Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Another One: Nicholas Kelo Jr.

At the tender age of 13, Nicholas Kelo Jr. was thirteen. But he won't ever be fourteen, or any other number, or any other thing that comes after thirteen. Last week, Nicholas Kelo Jr. pried open a safe in his home, took out a gun, and killed himself.

His mother knew something was wrong. She called Nicholas every afternoon on her way home from work and they would chat while she drove. And when she arrived at home, her son would invariably greet her at the door with a PB&J.

Not this time. This time she found Nick on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Nick, of course, was the subject of relentless bullying by schoolmates. It had gone on for years, and he would talk to his mother and father about it, and always assure them that the bullies "were not worth his time.''

His mother had gone to school herself, twice, to discuss her son being bullied, but nothing ever came of her complaints. Perhaps school officials still think it's child's play. Spitting on someone; child's play. Tormenting someone; child's play; Taunting someone literally to death; child's play.

So, why was Nick bullied, as if any reason makes it okay?

Well, for starters, Nick decided to give up playing football and join the school band. He must be gay, if he gave up sports for music, right? And that must be reason enough to taunt him to the point of suicide.

Right?

On the school bus home after a football game one student began "glicking"--forcibly spitting on--Nick. His mother knew something was wrong when he got home, but Nick kept that bit of torment to himself. His mother and father only found out about the incident after their son was dead.

But Nick, though he was tortured and tormented to death still got the last word. Nick had always told his parents that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted his organs donated. And he donated nine vital organs to needy recipients.

The boy who was spit on and called names and tortured for playing in the band.

source

4 comments:

  1. This is heartbreaking.

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  2. Maybe now they'll pay attention??

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  3. Makes me sick; got tears in my eyes reading it. Poor kid in our heartless and cruel society; I don't know if it can get worse.

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