Bullied To Death
This month marks the one year anniversary of the suicide of 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover. If you’re unfamiliar with his story, after being taunted relentlessly with gay slurs, Carl hung himself at his house — shortly before his mother was set to go back to his school to discuss her child’s bullying.
A month ago an Irish immigrant killed herself after enduring her own bouts of bullying. After that, one of her bullies took to Facebook to say, “Mission accomplished.
Though I didn’t flat out say these sorts of bullies should’ve been swallowed, I do chime in about Walker-Hoover’s mother’s call for a support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
Click here to check it out.
Also, a year ago I wrote the deaths of both Carl Walker-Hoover and another young boy who also killed himself within that same month. Although school officials later cited another reason for Jaheem Herrea’s suicide, his family maintains that it was due to bullying.
Whatever the case may be, I touched on how confining notions of black masculinity pose dangerous consequences. In that piece, I wrote about my own dealings in homophobia and as a result, for the first time wrote openly about my own sexuality. It’s also the piece that led me to coming out to my own mom. But I suppose I should save that story for another day.
You can check out “When Bullying Leads To Suicide” here.
Hope you enjoy both pieces.
Janee
April 19, 2010 at 5:06 pm
A month ago an Irish immigrant killed herself after enduring her own bouts of bullying. After that, one of her bullies took to Facebook to say, “Mission accomplished.
It’s so disgusting how kids are today. Not even respecting the dead?!!! I don’t know what to say.
Trev
April 20, 2010 at 8:08 pm
I know I’m so going to be hated for this but killing yourself over being bullied is one of the stupidest things in the world. People will always talk crap about you to your face or behind your back, and what they say should even be worth kill yourself if they don’t like you fuck them hell no ones opinion in this world matters but your own so people say i’m loud so say I’m a know it all some say i lame but there are others who think the opposite of me and personally i think i’m shit
Hmmmm
April 20, 2010 at 9:58 pm
I’m with Trev. Almost all higher-order animals fight and bully each other. The weaker ones are killled or ostracized. Watch any nature show to see this. Human animals are no different from nonhuman animals.
Trev
April 21, 2010 at 12:19 pm
damn i just went back and read my comment grammatical errors out the ass on that one.
Drea
April 21, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Trev, i agree with every word you said. With that being stated, I’m 30 years old. Kids, pre-teens and teens just have not had enough life experience to understand the beauty n freedom of the words…FUCK U!
Wade
April 21, 2010 at 3:24 pm
LOL @ Drea. I agree, a lot of it has to do with age. It’s easy as an adult to say “FUCK U” but when you’re a teenager in high school it’s not so simple. Great pieces Mike!
2cents
April 23, 2010 at 2:09 am
A lot of us say these things as adults, that taunts don’t matter, but obviously it does otherwise these kids wouldnt have killed themselves. As adults we have independence, maturity, and means to remove yourself from a situation. Suicide is the last straw when you don’t see anyway out. If these kids were taunted at 11 years old, this probably has been going on for years previously. So sad to hear that people’s inability to leave people alone caused these kids’ death.
@Mike- What is a concrete way to prevent bullying? Everyone has a no-tolerance policy, but we all know that this is just lip service to protect schools from law suits. My mom thinks they should have “School marshalls” (people who look like students to report any activities or lack of enforcement by teachers)
Cassie
April 24, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Another well written piece. Keep up the good work!
adam
May 2, 2010 at 5:56 pm
its repulsive how people do that..they should be the ones who are dead!!!!i got bullied in school and it was very bad bullying but i would always tell my parents and they would sort it out!!but i never felt like i would kill myself….r.i.p to all those poor kids who are in heaven
Sybil
November 19, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I know this was written back in April, but had to comment on this. This is the first time I’ve heard about Carl.
I am really sadden how school officials dismiss the complaints of bullies in their schools. As a mother of 3 young children with one being school aged I see kids being extremely cruel. My question is for the parents of bullies; do they not realize they have a bully living in their home.
Many children do not know how to handle the situation of being teased or bullied. As and adult, we can dismiss things; however there are many adults in the world that are bullied.