"It Was Never Going To Stop. No Matter What Anyone Did. It Was Never Going To Stop!"

                            Those were the final words spoken by Agnes Linsky, wonderfully played by Lindsay Hollister, at the close of my favorite 'SVU' episode, "Mean," back in 2004.  Can you believe it has been nineteen years?

                           Agnes was bullied by a girl named Emily Sullivan, and her friends, Brittany O'Malley, Andrea Kent, and Paige Summerbee.  When Emily showed romantic interest in Brittany's boyfriend, Lucas Croft, Emily was then murdered by her three friends, who tried to frame Agnes.  They were convicted, and Agnes thought the bullying would stop, but it did not, and it drove her to shoot one of her tormentors.

                             This was six years before the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi, which I wrote about on here with the fervor of an activist reporter.  That tragedy turned his family, especially Mother Jane, into activists against bullying.

                                Then, right here in Bay Ridge, Daniel Fitzpatrick, 13 at Holy Angels Catholic School, took his life.  Nearby to David and me.  Daniel had to commute each day to Staten Island.  He must have wanted to get off that bus.  

                                 Instead, he hanged himself, in a room in his house, on an August Thursday, in 2016.

                                  And now Adriana Kuch.

                                 She did it the same way--hanging.  She attended Central Regional High School, in Bayville, New Jersey, part of Berkley Township, in Orange County.  This poor child was mercilessly treated, and I saw the video.  She was slammed against a locker, falling to the ground, and kicked, while others cheered on This happened on February 1.  She ended her life two days later, on the third.  There is no excuse for this.  The four students, whom I cannot name as they are minors, but I bet most of them are girls are charged as follows--one with aggravated assault. one with harassment, and two students with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.

                                  The superintendent resigned, and deservedly so.  I saw a video of the meeting between the administrators, parents and students, and I agree with Adriana's father, Michael Kuch, they should all be fired.  As Agnes said, this will never stop, until it is taken seriously by other students and faculty and administrators.  

                                     Agnes was fictional, but her story is all too real.  Tyler and Daniel were real, and I still recall Tyler each September 22nd.  It got to me most, as he attended a school near my hometown of Highland Park, New Jersey--Rutgers University, where, when I applied, I was inexplicably turned down!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       But, hey, I am not out to demonize Rutgers, Bay Ridge, or New Jersey.  Because this is happening all over.  The light now shines on Bayville, but if the adults don't act, another child somewhere will do the same thing.  This must be stopped.  Talk is cheap, and since Tyler's death, save for what the family did, that's what juvenile suicide gets--cheap talk and false promises.

                                        I hope Adriana's father gets the justice he deserves.  Sure, it won't bring her back, but if these administrators are removed, they will think twice before neglecting another situation.  If they get field related jobs, that is.

                                          There is no excuse for bullying--in school, or the adult workplace.  Yes, it happens there too.  As Bob Dylan wrote, "How many deaths will it take till we know/That too many people have died?"

                                            How many, indeed?

                                             Rest in peace, Adriana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!