Rev. Al Sharpton holds prayer service for 4-year-old starved to death in Harlem
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Rev. Al Sharpton held a prayer service for the Harlem 4-year-old who was allegedly starved to death by his parents.
Jahmeik Modlin was starved to death allegedly by his own parents in an apartment building steps from people who could have helped.
"Jahmeik is a wake-up call to this city. And we are not letting this happen right down the block. We can't have a house of justice and ignore a 4-year-old kid starve to death right here in our neighborhood," said Rev. Sharpton.
Police arrested his mother, Nytavia Ragsdale and his father, Laron Modlin, who prosecutors say had a fridge stocked with food turned toward a wall so Jahmeik and his three siblings could not eat.
The four-year-old grandmother, Flora Jones, and his aunt and uncle were overcome by the death.
An organization called 'WARM' (We All Really Matter) is now guiding the family through its next steps. The couple's three children ages 5, 6 and 7 are malnourished and currently in the hospital.
"She is fully available, ready mentally, physically, emotionally to take care of her three remaining grandchildren. She had to go, but there's three more right here," said Founder of WARM, Stephanie McGraw.
McGraw said she is calling on people to look out for one another to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.
"We live in a 'me' world. It's not about me - it's about 'we' and 'us' as a united front, as a community to stop the violence. I can't do it by myself, Rev. Al can't do it by himself. It's going to take all of us to stop this violence in our community," added McGraw.
The mother called 911 on Sunday night when the boy fell unconscious after years of obvious neglect. His emaciated body simply stopped working.
In front of the family's home on Friday, community members lit candles and let balloons fly. But no candle and no balloon could salve their own helplessness.
Now, neighbors and community members are questioning how the alleged child abuse could have gone on for so long without intervention.
"And he was only 19 pounds when he passed away. That's crazy," a concerned area resident said.
Both of the boy's parents have now been charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. As the community comes to terms with the tragic and lonely life which ended before anyone knew he was there.
Prayer services are slated to get underway at 9 a.m. Saturday, and will be followed by a wreath laying ceremony.
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