At 19, the eldest child of the Jackson family was only forty-five pounds and starving when the New Jersey child abuse hotline was called. His large adopted family appeared to be a pillar of the community, but this was far from the truth.
Episode 3 takes a deeper look When into what went wrong within the Jackson family and how it took so long for the community to take notice. Faheem Williams (episode 2) and his brothers are forever tied to the Jackson family in that the two cases happened within a short period of time from one another and were at the heart of the lawsuit that changed every aspect of how child protective services in the state of New Jersey functions.
When looking at the Jackson Family case, it becomes clear that the family, the supports that surrounded the family, and child protective services, known as DYFS in 2003 in New Jersey, all played a role in what happened to the four boys in the Jackson home.
Learn the shocking reality about Pastor Harry Thomas, and strong advocate for the family, later was convicted on several counts of sexual abuse.
REFERENCES:
ABC News. (2006, February 13). Starvation survivor faces adoptive mother. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/LegalCenter/story?id=1611693&page=1
CBS News. (2003, October 28). NJ’s Starving Kids Horror Story. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/njs-starving-kids-horror-story/
Chang, D. (2013, April 30). Child abuse case sparks memories of “other” Jackson family. NBC10 Philadelphia. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/child-abuse-case-sparks-memories-of-other-jackson-family/1955063/
CNN. (2003, October 27). Neglected brothers found emaciated in New Jersey home. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/10/27/neglected.brothers/index.html
Morgan, K. (2017, June 30). Keziah’s Story. SJ Mag Media. https://sjmagazine.net/july-2017/keziahs-story
NBC News. (2006, May 24). Couple indicted in death of toddler — police: Boy starved, beaten. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11280990
New Jersey State Library. (n.d.). Untitled document [PDF]. Retrieved from https://dspace.njstatelib.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/b589ba3e-285e-41ca-b2a4-54d0984da01b/content
New York Post. (2006, February 12). Bruce is by himself — he’ll need an anchor: A family of some sort. https://nypost.com/2006/02/12/bruce-is-by-himself-hell-need-an-anchor-a-family-of-some-sort/
Richard Lezin Jones. (2006, February 11). 95 Pounds Heavier, Angry Son Faces Mother Who Starved Him. Child Welfare Crisis Archive, Child Welfare Education Institute, Stockton University. https://stockton.edu/child-welfare-education-institute/bcwep/documents/crisis-archive/cwei-Feb-11-2006.pdf
SouthJersey.com. (2003, October 28). Nine NJ caseworkers fired in abuse case. https://www.southjersey.com/article/9965/Nine-NJ-Caseworkers-Fired-in-Abuse-Case
SJ Mag Media. (2017, June 30). Keziah’s Story. https://sjmagazine.net/july-2017/keziahs-story
This Black Sista. (2010, May 8). Update on the four N.J. starved brothers: Why is Bruce Jackson being kept from seeing his brothers? WordPress. https://thisblksistaspage.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/update-on-the-four-n-j-starved-brothers-why-is-bruce-jackson-being-kept-from-seeing-his-brothers/
The Inquirer. (2010, April 7). Oldest Jackson remains cut off from his brothers. The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/homepage/20100407_Oldest_Jackson_remains_cut_off_from_his_brothers.html
The New York Times. (2003, October 28). In home that looked loving, 4 boys’ suffering was unseen. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/28/nyregion/in-home-that-looked-loving-4-boys-suffering-was-unseen.html
The New York Times. (2004, February 13). New Jersey failed basic checks as boys starved, a report finds. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/13/nyregion/new-jersey-failed-basic-checks-as-boys-starved-a-report-finds.html
The Oprah community. (n.d.). Brave Brothers. Oprah.com. Retrieved from https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/brave-brothers
PHOTO CREDIT: By http://www.life.com/image/2673720, Fair use
