Photo by WWJ’s Vickie Thomas
On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, I was notified that L.I.F.T. Women’s Resource Center recommended me as a speaker for Highland Park Community High School in Highland Park, Michigan. I had never heard of the school until that day. I received a formal speaking request via email the next day (Wednesday). I followed up with a phone call to the school’s Social Worker on Thursday. She asked if I could come right away. We arranged for me to speak just a few days later, the following Monday, November 16th.
It was an emotional, empowering, and encouraging session. Several of the students had been molested. One of the things I spoke extensively about was child-on-child abuse. I asked the young ladies, “What happens when a 12-year-old boy is molested and then begins to share his experience with his sisters or other little girls in his family?” My first two offenders were teenagers.
I had no idea that while I was there speaking to the students, a horrific event was unfolding just a few blocks away from the school. Less than one hour after leaving the school to attend a meeting with the Mayor’s Task Force On Child Abuse and Neglect, a father of Highland Park executed his naked son in a field next door to their home. Why? So that I don’t misquote the story, let me cut and paste it directly from WWJ’s website, because reporter Vickie Thomas (thank you) interviewed the mother.
WWJ’s Vickie Thomas reports Lazette Cherry’s 15-year old son, Jamar Pinkney Jr., told her he didn’t rape his three year old half-sister, but admitted he had inappropriate sexual contact with the little girl and that’s what touched off the string of events that left the teenager dead.
“I was outside with his father begging and pleading please don’t do it,” a tearful Cherry said Wednesday morning as she headed to court. “I got on my knees and he told him daddy I’m sorry father, I’m sorry and he pulled the trigger.”
Cherry said she told Jamar’s father of the sexual assault because it’s not something you “sweep under the rug.”
One of the things that immediately jumped out at me was the fact that the little boy said that he didn’t rape the little girl, but he’d touched her inappropriately. This stands out because I’ve said many times that child molestation victims/survivors don’t usually consider themselves as ‘rape’ victims/survivors. I also believe that it reveals that this ‘baby’ didn’t realize the seriousness of what he was doing, which is why when I speak to young men I tell them, “Don’t touch your little sister or another little girl in your family ever again!” I’m also concerned about what message this will send out to victims who are still being molested (I met a 17-year-old girl tonight that was still being molested. She wept…). One of the number one reasons children don’t tell is because they fear that something will happen to them or their offender(s), who is usually a family member.
This young man’s life ended tragically, but hopefully it will encourage parents to talk to their children about molestation; not just little children, but teenagers as well. I was still being molested as a teenager. Fathers, please talk to your sons.
Let me end with this thought; I can’t help but to wonder if the little boy himself was molested. Selah.
Please pray for the family — the whole family! A fund has been set up at Charter One Bank in Highland Park to help the family pay for a funeral.
God Bless You!
