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Tired of being bullied, 11-year-old boy hangs himself in his closet
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At one time or another, most of us have experienced occasional bullying by our classmates. I know I have, and it was no picnic. For some kids, the torment is a daily occurrence, and their lives become a living hell.
Anyone who doesn't fit in, for whatever reason, can become a target. This includes fat kids, short kids, gangly kids, smart kids, gay kids, pimply kids, physically disabled kids, mentally handicapped kids, freckled kids, new kids, kids with an accent, kids who lisp . . . in other words, just about any kid the other ones decide to pick on. All kids long for acceptance, and to be incessantly ridiculed often leaves them hopeless that things will ever change.
This is what happened to Jaheem Herrera, a shy 11-year-old Georgia boy who hanged himself in desperation after his mother's numerous complaints to his teachers and principal failed to remedy the situation.
He told his mother that classmates were constantly calling him "gay" and "the virgin" because he was from the Virgin Islands.
His Mother, Masika Bermudez, wiped away tears as she told CNN, "He used to say Mom they keep telling me this ... this gay word, this gay, gay, gay. I'm tired of hearing it, they're telling me the same thing over and over."
He frequently told his mother about the abuse, but after a while said he didn't want her to get involved anymore because nothing was ever done. Bermudez says she contacted the school at least seven or eight times, but the bullying continued.
One day, after coming home from school seemingly happy and presenting his mother with a report card filled with A's and B's, Jaheem went up to his room. When his younger sister called him down for dinner, he didn't answer. His mother and sister found him dead in his room, hanging from a belt in his closet.
Bermudez says she thinks her son believed that no one was truly trying to help him, because no one stood up and stopped the bullies.
After Jaheem's death, the school board contacted his mother to express their condolences and said that the school's staff "works diligently to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students."
Evidently, for Jaheem, their efforts weren't good enough.
Perhaps schools should treat bullying and harrassment as the grievous crime that it is, instead of dismissing it as typical childhood behavior. A kid caught with a gun on campus is immediately expelled. Kids who bully, however, are often given a much softer sentence and several more chances. Maybe their behavior should be regarded as an equally serious offense, since their cruelty is apparently just as deadly.
For Colorado Laws regarding bullying, click here.
For more information on bullying, click here.
Source: CNN
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