Oh the Humanity ...
Most of the time my blog entries are fairly light-hearted, but I had to share with you a story that literally made me cry upon reading it. This story broke about two years ago, but somehow I missed the whole thing. When I arrived to work Monday morning, I checked my New York Times headlines, which are e-mailed to me daily, and noticed a story that caught my attention. The story was about the systematic starvation and abuse of Bruce, Tyrone, Keith and Michael Jackson from the hands of their adopted parents, Ray and Vanessa Jackson.
The story intrigued me because I was once again stunned at what humans are capaple of doing to other humans. While the apparently well-fed Vanessa Jackson fed herself and other children normal food, the four brothers ate such things as raw oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. What really made the tears come to my eyes, for some reason, was reading the 911 transcript of when a guy, Mike Byrd, first found 19-year old Bruce Jackson rummaging through the garbage at 3 a.m.
Byrd's call, fortunately, marked the beginning of the end of the Jackson brothers in that household. And it also marked the beginning of a massive investigation of the New Jersey child welfare system where numerous failures to monitor the kids occurred.
The facts of the case and the statements from the boys themselves speak more loudly than I ever could about this matter. And there have been editorials on the topic as well.
Unforrtunately, the "father," Ray, died of a stroke before he could be sentenced in this atrocity. I hope he's enjoying his new home. Vanessa was sentenced to seven years in prison. The kids got several million dollars from the state. But how does one put a monetary value on a tortured childhood? A lost childhood?
Best of luck to the Jackson brothers as they try to get their lives back together. And Vanessa Jackson, have fun in the slammer. I hope you meet some, um, interesting friends.
The story intrigued me because I was once again stunned at what humans are capaple of doing to other humans. While the apparently well-fed Vanessa Jackson fed herself and other children normal food, the four brothers ate such things as raw oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. What really made the tears come to my eyes, for some reason, was reading the 911 transcript of when a guy, Mike Byrd, first found 19-year old Bruce Jackson rummaging through the garbage at 3 a.m.
Byrd's call, fortunately, marked the beginning of the end of the Jackson brothers in that household. And it also marked the beginning of a massive investigation of the New Jersey child welfare system where numerous failures to monitor the kids occurred.
The facts of the case and the statements from the boys themselves speak more loudly than I ever could about this matter. And there have been editorials on the topic as well.
Unforrtunately, the "father," Ray, died of a stroke before he could be sentenced in this atrocity. I hope he's enjoying his new home. Vanessa was sentenced to seven years in prison. The kids got several million dollars from the state. But how does one put a monetary value on a tortured childhood? A lost childhood?
Best of luck to the Jackson brothers as they try to get their lives back together. And Vanessa Jackson, have fun in the slammer. I hope you meet some, um, interesting friends.
posted by Tim W. Jackson | 3:19 PM
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