“JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND UGLY. HE MUST DIE!” one post said. Another read, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it 🙂 It would make everyone WAY more happier!”

Suffering constant bombardment of cruel messages was simply a part of life for 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer.

That is, until he was found dead on Sunday, Sept. 18, as the result of an apparent suicide.
So, as contributors to today’s society, what are we doing to fix this problem?

We all remember our elementary school guidance counselors, with their ever-present smiles and “kind” words, always reminding us to “share” and “value each other.” The goal of the guidance counselors was to foster a healthy, caring, zero-tolerance-of-bullying community.

Thanks to the anti-bullying lessons and frequent viewing of cheesy 80’s anti-bullying videos, actual bullying in real life was something very foreign to all of us in USD 497 elementary schools.
Most other schools nationwide are not as lucky. While they have attempted to implement effective bullying prevention programs, bullying is part of daily life for many students.

But what happens to the bullies when they have gone too far like in the case of Jamey Rodemeyer? The question remains as to whether bullying should be tried as an adult crime with adult penalties. Then again, this depends on the age of the bully.

11 year old Mitchell Wilson of Pickering, Ontario was not cyberbullied, nor was he subjected to constant homosexual slurs.

Instead, Wilson, who has muscular dystrophy, was outside walking when a 12 year old boy from his school smashed his face into the pavement, allegedly in attempt to steal Wilson’s iPhone. Wilson was “Never the same after the attack,” said his father. Wilson was picked on in school because of his disability, but the attack was the last straw.

Wilson’s father found his son’s body–a plastic bag tied over his head, on the morning of what would have been Wilson’s first day of sixth grade. Charges pressed against Wilson’s attacker have been dropped because Wilson can no longer testify.

What kind of sick people post comments such destructive comments or beat up an 11 year old with muscular dystrophy? Our guidance counselors would be absolutely horrified.

After an incident in Carson City, Nevada, where members of a high school wrestling team stripped a teammate, beat him with spatulas, and urinated on him, members of the Senate introduced a bill that would classify a first bullying offense as a misdemeanor, the second as a gross misdemeanor, and the third offense a low-level felony.

If the offender is between ten and 17 years old, they are tried as a juvenile. However, in certain crimes such as violence and sex crimes, the teenager could be tried as an adult and be subject to adult penalties.
Bullying is typically a very juvenile offense, but depending on the impact, the offender could be tried as an adult, even with jail time.

In Jamey Rodemeyer’s case, the people bullying him were around his age, and their bullying directly linked to his suicide. However, while they may have caused a death, they are still kids. They can handle whatever severe punishment they are charged with, but these kids also need serious psychiatric help.
Despite the school programs, help groups, and support of parents and administrators, bullying still persists today, perhaps with more dire consequences than ever.

We are still fighting.

After Jamey Rodeymeyer’s death, Lady Gaga delivered a very emotional performance at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas, dedicating her song “Hair” to Jamey. Later, she tweeted in honor of him.
“I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it,” posted Lady Gaga.
NUMBERS TO CALL IF YOU’RE BEING BULLIED:
LOCAL:
Phone a Friend (785) 865-2600
Headquarters Counseling Center (785) 841-2345
NATIONAL:
(877)968-8454 …..1-877-YOUTHLINE teen to teen peer counseling hotline
(800)442-4673 …..1-800-442-HOPE — same routing as 1-800-SUICIDE