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Father Mourns Son's Death, Rages Against City
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 4, 2009
Modified Jan 4, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 4, 2009
Modified Jan 4, 2009
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Yesterday, a funeral was held for 10-year-old Jaquan Oscar Porter, who was apparently killed by his abusive mother in their Staten Island home. The boy's father, Charles Porter, said, "I'm glad he's not suffering anymore," but was also angry that his ex Melissa Sekulski managed to keep their son from him, "From the Board of Education to the family courts to ACS, nobody helped me see him. No city officials called to help. It just fell down the drain." Porter, who last saw his son alive in 2003, had asked for a court-ordered visitation in 2005, but Sekulski never showed up to that hearing—or to subsequent ones in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Police say that Sekulski, who had pulled Jaquan out of school last year and kept him out of sight, admitted to slamming her son's head into the wall and a long history of abusing him. Porter said at the funeral, "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I don't want this to happen in vain," and wants other dads to know, "Don't stop fighting. Don't let them tell you that they can't help you."
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child abuse
Jaquan Porter
killing
Melissa Sekulski
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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