Many children look up to superheroes and have them as their heroes. Superheroes often provide a brighter look into life. My favorite was (and still is) Spiderman. Many kids look up to Superman. Little Jeffrey Baldwin was one of these kids.The five year old Jeffrey loved Superman. He dreamed of actually becoming Superman. He would wear a cape and jump for chairs. I did this as a kid.
“He wanted to fly,” Richard Baldwin said. “He tried jumping off the chair. We had to make him stop. He dressed up (as Superman) for Halloween one year … He was so excited. I have that picture at home hanging on my wall. He was our little man of steel.” (Toronto Star)
Jeffrey Balwin was removed from his parents home and placed in the care of his grandparents. His grandparents didn’t take care of Jeffrey or his older sister. He was forced to live inside of a cold and locked bedroom. He had no toys to play. He shared the room with an older sister and they had to live in their own feces. He died of starvation in that little room.
I don’t know anything breaks my heart more. Children should never be treated like this.
Todd Boyce, Ottawa father, was also heart broken by this story. He decided to do something about it. He organized funding for a bronze statue in honor of little Jeffrey. He wanted it to speak of Jeffrey’s bravery and to help everyone remember to watch out for defenseless children. The statue was suppose to have Jeffrey wearing a superman costume with the big Shield and “S”.
Boyce petitioned DC Comics for the right to use the Superman outfit on the statue of Jeffrey Baldwin. They were denied the right to use it by DC Comics.
DC’s senior vice-president of business and legal affairs, Amy Genkins, told Boyce in an email that “for a variety of legal reasons, we are not able to accede to the request, nor many other incredibly worthy projects that come to our attention.” (Toronto Star)
This was a huge disappointment for Boyce. He had hoped that DC would embrace this chance to support this cause. “It’s the image of a vulnerable boy dressed up as the most invulnerable character in the universe. So I just feel like there’s something lost if we change it.” (Toronto Star)
They will likely go with Plan B for the statue and put a capital J on his chest. It isn’t a Superman “S” but it might have to due unless DC Comics (owned by Warner Bros).
(Via Toronto Star)
Stay Geeky My Friends!
