boy must remain
indefinitely with his foster parents. Judge Judith Brawka said the
youngster known as ``Baby T'' -- who was born with cocaine in his system --
had suffered enough disruption and was already showing symptoms of serious
emotional trouble.

``The transition isn't working. . . . This court will not force more
disaster into this child's life,'' Brawka told the boy's mother, Tina
Olison, 37, at a Circuit Court hearing. Outside, about two dozen Olison
supporters picketed and chanted, ``Free Baby T! Free Baby T!''

It was a complete turnaround from last March, when Brawka ordered a
one-year transition to move the boy from the foster parents, Appellate
Judge Anne Burke and Chicago Alderman Edward Burke, who are white, to live
with Olison, who is black. At the time, the judge said Baby T should be
reunited with his mother and older brother and that black culture should be
a factor in their upbringing.