Forum focuses on stopping bullying

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Abusive behavior can begin at home, at work or at school. Or these days, on the web. Thursday night, experts at Daemen College weighed in on ways to combat bullying.

His story was one that touched many people around the nation. Williamsville High School student Jamey Rodemeyer took his own life after being bullied.

"They would taunt me in the hallways and I felt like I could never escape it," said Rodemeyer in a video posted to YouTube.

Daeman Director of Housing and Special Issues Daniel Nilsson said, "It's been really good for us to really allow there to be a voice to not just let this go to the wayside. So it's definitely a conversation we've been having since his untimely death."

The college hosted a discussion to address bullying and look for solutions.

Tina Owens, who founded the Alliance School in Milwaukee, said, "I think that's something we have to empower each other to do is to intervene to address instances of hate and harm when we see them."

Aword used often at the forum: "ignorance." The group talked about people not understanding one another and letting that turn into hate.

"When bullying is happening, it's happening because the person doing the bullying is gaining something from it. It's power; it's popularity; and it's aggressive; and it's repeated; and it's causing harm to the person being bullied," Owens said.

And social media has allowed bullying to reach another level.

Nilsson said, "Does bullying happen more now than it did in the past? And the answer is probably, no. It's just with the technology, with Facebook and Twitter, it's more 24/7, whereas before you could go to school you might get bullied and then you go home."

Everyone at the forum is on one united front to end bullying and put an end to stories like Jamey's.

University at Buffalo student Steven Jackson said, "It's definitely allowing bullying to come into the spotlight, how much of a problem it is, and hopefully we can see legislation that can help prevent that."

Thursday's forum for the first of a three part series over the next couple days. Organizers will also be looking at how to make schools safer and creating peace between circles in schools.