Did anyone out there catch the Dateline show tonight on Jeremy Getman from upstate New York? It was powerful, moving and frustrating. Jeremy had been bullied since grade school and had behavioral problems early on. Felt suicidal since middle school. Anyway, he headed to school with 18 homemade bombs and two guns in his duffel bag with a plan to injure as many kids as he could (particularly the taunters) and then kill himself. Fortunately, he ended up giving himself up in the end. Unfortunately, he was found guilty of endangerment and other charges and sent to a maximum security prison for 8.5 years. Although he is being counseled and is on meds, he still feels worthless and unloved. What do we do about bullies so that fewer of our young people end up behind bars due to feelings of powerlessness?

I'll be taking this further and trying to reach Jeremy who is at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York until 2008. Wish me luck.

Linda

Linda

No Linda I did not see the show but that sounds very sad. Good luck with getting in touch with him. I wonder if it will be a problem since he is a minor.Or is he no longer a minor? Best of luck to you Linda and let us know how it goes.

Hi. I went to Southside high school. I was in a class of his as well. Im not trying to sound angry conservative or anything but Jeremy was not bullied in any way. the media never talked to any of these "bullies" why? Because there was none. That kid was always threatning crazy things and he almost went through with it and killed a LOT of people. He was going to kill us and 8.5 years does NO justice at all to what he wanted to do. I hope you all dont think im evil but im sorry i get a little upset when people who wanted to blow me up get smypathy

I was always kinda popular in school, so I never had to deal witht he bullying, but I recall seeing it take place. I remember how the teachers, ESPECIALLY the coaches would laugh about it. In their eyes, the people being picked on were somehow lesser or deserving. It always set wrong with me.

Class, welcome to PTO. I am amazed at your statement that eight and one half years is nothing, or as you say no justice at all. Have you ever been in prison for even eight weeks? Do you know how long eight years is at your tender age of what, eighteen or nineteen? If he was always threatening crazy things as you say, did you report it. If so, what happened? I believe prison will only turn him into a hardened criminal and some psychiatric help is what he needed. Just my two cents, that isnt even worth a cent.

I was bullied and picked on in school, atleast sometimes. Sometimes, in my case, it's so specific to the kid that adults don't even realize what's going on. For example, one day the Dean even called me by the name the other kids did, because he thought it was a normal nickname.

I'm not saying the kid in NYC was or wasn't bullied, but it's possible to be right next to the boy and not know what's going on. If a group of kids call someone "shithead" every day, it might be obvious, but if they use more subtle words and deeds, it can go unnoticed for what it is.

With all of the victims of child abuse coming forward years later with repressed memories suing their abusers, it's funny more victims of childhood bullying aren't coming out to take their bullies to the bank. The deep psychological trauma should be similar in some ways.\

As I recall, the school I was in made an "administrative" decision of some sort, and put the kids they saw were the most picked on in a special class. In theory this would work, however they allowed intermingling with other classes, which only made the other kids come down with new reasons to think we were weird. The class was called EH (Emotionally Handicapped), but I can personally say that less than 50% needed to be there for any psychological problems. There were maybe 2 or 3 in the whole class who had real problems, and all they needed was a pill with or before lunch.

I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but this class existed in elementary school, junior high school, as well as high school, and it was almost always the same, acouple kids who really needed it, and alot of kids who were put there to save the school the trouble of having to control the bullying students. Plus they used to try those subliminal cassettes on us sometimes, and I doubt they got parental consent, atleast I know they didn't from my family.

Ok, I've rambled on long enough. :D

Kids can be mean these days.

Kids have always been mean, lulu.. It's just covered a lot more in the media.

Class of 2002,
How long did you know him? Did you all go through school together from a young age? I'm not attaching what you have said at all but I am wondering if you were around enough to determine whether or not he had been picked on in the past.
That being said, I don't agree that anyone, picked on or not, should go to that extreme.. That is the columbine act.. Murder for the masses in retribution for what has happened to you..
Hey, though I was pretty popular in highschool, maybe infamous was a better word (lol), I got picked on pretty bad in the 4th great by an old guy.. Of course he was much bigger and tormented me until he moved up to middle school.. He chased me and bascialy said he would leave me along if I just let him beat the crap out of me.. (I could "run like the wind" too.. :p) After I got into middle school this happened a few more times which really embarressed me.. Then he moved on to highschool.. During that time I learned to fight and by the time I got in highschool I was catching up on him in size. I wasn't the biggest guy but I didn't take crap from people any longer and i would stand and fight before I ever though about running.. See, I was ashamed of having to do it before and was determined never to do it again.
By the time he was a Senior in Highschool and I was a Junior, people knew I would get down for mine and my friends.. One Friday night at a football game I was up on the bleachers with a bunch of girls and a few guys around me.. He was a number of rows below me with a couple of his buddies and he made the mistake of hating on me a bit too loud.. "I remember when I used to chase his ass all over the place.. He's just a sissy".
Well, I came down and took it to him.. Slapping him around at first and then truly beating the crap out of him and sending him tumbling through the crowd on the bleachers..
Yeah, I would say I went a bit overboard but it all came rushing back to me.. all the past years of anger due to this clowns tormenting me. Anyone that wasn't real close to me since I was young would have had no clue to why I savaged this guy.. But, there was a reason, at least to me.. And I finally laid that demon to rest.
Regardless of whether it is right or wrong (it was wrong), I think this kid most likely faded A LOT of "abuse" and then snapped..
You never really hear about a popular kid going off and shooting his classmates, do you? I think the movie "Carrie" addressed the whole school bully issue of the past, and now kids are handling it in different ways.
Yes, I think it is cowardly to pull a gun at school against helpless others, but I sort of think they feel they have been beaten for years and have been helpless for the most part.
Regardless, it is a sad situation.. Teachers and counselors need to get more involved/in-tune with these types of things..
There will always be clicks but relentless abuse of kids that aren't cool, isn't cool...

I agree David.... Most kids are picked on and Taunted at some time during their school years. I was, my children were and my grandkids have been, but, here is where when kids are taught that it is wrong to harass or hurt another child, then this will not be a rampant as it is now.... It has to come from the home and if it does not, then the school must be responsible for teaching how to live in a society properly... Our schools are failing badly right now.... Teachers are not what they used to be... The dedication is not there..

Donna

Linda,

"I'll be taking this further and trying to reach Jeremy who is at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York until 2008. Wish me luck."

Did you manage to reach Jeremy?

If so, perhaps you could ask him the following questions the next time you see him:

--Was he ever the subject of any "anger management" sessions before his arrest?

--Did he ever have or did he ever see a psychologist or psychiatrist before the arrest?

--Was he ever institutionalized or hospitalized at any time before the arrest?

--Was he on any medications at the time?

--Did Jeremy have any internet discussions with anyone about violence before the arrest? Was there any evidence that others, especially older people, influenced him or encouraged him in his acts?

--Was there ever any evidence that he was involved with Satanism or other strange religions?

--Did he play any Live Action Role-Playing(LARP) games at any time before his arrest?

--When questioned afterward about why he did what he did, what was his initial answere?


starvo

PIcture's worth a thousand words

http://www.nppa2.org/2001/gn2nd1201.jpg

abner