14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer tragically committed suicide after suffering at the hands of bullies. His story has become a national one due in part to the “It Gets Better” video he posted just months before he took his own life. It’s rekindled a fire for supporters of anti-bullying legislation and now police are looking into a specific group of students who could be responsible for the vast amount of bullying Jamey suffered.
The Amherst Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is currently deciding whether or not to charge three students with cyber-harassment or hate crimes. Even though Rodemeyer, an openly gay student from Buffalo, had just started his first year as a freshman at Williamsville North High School, the bullying had begun while he was in middle school.
Captain Michael Camilleri stated there was no anti-bullying laws in New York State, so they’ve got to determine whether aggravated harassment charges are applicable in Jamey’s death. Due to the age of the three students in question names have been withheld from the media.
Police Chief John Askey added:
“We’ve heard that there were some specific students, an identifiable group of students, that had specifically targeted Jamey, or had been picking on him for a period of time.”
In Jamey’s heartbreaking video he identified Lady Gaga as a beacon of hope for those who were struggling with bullying like he was. Gaga is aware of the tragic news and has encouraged her Twitter followers to take action. She tweeted:
If you or someone you know is struggling with the same problems that Jamey encountered you can visit The Trevor Project to find out many different ways you can help.
