An Open Letter To The World About Bullies

[Atone]

I posted on here a few weeks ago regarding my little sister being bullied, i contacted the school board and almost had a meeting set up but, they have not got back with me at all in the last couple weeks, so i'm taking it a step further,

Edited with re-written version


Victim's of bullies, I have been in your shoes more than once, I know it is hard to speak out, and I hope I can make a difference and help change things. Maybe my words will reach the eyes of the bullies as well, and help them see the painful effects of their actions.

Bullies takeover all memories of what should be a fun journey throughout my educational experience, unfortunately for me, middle school was not full of joyful times. My memories of school are of running and hiding, being pushed around, laughed at, kicked, spit on, and called every name in the book.

School for me was not much of an educational experience, but more like a frightful horror movie full of people wanting to hurt me.

I want the parents of victims to know- It is not your fault. Please do not blame yourselves. You do the best you can to love and protect your children.

I want schools, media, and anyone else who points the blame at others to know- Do not blame video games, music, or even tv for the violence that occurs in school. When the victims fight back, it ends up in the news because of the awful outcome of somebody finally
snapping. Every time it happens, you want to blame the parents, the music industry,
video games, or movies, which is 100% wrong every time.

When a victim of bullying snaps do not blame them either for doing what they did, yes, it is wrong and awful that it resulted in violence, but can't you understand how it came to that?

I want to explain the feelings of we who have been victims of bullies have.

For years I was bullied, tortured in what should have been a home of education. There were days when I would hide under parked cars because gangs of bullies would pick on me as I tried to get home. Once I did try to fight back when I thought it would be one on one, only to be held on the ground by a whole group of them and have a pocket knife shoved in my face.

I remember one day after school, waiting for the bus to take us home, a fellow student lifted my backpack over my head, the weight of all the books caused me to fall face first onto the cement. That student and I ended up in the office, but he did not get into trouble, in fact, all that happened was he was forced to apologize. We were both sent back to the bus...while I held an ice pack on my head because I had a large, golfball size lump on my head.

Many times, my parents and I went to the school to report the problems with bullies, and nothing was ever done to change things. No matter how many times we went to speak with the school, things never changed.

I still had to face these bullies daily, sometimes getting punched in the back of the head while walking through a heavily trafficked hallway going from class to class.

It wasn't until I moved to another state, that the bullying finally ended. It wasn't until after I changed schools, that the problems finally went away, for me.



12 years later....

I have a little sister, and we have moved back to Pasco County, Florida felt like home to us, we know the area like the back of our hand.

Problem is, my sister is 12 years old, and she happens to go to the same exact school that I was once terrorized in. Only now things have gotten worse instead of better.

My sister is currently dealing with the same issues I did, although for her it is worse, our mother abandoned us less than 2 years ago, my sisters emotions are already a mess, now she has to deal with getting bullied every day just like I did. My sister is now at the point where she refuses to go to school, saying she feels sick.

It's even harder when the school won't help. We have talked to teachers, to the school counselor, even the principal, and nothing is being done to protect an innocent 12 year old girl who just wants to get an education and be safe.

Let me put it in a way that I would hope everybody can understand:

Imagine a man is standing outside your job threatening harm every day, you call the police, they show up, slap the man on the wrist and drive away. This man continues to harass you, the more you call for help, the more you are ignored. Would you want to go to work every day with the fear that a random stranger is going to harm you? What do you do when nobody wants to help?

Police won't take the man away, your cries for help are ignored, what do you do when you feel like the only thing you CAN do is fight back? Is it fair that when you finally fight back, you get into trouble? Is it fair that when you finally protect yourself from this harassment , that you now have to face consequences? You've begged for help only to be ignored, now
you're in trouble for stepping up to stop this threatening stranger?

It's not fair, you cry for help only to be ignored, for me, it felt like, nobody wanted to help, if I fought back I got in trouble. The message was clear: "Nobody cares, nobody will help, and if you even think about protecting yourself you will be the one in real trouble."

My sister is now the going through this hell. But, I care and I want to help because I know exactly what it's like to be in her position. Her cries for help are getting louder because I will not let her be silenced.

The schools NEED to make more meaningful rules against bullying, more than just a slap on the wrist, more than a detention. Students are afraid to speak up to teachers because history shows
that nothing is being done to put a stop to bullies. Students know most of the time, the victims who speak up, only get bullied much worse after they do.

I am speaking up right now, because I don't have to face these bullies anymore, I have nothing to fear, my only hope is to make a change. I am not implying the victims of bullies are in the right by getting guns, or knives. I am just saying by taking away the bullies, by stepping in when a victim is in need, by actually dealing with the bullies in a meaningful way there would be far fewer bullies, which means far fewer students who are at their breaking point, which would equal far fewer tragedies.

PLEASE SAVE THE VICTIMS!

[mdemaz]

I like muffins.

[DƎRDYPK]

I agree, all schools should be burned down & replaced by a Holiday Inn

[mdemaz]

looooooooooooooooooob

[mezee]

I really hope things get better for your sister, this is heartbreaking

[Atone]

I really hope things get better for your sister, this is heartbreaking

They will, cuz i'm gonna fight for her until something finally happens, with me, i always told my dad i could handle it, not to take me out of the school, running away would only mean the bullies won, fact was, i wasn't gonna handle it, i was just gonna take the beatings and let it happen until there was nothing left for them to do cuz..i felt like there was nothing that could be done, but i refuse to let my sister go thru that and i am beginning to fight what i know will be a very long drawn out battle but, hopefully in the end changes will be made, i may not have been able to make things better for myself, but maybe i can make it better for kids in the future.

[mezee]

I really hope things get better for your sister, this is heartbreaking

They will, cuz i'm gonna fight for her until something finally happens, with me, i always told my dad i could handle it, not to take me out of the school, running away would only mean the bullies won, fact was, i wasn't gonna handle it, i was just gonna take the beatings and let it happen until there was nothing left for them to do cuz..i felt like there was nothing that could be done, but i refuse to let my sister go thru that and i am beginning to fight what i know will be a very long drawn out battle but, hopefully in the end changes will be made, i may not have been able to make things better for myself, but maybe i can make it better for kids in the future.

Honestly, the sweetest thing ever. I wish I had someone fight for me like the way you're fighting for her when I was getting bullied. She'll be fine, I can tell. And sounds like all the bullies did was make you a stronger and better person, so really, this post is just full of win. I'm rooting for you guys

[Atone]

if u sit thru this entire thing, you've walked thru my shoes, 90% of this is things i actually went thru, the bus ride horrors, being shoved into lockers, the part where the teacher gets mad at the victim for not accepting the bullies handshake? yeah, i went thru that shit, "this fucker has tortured me for the last couple years and you think me shaking his fucking hand is gonna fix it?"

i'm trying to step in before things get far worse for my sister, it's hard for my sister to speak up because her self esteem is gone since my mom walked out on us, anytime i go to hang with friends i have to promise my sister i'm coming back because she fears that anytime somebody walks out the door they are doing what my mom did, so, bullies at school are not making things any better.

[mdemaz]

in the 5th grade i lost my favourite marble

shit hurts man

shit hurts