The harassment started in September and ended with her death on January 14th. Just look at the numbers involved, 4 girls and 2 boys have been charged and it sound like they were relentless in that it happened at school and online and text messages. Read the following statement from the DA. It was more than hurt feelings. She suffered tremendous cruelty.
So she got roughly three months of "abuse" as the new kid at school. :shrug:
[Phoebe Prince, a new arrival at South Hadley High School from a tiny seaside hamlet in County Clare, was mercilessly tormented by a cadre of classmates later dubbed the "Mean Girls" by Massachusetts newspapers.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed towards Phoebe designed to humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school," said District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel.
"The bullying for her became intolerable."
I am not inclined to accept prosecution-tailored rhetoric as being gospel truth. Sorry. Plus, everything said here is subjective. Period.
According to students, Phoebe was called "Irish slut" and "whore" on Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook and Formspring.
Then you know what? You don't allow people to twitter you, you don't have them on your facey space and you don't get on Craigslist and expose yourself to it. That's a reasonable healthy reaction. Hanging yourself in a coat closet is NOT a reasonable, healthy reaction to teasing.
Teasing happens. It happens. Doesn't make it right, doesn't make it ok...but it is what it is. And it always has been since before the little girl hung herself in the closet and it still will be when this story goes out of the news cycle. Crucifying the cheerleaders isn't going to change that.
Her books were routinely knocked out of her hands, items were flung at her, her face was scribbled out of photographs on the school walls, and threatening text messages were sent to her cell phone.
Scheibel said she had drawn the ire of the "Mean Girls" by briefly dating a popular senior football player in her first weeks at the school.
So she dated a boy and some girls decided to be catty...they scribbled her face out of some photos, knocked some books out of her hands, and threw some things. What kinds of things? Spitballs, paper balls...what?
None of that except threatening text messages seems like more than teasing. And as for the messages, why did they have her number to start with?
Two boys were involved in the rape and the physical abuse was witnessed by teachers who did nothing.
The rape needs to be addressed as well as the physical abuse that was witnessed.
Seven of the nine charged Monday are girls charged with a range of crimes, from criminal harassment to stalking to civil rights violations. A juvenile was charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon - namely, the Red Bull can.
A red bull can? Seriously? A friggin red bull can? As a dangerous weapon? I'm not buying this at all.
The two males, 17 and 18, are charged with statutory rape.
Oh so now it was STATUTORY rape. It wasn't date rape or some other kind of violent rape...but STATUTORY rape. I am now even less inclined to begin to believe this is anything but a cry of "crucify the cheerleaders" because of some mass hysteria over a community's inability to cope with the real problem here: a teenage suicide.
Unveiling the indictments Monday, Scheibel said numerous faculty members, staff members and administrators at South Hadley High School were aware of the bullying - some even witnessed physical abuse - and did nothing.
In other words, people who are around kids all day long and witness the behavior of kids all day long saw a bunch of kids acting like...typical kids? They saw no need to intervene (which can actually intensify the bullying later) because nothing was out of place enough to warrant intervention. :shrug:
She said the investigation looked at whether the adults' failure to help Phoebe amounted to criminal behavior.
"In our opinion, it did not," she said. "Nevertheless, the actions or inactions of some adults at the school are troublesome."
Well there you go. No criminal negligence on the parts of the teachers. Troublesome because a teenager committed suicide, but not troublesome enough to warrant criminal matters for the people in charge.
But yeah, let's crucify the cheerleaders to make everyone feel better about it.
Phoebe Prince, South Hadley High School's 'new girl,' driven to suicide by teenage cyber bullies
So no, their bullying is not being blown out of proportion to cover up a problem with the victim, other than she was a victim and you like her tormentors are victimizing her again.
Forgive me if I discount your emotional attempt at vilifying me with your accusation that I "like her tormentors" am victimizing her again. That's not debate and discussion: that's you attempting to leverage emotional extortion against the my arguments.
One more time to attack me that way, and I will report. I understand that hearing about a teenage suicide can blur perceptions and inflame emotions, but you don't need to direct your ire at me. You can direct it at the arguments. kthanx.