Slashdot Mirror
Facebook Comment Prompts Arrests In Cyberbullying Suicide Case
An anonymous reader writes "The NY Times reports on the arrests of two girls, ages 12 and 14, who allegedly harassed another 12-year-old girl who committed suicide. The girls are facing third-degree felony charges, and the police involvement was spurred by a comment on Facebook by the older of the two. 'In Internet shorthand it began "Yes, ik" — I know — "I bullied Rebecca nd she killed herself." The writer concluded that she didn't care, using an obscenity to make the point and a heart as a perverse flourish. Five weeks ago, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, a seventh grader in Lakeland in central Florida, jumped to her death from an abandoned cement factory silo after enduring a year, on and off, of face-to-face and online bullying. ... Brimming with outrage and incredulity, the sheriff said in a news conference on Tuesday that he was stunned by the older girl's Saturday Facebook posting. But he reserved his harshest words for the girl's parents for failing to monitor her behavior, after she had been questioned by the police, and for allowing her to keep her cellphone.'"
But he reserved his harshest words for the girl's parents for failing to monitor her behavior
Children are sociopaths until they learn better / their frontal lobes finish developing. It's the parents who are at fault here.
From TFA: "Both were charged with aggravated stalking." Not sure why this was omitted from the summary, and only the vague "third-degree felony charges" term used. Combined with the somewhat misleading title, implying that it was only facebook comments that got these girls in trouble, it's disappointing link-baiting.
....a Early teen girl.
And yes this is 100% fact, I raised my daughter though the hell that is Midddle school and high school, Satan himself is a nice guy compared to teenage girls and the heartless crap they do to others.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
You have a redaction fetish? The FOIA must be like mail-order porn to you.
Perhaps you should read the article.
"In December, the bullying grew so intense that Rebecca began cutting herself and was sent to a hospital by her mother to receive psychiatric care. Ultimately, her mother pulled her out of Crystal Lake Middle School. She home schooled her for a while and then enrolled her in a new school in August."
Religion has nothing to do with anything. You either act, or don't. Her parents did what they thought was best. Sadly it didn't pay off.
[Sorry, this signature is unavailable in your country/region]
Yes, lets rant about how prissy the 12 year old girl was for taking her own life. Because we all know 12 year olds (girl or boy) are capable of handling things like an adult should, in your perfect world.
"Now for a side rant. Suicide is a pussy way out. No one should commit suicide over the actions of another but if they feel compelled to give that other person that much power, they should take them out in the process. It would likely make the world a better place as a result of their cowardice."
Let's hope this is the dumbest thing I see on the internet today
I have to say, I was subjected to some of the most vicious onslaughts by my peers going through school. Luckily, my parents granted me with the mental fortitude and tools to survive. Not everyone can impart these skills to their children. It is not necessarily the parents fault, and certainly not the child's.
However, I struggle with the concept that bullying someone amounts to a felony. We have some very skewed laws when bullying someone is equivalent to armed robbery, and deserves 5 years in Jail. (Florida)
It is wrong, but it trivialises harder crimes.
Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
Either you were a special child or you've forgotten how much your world has expanded since then. Whether you're talking about a 5 year old who has an absolute 'the world hates me' meltdown because he got buttered toast (like he asked for) instead of nutella (like he now wanted) or the teenager whose world is crumbling because a friend is moving away, they haven't experienced enough of life to understand how ridiculously small their problem is. This isn't even touching with those kids who do have serious problems such as being sexually abused or physically assaulted on a daily basis, with no knowledge of how else to escape their problems other than suicide... something being suggested to them by their tormentor, or accomplices, constantly. Try showing some empathy, and try teaching it to your kids.
Absolutely the same story here (and there are probably a lot more on /. than would care to admit to it). I was bullied mercilessly, beat up, tormented on a daily basis. Honestly can say it was worse than what was described. The only two reasons I never went through with taking my own life at that age was: 1. It's a cowards way out that rewards the tormentors and punishes the ones that love you and that kept me going. 2. My Parents did their best to support me and convince me that the sociology of Jr High School was meaningless in the grand scheme of things and supported my efforts to find my voice (which I did in High School, first as a writer for the school newspaper and then as the lead singer in a rock band.
Kids will ALWAYS be vicious bastards acting out like Lord of the Flies, and there is no amount of explanation that can satisfy you at that age. I was lucky enough that my Parents (who recently passed) were as involved as they were. I'm also lucky they lived long enough to see me become a successful business owner who sees many of my old bullies at the Gas Station or the Wal-Mart.
You can't change these kids behavior institutionally or in a jail. You need to start at home injecting a moral code and respect for others.
It is wrong, but it trivialises harder crimes.
Not if the punishment is commensurate with the harm caused. With regard to armed robbery, as long as that was the only offense, the impact of the crime is of relatively short duration. It is theft of property under threat of violence. Assuming you can get over being threatened with violence, it's just theft of property, and the impact of the loss of that property (assuming total loss) to an individual is really a minor impact in the overall lifetime of the individual. Bullying can be threats of violence against an individual (like armed robbery), except it also often involves continued harassement, literal violence, and an implication that the threats/violence/harassement will continue, day after day, with no real way out.
Think of a kid who goes to school, maybe it is only once a week he is cornered and detained, physically attacked, perhaps robbed, and harassed. He lives in in a state of perpetual paranoia and emotional pain because he knows that it IS going to happen again, because it has happened many times before. Contrast that to someone mugging you on the street for your wallet. Frightening, maybe costly if you had much cash, and that moment might bother you for years to come.
I've survived an attempted kidnapping (age 11), and I've also been bullied (Ages 7-13). With regard to the kidnapping attempt, I can remember that the guy had curly hair, and the general gist of his conversation, I remember curling up in fear after he fled. But that's about it, I never really worried that he might be back or that I'd be kidnapped again. Yet for the bullying, I can remember every single person who was involved, their actions, their names, their faces. I'll withold their names, but I remember the one who would secretly punch me whenever the teacher turned away. I remember the one who would attack me in the stairwells. I remember the one who threatened to cut me for defending myself from another bully (his cousin). I remember the general taunter in my 7th grade Literature class. I remember the one who would punch me in the back during 6th grade science class. I remember the group who would gather during recess and select a person for 'Random Beatdowns' which were a staple in my school until they finally broke a kid's arm. There are more, but I think the point is made. One of the more vile ones died young, another is incarcerated for murder, none really amounted to much, but I still remember them, and I remember the absolute fear that I had in going to school because it was a place where there was no safety, and no means to defend yourself. Fight back, and you get punished, and the gang mentality kicks in and the bullying increases. (If you think fighting back is an option, you never went to an inner-city school, the only way out there is to 'gang' up, which of course, isn't really a good option).
The point is, here I am, 30 years later, and I can remember the fear, anxiety, fake sickness to avoid school, poor performance, and all of the other aspects of the bullying. But the kidnapping? It's a minor footnote in my memory, a story I tell from time to time when it suits the conversation. But if 30 years later I can pick up the newspaper and glance at an obituary and remember that he was the same guy that made my life hell for several years, I think it helps illustrate that the impacts from bullying are lasting because unlike something like being robbed, bullying isn't a one-off event and can persist for years.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
WILL NOT stand by and allow someone to be punished for speaking something that I find offensive. I don't care if it offends you, it's not your right to avoid offense.
There is another distinction that you are missing. When it comes to bullying, the speech isn't necessarily "offensive", it isn't said with the intent to "offend" the victim. It is "harmful", it is said with the intent to cause "harm" to the victim. As with most legal cases, intent is important. If it can be proven a bully engaged in speech with the intent to cause harm then that bully could be prosecuted, not for his speech, but for his intent. If it the harm can also be proven, as in this case the suicide of the victim, then the charges/sentencing can be increased. They may have only intended to harm the victim however the death of the victim was the result, they are now liable (or partially liable) for contributing to that death.
Now, in case you are talking specifically about the offensive facebook post, then you must also look at it another way. The facebook post amounts to a confession, a confession of intentionally causing harm to the victim (bullying) as well as the acknowledgement that it led to the victim's suicide/death. Furthermore, it is a confession of no remorse for the effect that was caused by the bully. Even if she has no intent for her speech to lead to an acutal suicide, when she was faced with the fact that it did, she was not remorseful of her actions. Given these facts, she should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and given no leniency in sentencing.