OT: Friends of bullied SI teen who killed self say football players 'tortured her'

[Whitey23]

Shocked and grieving students at Tottenville High School today questioned how the relentless bullying of a vulnerable teenage girl lead to her horrific suicide at Staten Island Railway station.

Felicia Garcia, 15, jumped to her death at the Huguenot station moments after a group of classmates, described by witnesses as members of the football team, heaped abuse at her.

“I hope the football team feels guilty for what they did to her,” said Stephanie Imparato, 15, who said she was friends with Felicia.

Department of Education spokeswoman, said the incident is now a being investigated by police.

The NYPD had no immediate comment.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/...l_suicide_teen_ask_how_5vvFhq0y96sEgMWVegRSmO

 

[sutomcat]

Shocked and grieving students at Tottenville High School today questioned how the relentless bullying of a vulnerable teenage girl lead to her horrific suicide at Staten Island Railway station.

Felicia Garcia, 15, jumped to her death at the Huguenot station moments after a group of classmates, described by witnesses as members of the football team, heaped abuse at her.

“I hope the football team feels guilty for what they did to her,” said Stephanie Imparato, 15, who said she was friends with Felicia.

Department of Education spokeswoman, said the incident is now a being investigated by police.

The NYPD had no immediate comment.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/...l_suicide_teen_ask_how_5vvFhq0y96sEgMWVegRSmO

Augustus Edwards is on Tottenville. Possible SU recruit Malique Belfort is as well...

Let's hope neither was involved in this.

 

[44PRIDE]

That's just sad.

Bullying has been around forever. Unfortunately, so has the practice of bullied teens committing suicide. I don't know if its the world in which we live, but these suicides seem to be happening with MUCH more frequency in recent years. Some will say the internet is allowing us to hear about them with more ease. I dunno.

Question is...how do you stop something like this? How do you stop a group of kids from bullying another? Parents can't be around their kids 24/7.

 

[Whitey23]

Augustus Edwards is on Tottenville. Possible SU recruit Malique Belfort is as well...

Let's hope neither was involved in this.

That was my hope as well.

 

[RMH44]

That's just sad.

Bullying has been around forever. Unfortunately, so has the practice of bullied teens committing suicide. I don't know if its the world in which we live, but these suicides seem to be happening with MUCH more frequency in recent years. Some will say the internet is allowing us to hear about them with more ease. I dunno.

Question is...how do you stop something like this? How do you stop a group of kids from bullying another? Parents can't be around their kids 24/7.

When I was in HS, my friends and I always held bullies "accountable" for their actions. We weren't afraid to step in and deliver any message necessary. We learned this from our parents. Unfortunately, the value structure of many families today is non existent.

It seems that a true Darwinian, "survival of the fittest", mentality prevails in many of the urban areas where I've worked. How many times have you read about kids killing each other over new Nike shoes?

 

[bevosu]

I've always thought that it's strange that the type of harassment and bullying that is allowed in schools would not be tolerated in an adult workplace. In fact there are actionable laws and legal actions that take place every day when things like this happen in an adult work environment.

Why not in schools?

 

[qdawgg]

The internet makes these cases more public but at the same time also makes the bullying more traumatic for some of these kids, IMO. Instead of just being bullied in school, or before or after-school; the bullies are now able to bully them around the clock as well as increasing the radius of other students who join in or at least find the whole thing entertaining. The whole thing just causes the experience to be magnified and encompass more students then bullying even 10 years ago.

Just my opinion based on what I see at work.

 

[orangenirvana]

Whew...

When I saw this thread title I thought this was another scandal involving SU football players.

 

[PhatOrange]

It's disgusting is what it is. I think one way to combat it is to make everybody liable. The school administrators were warned. At that point they are responsible. The bullies need to be warned and the parents notified. If the continues the bullies are suspended or whatever. If a kid commits suicide as a result of bullying you're all responsible civically and maybe criminally. You can't say it's kids being kids anymore.

This is going to get ugly. New article out says she was gang banged by four players. Now you're also talking statutory rape.

Personally if my kids were bullied or bullies there'd be hell to pay. You have to teach your kids at a young age that neither is ok.

 

[NineOneSeven]

It is happening more and more, it seems. Very unfortunate. I've been around bullying in my younger years, and it really is very sad looking back on it.

 

[orangenauburn]

this may come off as dickish but whatever.

she had sex at age 15 with 4 guys at the same time ... I know times have changed, but she left herself open to criticism and even though I do not condone the continual harassment, I understand some heat she received for her actions

unfortunately it crossed a line and she felt she had no other outlets due to failures of adults in her life, and led to this point.

sad story all around that four kids who took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself will probably have their lives ruined, and a little girl who made a mistake had such little support that she took the ultimate course of action and made a bigger mistake

sad

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

It's disgusting is what it is. I think one way to combat it is to make everybody liable. The school administrators were warned. At that point they are responsible. The bullies need to be warned and the parents notified. If the **** continues the bullies are suspended or whatever. If a kid commits suicide as a result of bullying you're all responsible civically and maybe criminally. You can't say it's kids being kids anymore.

This is going to get ugly. New article out says she was gang banged by four players. Now you're also talking statutory rape.

Personally if my kids were bullied or bullies there'd be hell to pay. You have to teach your kids at a young age that neither is ok.

While this is certainly tragic, at what point does the "bullied" person have to suck it up, ignore it and carry on. As someone who had his share of negative barbs sent his way in high school, ignoring things makes them go away much quicker. While she could not do this, this is a great response to a bully. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4

 

[qdawgg]

While this is certainly tragic, at what point does the "bullied" person have to suck it up, ignore it and carry on. As someone who had his share of negative barbs sent his way in high school, ignoring things makes them go away much quicker. While she could not do this, this is a great response to a bully. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4

Don't get out much in the real world, huh? Bullying today is much different than it was back in the day. I'm not saying that anyone should take their life as a result of bullying but kids today don't give two !ing sh!ts if you ignore them. It almost makes it worse because these kids get their jollies off this stuff. Completely different world of bullying.

 

[javadoc]

Augustus Edwards is on Tottenville. Possible SU recruit Malique Belfort is as well...

Let's hope neither was involved in this.

Goes beyond football. I don't care about whether the human refuse involved were our recruits or not.

 

[PhatOrange]

While this is certainly tragic, at what point does the "bullied" person have to suck it up, ignore it and carry on. As someone who had his share of negative barbs sent his way in high school, ignoring things makes them go away much quicker. While she could not do this, this is a great response to a bully. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4

The kid who's being bullied is trying to ignore it and carry on every day no?

I think you should be asking the question at what point does an adult step in an put a stop to it before something like this happens.

Ift the admins know and don't do anything they're responsible as far as I'm concerned.

 

[AirForceOrange]

While this is certainly tragic, at what point does the "bullied" person have to suck it up, ignore it and carry on. As someone who had his share of negative barbs sent his way in high school, ignoring things makes them go away much quicker. While she could not do this, this is a great response to a bully. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4

Things are much different today then when I was in high school. I think the big difference is technology. Today kids have phones, tablets, facebook, texting, etc. All of this instant and able to spread bullying to a much higher degree than when I was in HS. It comes down to parents/adults teaching kids how not only to respect themselves and others but technology as well. I think the major problem is that technology today is almost like a gun. People need to learn to respect not only the advantages of technology but also the dangers and unfortunately there is little to no teahcing going on with respect to the dangers of technology today.

 

[PeteCalvin]

While this is certainly tragic, at what point does the "bullied" person have to suck it up, ignore it and carry on. As someone who had his share of negative barbs sent his way in high school, ignoring things makes them go away much quicker. While she could not do this, this is a great response to a bully. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=F7kcwCPQ-m4

Even sticking up for yourself can have consequences. Remember that kid in Australia? He was a fat kid being picked on by this scrawny twig of a kid. There is a video showing the small kid throwing punches and hitting the bigger kid, while at the same time verbally taunting him. The big kid finally has enough and grabs the bully. He lifts him up and body slams him into planter or something. After all the video evidence to support the bullying, it's the victim who gets suspended for standing up for himself. I think the bully's family even tried to sue the victim for injuries their son sustained. That takes nerve.

 

[longislandcuse]

Things are much different today then when I was in high school. I think the big difference is technology. Today kids have phones, tablets, facebook, texting, etc. All of this instant and able to spread bullying to a much higher degree than when I was in HS. It comes down to parents/adults teaching kids how not only to respect themselves and others but technology as well. I think the major problem is that technology today is almost like a gun. People need to learn to respect not only the advantages of technology but also the dangers and unfortunately there is little to no teahcing going on with respect to the dangers of technology today.

Great point. If you are being bullied nowadays its a 24/7 thing. The kids being bullied have no escape and it just becomes relentless. Im not sure what she thought was going to happen when she had sex with 4 guys at the same time...that stuff usually doesnt turn out well for the girl, but its still sad. I really dont know how you come back from that. They say in the article that she was made fun of for being different but any girl in any school in any country would have a hard time overcoming what she did with 4 guys on the football team.

 

[br801]

Things are much different today then when I was in high school. I think the big difference is technology. Today kids have phones, tablets, facebook, texting, etc. All of this instant and able to spread bullying to a much higher degree than when I was in HS. It comes down to parents/adults teaching kids how not only to respect themselves and others but technology as well. I think the major problem is that technology today is almost like a gun. People need to learn to respect not only the advantages of technology but also the dangers and unfortunately there is little to no teahcing going on with respect to the dangers of technology today.

Great points that all of us, no matter our generation, should think about carefully.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

Update from the SI Advance's online partner:

http://www.silive.com/southshore/index.ssf/2012/10/tragic_staten_island_teen_feli.html

 

[Orangemen]

One thing I've wondered about all the recent bullying suicide incidents is, are the newer generations of helicopter parents (of which I am one) contributing to this?

If a kid never faces any trouble in their life until they get bullied in high school, are they just completely unprepared mentally to handle it?

I don't know the answer, but I do know this stuff either rarely ever happened when I was young, or it just wasn't nearly as well publicized (doubtful).

 

[DoctorBombay]

In my line of work I see alot of what's known as workplace bullying. We've all had at one time or another, the boss who got off on acting like a tyrant, making everyone's job miserable. Well, that's alot more prevalent and virulent nowadays then one may think.
Companies are cracking down on the these "X-managers" because employee retention, morale, and performance can be seriously affected because of "that jerk who happens to be your boss".
These people's attitude is the same of any bully; They see vulnerability and decide to exercise power, mostly to make themselves feel better about something lacking in their own condition.
Companies that recognize and address workplace bullying are equivalent to those parents or schools who decide to take action, & not just ignore the problem as "no big deal", or "everyone has had a tough boss at one time or another".
Until parents and especially schools take a much stricter attitude towards bullying, it allows those who do it to feel invincible.
That sense of power perpetuates itself and only gets worse over time, and can sometimes lead to tragedies like this one.
Just like other kinds of abuse, if you see changes in your kid's behavior, or heck, even in your spouse after a "tough" day at work-
ie; "That old story about coming home from work and kicking the dog"...make it a point to start asking questions and pay attention. Not everyone is tragically affected by bullying, but those that are, can end up in a very bad place.

 

[Whitey23]

Edwards' twitter feed is pretty eye opening. Sounds like he was close to the girl.

@GodsGiftGUS

 

[PhatOrange]

One thing I've wondered about all the recent bullying suicide incidents is, are the newer generations of helicopter parents (of which I am one) contributing to this?

If a kid never faces any trouble in their life until they get bullied in high school, are they just completely unprepared mentally to handle it?

I don't know the answer, but I do know this stuff either rarely ever happened when I was young, or it just wasn't nearly as well publicized (doubtful).

Interesting thought. They might not be equipped to handle it themselves. They sure as aren't equipped to handle anything else in life on their own.

On one side I would suspect the helicopter parents would at least know if their child is being bullied which is a good thing. The kids who tend to commit suicide (or shoot things up) seem to have all these issues bottled up inside and nobody (adults/parents) who they are talking to or opening up with about what's going on. Communication seems to be key here.

On the other side, the helicopter parents generally have a bad case of 'notmykiditis' so if they are bullying others these parents generally wouldn't believe it, or choose to ignore it or whatever.

Another thing I've noticed in our elementary and middle schools are that the kids who are often the bullies have parents who are bullies - or parents who are just general everyday s.

 

[Orangemen]

Another thing I've noticed in our elementary and middle schools are that the kids who are often the bullies have parents who are bullies - or parents who are just general everyday s.

Reminds me of an old Onion headline:
'Local a@@hole father doing a great job raising a@@hole kid'

There is definitely a lot of validity to that thought.