My bullied son's last day on Earth

 

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Jaheem Herrera, 11, was frustrated with bullies calling him "gay" and "the virgin"

Boy came home happy, then mother, sisters found him hanging by belt in closet

Mother says she believe son killed himself because nobody was helping

Mom: "I lost my son and now something has to be done"

 

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Eleven-year-old Jaheem Herrera woke up on April 16 acting strangely. He wasn't hungry and he didn't want to go to school.

 

But the outgoing fifth grader packed his bag and went to school at Dunaire Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia.

 

He came home much happier than when he left in the morning, smiling as he handed his mother, Masika Bermudez, a glowing report card full of A's and B's. She gave him a high-five and he went upstairs to his room as she prepared dinner.

 

A little later, when his younger sister called him to come down to eat, Jaheem didn't answer.

 

So mother and daughter climbed the stairs to Jaheem's room and opened the door.

 

Jaheem was hanging by his belt in the closet.

 

"I always used to see these things on TV, dead people on the news," says Bermudez. "I saw somebody die and to see this dead person is your son, hanging there, a young boy. ... To hang yourself like that, you've got to really be tired of something."

 

Bermudez says bullies at school pushed Jaheem over the edge. He complained about being called gay, ugly and "the virgin" because he was from the Virgin Islands, she said.

 

"He used to say Mom they keep telling me this ... this gay word, this gay, gay, gay. I'm tired of hearing it, they're telling me the same thing over and over," she told CNN, as she wiped away tears from her face.

 

But while she says her son complained about the bullying, she had no idea how bad it had gotten.

 

"He told me, but he just got to the point where he didn't want me to get involved anymore because nothing was done," she said.

 

Bermudez said she complained to the school about bullying seven or eight times, but it wasn't enough to save him.

 

"It [apparently] just got worse and worse and worse until Thursday," she said. "Just to walk up to that room and see your baby hanging there. My daughter saw this, my baby saw this, my kids are traumatized."

 

She said Jaheem was a shy boy just trying to get a good education and make friends. Watch what experts say about bullying in schools »

 

"He was a nice little boy," Bermudez said through her tears. "He loved to dance. He loved to have fun. He loved to make friends. And all he made [at school] were enemies."

 

Bermudez said she thinks her son felt like nobody wanted to help him, that nobody stood up and stopped the bullies.

 

"Maybe he said 'You know what -- I'm tired of telling my mom, she's been trying so hard, but nobody wants to help me,' " says Bermudez.

 

After Jaheem's death, the school board expressed condolences, saying the school staff "works diligently to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students."

 

Trying desperately to understand what went wrong, Bermudez asked her son's best friend to recount what happened on the day Jaheem killed himself.

 

"He [said he was] tired of complaining, tired of these guys messing with him," Bermudez said, recalling the conversation with Jaheem's best friend. "Tired of talking, I think to his teachers, counselors and nobody is doing anything -- and the best way out is death."

 

Allegations of such severe bullying surprises experts familiar with the school district. It's anti-bullying program was considered exemplary and includes programs to raise awareness and a specially trained liaison. Students are even asked to sign a no-bullying pledge. But other parents told CNN they have complained about bullying as well.

 

Despite recent strides towards preventing bullying in schools and increased awareness programs, a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network study showed that 65 percent of teens are bullied each year and most believe adults can't help them.

 

Less than a month before Jaheem's death, a boy in Massachusetts killed himself after being bullied, harassed and called "gay."

 

Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, says to be effective, awareness programs need to include education about the harm that can be done by teasing someone about sexuality or perceived sexuality.

 

"Anti-gay language is really the ultimate weapon for a bully who wants to degrade his or her peers," she says. "And any effective response to bullying has to take that on."

 

Bermudez doesn't understand why the children at school couldn't learn to get along. Because of it, she'll never get to see her son grow up.

 

"My baby, that's my only boy, and I lost him now," says Bermudez. "He was my first child and ... to lose him 11 years after, he didn't live his life."

 

She hopes her son's death will result in positive changes that will help other kids being bullied.

 

"Those that are being bullied -- they need to talk to their parents, they need to not hold back," she says. "I lost my son and now something has to be done."

 

_________________________

 

What do you think should be done? Should the school pupils be investigated? Should they just let this be another number added to the rising suicide rate? Thoughts?

Nothing can be done here unfortunately. :( Kids won't stop bullying other kids. The only thing those bullies, hopefully, will have during their life is the feeling of guilt for how they treated this boy and how everything ended up. And, hopefully, they will understand what they have been doing and what have done. Belief in God's justice is the only thing left...

Bullies are god awful creatures.

 

I however believe in Karma, so no need to use physical violence when Karma's gonna bite them in the ass ^_^

I have no time for bullies at all, they might as well be murderers for what they do to people. -_-

 

I used to be bullied a bit, although thankfully it was never as bad as some stories I hear (I thought it was bad at the time but now I see it wasn't really much compared to what some kids have to go through)

 

The only way to tackle this is if Bullying is somehow made a criminal offence.

Edited April 28, 200916 yr by Sabrewulf238

In a lot of cases, bullying would a bitch to prove in court I suspect.

The trauma :(, I honestly only believe in the 'You Get Whats Coming For You' policy - bullying is just a self fulfilling sinful act and irrespective of how the court of laws sees it as petty, God certainly does not.

Words is a murder weapon, literally. I've watched some of my more feminine male friends fall into deep depression and go for home schooling - so bad were they being verbally abused at school. It's horrible.

I think my parents were my backbone, I was sort of their child and their best friend. So I basically learnt my own inner strength from their personal experiences and what they brainwashed me with. The more I practised being strong and confident, the more friends I had, the less people bullied/envied/dissed me. I guess in the end, the fault lies with how you bring up your children. I honestly have major sympathy for his mother and him but surely his mother knows in every school you'll get severe bullies? It's how you teach your child to stand up for themselves and how to handle bullies which count in risky situations such as these

Oh my gosh that's not far from here at all! :o

 

That's so terrible! :(

OMG that's terrible, I was bullied sometimes, and it's a horrible feeling, but I didn't make me want to take my life, so I can't imagine how bad it was for that little boy! Unfortunately though, kids will be kids and kids bully. It's all part of growing up and when you're young you don't know the damage that can be caused. I just hope this tragedy has opened peoples eyes, and stop. If I'm honest, schools don't do enough to stop bullying, they should be monotoring all children and looking for anything that may be wrong. when they catch bullies, they shouldn't give them a "warning", detention or even an exclusion (being suspended makes the bully think they get to stay off school). Personally, they should bring back the whips and straps, they aren't around in my school, but they should be: I guess if you get hit once, you'd be too afraid to get it again, and it would work!

This is such a sad story. Unfortunately in this world people who need help dont get it.

How many more people have to suffer or kill themselves before the politicians make more funds available so more people can get help.

Also school's should be more involved in adressing these issue's. Many times they look the other way.

 

 

Also school's should be more involved in adressing these issue's. Many times they look the other way.

Or pretend it doesn't happen.

 

When i was in first year my school said it had an adequate anti-bulling poilcy and that it didn't happen at Bell Baxter High School in reply to my mum's letter to the rector about the non existence of a anti-bulling policy when i was being badly bullied.

 

I think those that make it through to the other side are permanently affected regardless of the how severe the bullying was.

That is so sad. :(

 

lynda :heart: