Repeated Harassment is Not Bullying, It’s Stalking. Let’s Prosecute It That Way.

[stevenleser]

http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/12/13/repeated-harassment-is-not-bullying-its-stalking-lets-prosecute-it-that-way/

(Cross posted in the LGBT group)

By Steven Leser, on December 13th, 2011

When teens, preteens and children harass each other, even when that harassment rises to the level of utter cruelty and violence, we have this desire to give it a cutesy name that suggests the idea that this is “just something that kids do.” There is nothing cutesy about the repeated, willful and malicious following and/or harassing of another person. I use that description for this kind of behavior because it both fits what some people refer to as bullying and also is the most common description for stalking.

What we refer to as bullying is not a one-time act. If it were a one-time act, it would be mere simple assault and/or battery, or perhaps not a crime at all. No, the behavior we are really talking about when we refer to bullying or stalking is repeated and unwanted acts by one person or group against another person or group for the purpose of creating an ongoing climate of fear for the target person or group. There are many reasons a particular person or group can be singled out for harassment. It can be because the target person or group dresses a certain way, acts a certain way, is of a certain economic background, nationality, religion or ethnicity, or is perceived to be a member of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered) community.

Horrific Stalking of the LGBT community

The young members of the LGBT community and those who are perceived to be members of that community have experienced and endured some of the most vicious stalking behaviors of any group. Suicides of LGBT children who have lost hope of their lives ever becoming better have become a nearly weekly occurrence. The stalking of these children needs to be stopped. Ideally, all children and all people should be educated and receive training, much as the military has given to its members, that the members of the LGBT community are human beings, equals, and should be treated as such. Regrettably, the government does not have the right to compel people outside of the military to receive such education and training. The only thing the government can do is prosecute unlawful behavior.
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(more at above link)

[Bogart]

1. C-mon Man--we are talking children...

By law, there isn't a single jurisdiction on this planet that treats children as adults..

[stevenleser]

2. C-mon man - we are talking vicious harassment of a child.

For whom do you feel more sorry, the child acting in a vicious manner, or the child that is the victim?

[zbdent]

3. pretty much most of "bullying" are criminal offenses ...

if they occurred outside the schools ... where they're pretty much prevented from taking any measures due to fear of lawsuits (probably from the "conservative types" who claim, at one point, "If my kid did it, he'd be punished twice!", and turn around and claim the "liberal union brain-dead teachers have it in for my kid!" by reporting the sob ...)