Kids born outside of hospitals (in US) have trouble establishing identity [View All]

[Liberal_in_LA]

No papers -- and little hope of advancement

People in their late teens or early 20s are seeking help establishing their identities from a nonprofit law firm. Without documents, they cannot open a bank account, obtain a job or enroll in college.

At 18, Jamal King was sent by the child welfare system into adulthood without a single form of identification: no driver's license, no Social Security card. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / March 19, 2009)

Many days, Jamal King stands at South Vermont Avenue and West 46th Street in South Los Angeles, his muscled arms covered with tattoos flaunting his membership in the Rolling 40s, a drug-running criminal gang.

His former foster father often drives past slowly, wagging his finger.

"I know people look at me and just see a gangbanger," King said. "It's not really who I am. It's just temporary."

But King's hope for a better life is hobbled by more than poverty and his surroundings -- he lacks a birth certificate.

He was born in a car 20 years ago as his mother tried to get to a hospital. By age 2, he was being raised by Los Angeles County's child welfare system. At 18, he was sent by the system into adulthood without a single form of identification: no driver's license, no Social Security card, no way to prove who he was.

Unable to qualify for even an individual taxpayer identification number, he has less ability to navigate through society than an illegal immigrant. He can't open a bank account, obtain a job, receive government benefits, enroll in higher education.

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-nopapers23-2009aug23,0,1049440.story