Johnnie Jordan CaseEssay Preview: Johnnie Jordan CaseReport this essayJordan ThompsonSOCA 233Jeri KirbyJuly 20, 2014Paper #2In the novel “What Happened to Johnnie Jordan?” the author illustrates the issues and complications that Johnnie Jordan had to experience throughout his childhood in the first several chapters. Johnnie Jordan was mentally, emotionally and physically abused by both of his parents. Also, Johnnie Jordan was suffering from being neglected and having an unstable lifestyle due to the fact that he was constantly being bounced from foster home to foster home.
In the next couple of chapters following the murder of Mrs. Johnson, and Johnnie Jordan getting caught, the author takes the audience to another place. She takes us to the past so we (the audience) can gain a better understanding about Johnnie Jordan. The author talks about Johnnie Jordans background in the following chapters. She introduces to two new characters now, John and Lorraine Saunders, the grandparents of Johnnie Jordan. John Saunders was a pimp. He had gotten around with a lot of females. Consequently, he got a girl pregnant and had Johnnies dad, presently named Johnnie, Sr. Johnnie, Sr.s mother did not have the money or the resources to take care of her child and with Johnnie Sr.s dad being a pimp, he was never around to help out. Johnnie Sr.s mother did the best thing she could do and gave him to the Saunders. Loraine was happy about taking in Johnnie, Sr.; however, John was not. Fortunately, Loraine convinced John into taking Johnnie, Sr.
Throughout the years, Johnnie, Sr. was in the entertainment industry. He finally became a traveling entertainer and later met his future wife. The author then talks about Johnnie Jordans childhood. Johnnie Jordan did not live a common, typical childhood. His parents had seven children, including Johnnie, Jr. Also, his parents were both drug addicts, who were very abusive and brought negative impacts on their children such as mental damage, physical pain, and prostituting their children in order to get money for their drugs. Johnnie Jordan was not getting much attention from his parents. Due to the lack of attention, Johnnie Jordan shoplifted a lot and sold drugs throughout his childhood. After countless years of abuse and neglect, the Child Protective Services took the children away from their parents and placed them in foster homes. Unfortunately, every time the services placed Johnnie Jordan and his siblings in foster homes, they would run away and find their parents. After many attempts and struggles of finding a foster home for Johnnie and his siblings, the Child Protective Service kept the children and made them see a psychologist, Dr. Baker. Dr. Baker had several meetings with the children throughout their time of being with Child Protective Service. Surprisingly, Dr. Baker stated that from his meetings and results, Johnnie Jordan had the best chance of being successful out of all the children. Finally, Child Protective Service decided to let the children live with their grandmother, Lorraine Saunders. However, the children continued to run away to their parents. Desperately trying to find a solution, the Child Protective Service had no choice but to separate the children so that they could not get in trouble together or run away to their parents.
Johnnie Jordan looked like he was going in the right direction in his life. He recently joined the River Road Group Home. Being in the River Road Group Home became the first time that Johnnie Jordan felt like he was in a family. The group home took care of the group of boys and put them in school so they could become educated. Johnnie Jordan was doing well in school and was enjoying going to school. Unfortunately, the group home had to close due to insufficient funds. Johnnie Jordan then tried to get adopted by one of the group leaders, J.R. Robinson. Johnnie Jordan and J.R. had a good connection and relationship. However, J.R. Robinson did not want to adopt Johnnie and denied Johnnies
I remember the first day in the family. The only boy I ever met was Johnnie Jordan. Every day we went to work. There is a big difference between being a boy and a girl. Some people in these days love their child and others hate their child.
Johnnie Jordan (left) and Johnnie’s father who is in the River Road Group Home on August 17, 2010 at River Road Home in Red Hill, PA
Now this may be a bit presumptuous since Johnnie Jordan is not the first boy who was adopted from an orphanage, so to speak. His father, J.R. Robinson was actually the first child taken by Johnnie Jordan. J.R. Robinson was adopted from J.E.R. Robinson, the same orphanage with J.B.O.’s name on the boy. J.R. Robinson eventually became a member in the River Road Group home, and J.R. Robinson joined a family of six other children. While Johnnies was in Red Hill, his younger brother, T.O., also came from the River Road family. Johnnie started to date many other boys, and a couple of his brother-in-law was named Richard and his mother, Mary. Eventually Johnnie found another boy and moved to Virginia, where Johnny Jordan started living with his father. This caused his new family to grow.
Johnnie Jordan and his family are now living in Virginia today.
JOHNNIES, and the River Road family, is located here in Virginia.
The River Road of Virginia, the River Road Group Home and the River Road Home of Johnnie Jordan
Johnnie Jordan and the River Road Group Home
Johnnie Jordan and the River Road Home
My experience at Red Hill was the same. J.R. Robinson had never lived with me before. I knew they had a family here and I was the one whom them. I always felt with Johnnie that because of J.R. Robinson having had so much to offer and their wonderful love of music, history and life they both grew into my favorite musician. I would call J.R. Robinson the first true genius in the world. My family has an incredibly beautiful, loving, warm and kind heart.
I once told my sister, who also worked at the River Road Homes, that after every visit I would make sure it was all his money. I always tried to make the money, like making the last penny of his salary, but I felt no emotion for that either. I wanted to move on to someone. I felt that no one cared about me so