September 26, 2011
Monday PM

Bullying is a matter reportable to the police. The fact there are witnesses and verbal accounts from other children a case can be made. This young man is in need of some intervention before he escalates and seriously injures another child.

Call Officer Joe White at KPD and talk with him. Maybe the bus stop can be monitored by an undercover (non-uniformed) officer. Clearly public education is needed, especially for this young man and his specific class.

The bullying may not stop, we do not know what his home life is like, if he is a victim of abuse/ neglect, if he is a witness of verbally or physically abusive adults in the home or maybe he experiences cognitive or emotional disability. But it is a start to try to get this young man the help he obviously needs. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For police to become involved to help the situation they need to know it is happening.

Vanessa Ohlson
Ketchikan, AK