Bullycide - Iain Steele an American teen RIP

Teen bullying: Tormented boy's short life ends in suicide

Chicago Tribune - Gerry Smith - ‎Jun 30, 2009‎

The bullying seemed inescapable.

His family and friends say it followed Iain Steele from junior high to high school -- from hallways, where one tormentor shoved him into lockers, to cyberspace, where another posted a video on Facebook making fun of his taste for heavy metal music.

"At one point, [a bully] had told [Iain] he wished he would kill himself," said Matt Sikora, Iain's close friend.

Iain's parents know their son had other problems, but they believe the harassment contributed to a deepening depression that hospitalized the 15-year-old twice this year. On June 3, while his classmates were taking final exams, he went to the basement of his Western Springs home and hanged himself with a belt.

His death stunned the quiet suburb west of Chicago and unleashed an outpouring of support for his parents, William and Liz, who say greater attention should be paid to bullying and its connection to mental health.

"No kid should be afraid for himself to go to school," his father said. "It should be a safe environment where they can intellectually thrive. And he was, literally, just frightened to go to school, fearing what he would have to deal with on that day. And it was day after day."

A school spokeswoman said she did not believe Iain was bullied. Police are investigating the allegations.

Nearly 30 percent of American children are bullied or are bullies themselves, according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological and is repetitive, intentional and creates a perceived imbalance of power, said Dr. Joseph Wright, senior vice president at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.

This month, the American Academy of Pediatrics will for the first time include a section on bullying in its official policy statement on the pediatrician's role in preventing youth violence.

Wright, a lead author of the statement, said the decision to address the issue was due to a growing body of research over the last decade linking bullying to youth violence, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Last year, the Yale School of Medicine analyzed the link between childhood bullying and suicide in 37 studies from 13 countries, finding that both bullies and their victims were at high risk of contemplating suicide.

In March, the parents of a 17-year-old Ohio boy who committed suicide sued his school alleging their son was bullied. Instead of seeking compensation, they are asking the school to put in place an anti-bullying program and to recognize their son's death as a "bullicide."

'An easy target'

Iain Steele enjoyed riding his skateboard, his father said, but after hip surgery in 8th grade limited his mobility, he picked up the guitar and impressed an instructor with his musical talent.

He was revered by younger kids in the neighborhood, often fixing their skateboards, settling their disputes and including them in games. "He was a very gentle, kind kid, compassionate to a fault," his father said.

But Iain's embrace of heavy metal set him apart from classmates. He let his hair grow to shoulder-length and wore mostly black clothing, including jeans with chains and T-shirts of heavy metal bands with dark, sometimes morbid lyrics.

For this, his classmates at McClure Junior High School in Western Springs often called him "emo" -- a slang term for angst-ridden followers of a style of punk music, said Sikora, 15. The bullying could also be physical, Iain's friends and parents said. In 8th grade at McClure, one bully pushed Iain into a locker while he was on crutches and accused him of faking an injury to get out of gym class. But Iain rarely shied away from his tormentors, his father said, and in this case, Iain punched the bully in the jaw.
"He was mainly bullied," Sikora said, "only because he was different, or hurt or stupid things like that. He never bothered anybody. ... It was all just because he was different and an easy target."...

Iain's parents and friends say they do not know of any incidents that might have triggered what happened June 3, when his father found him in the basement. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He did not leave a note.

Looking back, Iain's parents wonder what factors besides bullying may have contributed to their son's depression.

Iain's favorite heavy metal bands, such as Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Bullet for My Valentine, often have lyrics with dark messages. One Bullet for My Valentine song is about being bullied, and another song contains the refrain: "The only way out is to die."

Also, Iain was deeply hurt this spring after a brief relationship with a girl he met in his outpatient program. The two exchanged text messages, but her parents and therapists advised against them dating and about two months ago barred her from having communication with him.

Still, Iain's parents remain convinced bullying played a significant role in their son's depression. As Iain's story spread through the community, many people approached Liz Steele to describe their own experiences with bullying, depression or suicide, she said.

"A lot of people don't want to talk about mental health or bullying because it's a difficult thing to talk about, but we need to talk about it," she said. "It shouldn't be a stigma."

Bullying of goth "Vampires"

Vampire rumors prompt Boston Latin alert - about bullying - The...
Boston Globe - Mar 27, 2009

Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident said a group of girls at the school had been bullying at least one other student who likes to dress in Goth-style, a vampirish look popularized by musician Marilyn Manson. The officials said the girls began spreading a rumor that the student was a vampire who had cut someone's neck and sucked the blood.

When Boston police went to the school Wednesday on an unrelated matter, their presence fueled yet another rumor: that a vampire was being arrested, according to one of the law enforcement sources.

Anti- Emo conspiracy?

MS13 behind Emo bullying? Interesting article.


Kids, gangs, Emos & suicide
pittsburghlive.com - Aug 24, 2008

Tempest Smith - another Victim of hatred of goths and Wiccans

Thanks to Leanisb again for drawing our attention to the suicide of 12 year old Tempest Smith in the States in February 2001 in Michigan which I hadn't noted before. She committed suicide because of bullies picking on her for her black clothing and interest in Wicca. Five months after the suicide, Tempest Smith's mother, Denessa, filed suit against the school, alleging that they had turned a blind eye to the bullying and that their inaction allowed an avoidable suicide. It seems this another case of bullycide just like Dominic Maynard.

Taunting Leads to Suicide in Michigan

George Hunter (The Detroit News) reports, “Tempest Smith, age 12, sat alone in her bedroom one chilly morning late last month and gazed into the mirror. Shortly before her classes were to start at Lincoln Park (MI) Middle School, she kissed her reflection goodbye. The lipstick smudges still adorn Tempest’s mirror, sad reminders of the day the tall, troubled girl slipped a leopard-print scarf around her neck and hanged herself from her bunk bed.”

Teasing and taunting led girl to end her life
Pressures that prompted mass shootings also spur quiet suicides
By George Hunter
The Detroit News

LINCOLN PARK — Twelve-year-old Tempest Smith sat alone in her bedroom one chilly morning late last month and gazed into the mirror. Shortly before her classes were to start at Lincoln Park Middle School, she kissed her reflection goodbye.

The lipstick smudges still adorn Tempest’s mirror, sad reminders of the day the tall, troubled girl slipped a leopard-print scarf around her neck and hanged herself from her bunk bed.

Tempest’s journal, discovered under her bed after her Feb. 20 suicide, offers a glimpse into a problem family and friends didn’t fully understand: the incessant teasing she faced every day about her shy demeanor, choice of clothing and religious beliefs that made each day of school — then eventually life itself — unbearable.

Everyone is against me. Still, death will come sooner or later for me. Will I ever have friends again?

The haunting, hopeless feelings Tempest privately expressed in her daily journal are shared by an increasing number of children. Although older teens commit the bulk of suicides, at least 300 children ages 10-14 kill themselves annually nationwide. The number of suicides in that age group has tripled since 1995 in Michigan.

Taunts alone usually won’t cause a child to commit suicide, experts say. But combined with other problems, constant ridicule by peers can be enough to push a kid over the edge. Teasing and bullying is a constant thread running through school violence.

On Monday, a ninth-grader at Santana High School near San Diego shot and killed two students and wounded 13 others; classmates said the 15-year-old was often picked on. And at Columbine High School in 1999, two students who’d been teased for years gunned down 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves.

But for every violent episode that makes headlines, there are more than 2,000 U.S. children each year who, like Tempest Smith, quietly decide they can’t take it any more.

‘Jesus luvs u’

Tempest often spent hours in her bedroom writing poems and other reflections in the small notebook she kept beneath her bed. The notebook was a birthday gift from her mother. It had a picture of pop star Ricky Martin on the cover.

Tempest, a tall, slim blond who got her name because she was born during a violent storm, wrote about typical youthful concerns: crushes on boys; her dog, a shar-pei named Buddy; trips to her grandmother’s house. She wrote about family, calling her mother, “the best mom ever.”

She also wrote about the pain she increasingly endured during school.

He said some things to me. It all made my skin boil. Afterward, my head ached.

Denessa Smith sits alone in her dead daughter’s room. Tempest Smith, 12, killed herself in her Lincoln Park bedroom last month after being taunted by classmates.

Although Tempest had a few friends, many of her classmates had teased her constantly since elementary school. They teased her because she wore dark “Gothic” clothing to school. They teased her because she read books about Wicca, a pagan religion often associated with witchcraft. Her classmates often taunted her with Christian hymns.

Now people aren’t chanting Jesus luvs u. They’re singing it.

“Tempest was her own person, and the kids made fun of her a lot,” said classmate Shayna Obiyan, 12.

Tempest didn’t smile much at school, said 14-year-old Jason Pate. “She seemed sad all the time,” he said.

Life at home was different, said Tempest’s mother, Denessa Smith. “She was very talented,” Smith said of her oldest child. “She liked to play the flute and write poetry.”

Smith, who raised Tempest alone, wasn’t concerned when her daughter became interested in witchcraft. “She asked me if I’d buy her some books about Wicca, and I said I wanted to read them first,” Smith said. “The books all talked about love and nature. I didn’t see anything wrong with that.”

Tempest would get moody sometimes — “but what 12-year-old girl doesn’t?” wondered Smith, an administrative assistant at McDonald’s Corp. in Taylor. “I knew she was being teased at school, but I didn’t know it bothered her that much. She never told me.”

‘Her lips were blue’

Feb. 20 was a half-day at Lincoln Park Middle School. Tempest wasn’t due in class until noon. She woke up around 10 a.m., showered, then donned her usual outfit: black pants and a black shirt. Then she ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes and watched television.

Because of the late school day, Annette Crossman, a family friend, offered to drive Tempest to class while her mother was at work. “She seemed perfectly normal,” Crossman said.

After breakfast, Tempest went to her bedroom. “At around 11:30, I hollered that it was time to go,” Crossman said. “She didn’t answer.”

Crossman noticed that Buddy, the family dog, was acting strangely. “He was walking around in circles and whining,” she said. “That’s when I knew something was wrong.”

When Crossman rushed to Tempest’s bedroom, she found the girl hanging.

“At first, I didn’t believe what I was seeing,” Crossman said. “Then it hit me, and I got a knife and cut her down. Her lips were blue; I was freaking out.”

She called for an ambulance, which arrived within minutes. Tempest was rushed to Henry Ford Hospital in Wyandotte.

Crossman called Denessa Smith at work, and Tempest’s frantic mother raced to the hospital. “When I got there,” Smith said, “the doctors told me Tempest was probably brain-dead, but that they couldn’t make an official prognosis.”

A helicopter transported Tempest to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. At 5:30 p.m., doctors told Smith her daughter was suffering irreparable brain damage, due to asphyxiation.

At 10:55 a.m. on Feb. 21, after more than 50 organs were removed from her body for donations, Tempest Smith was taken off the hospital’s life support system.

Students express grief, guilt

Do you want to be around me? Ever will I live in peace?

Students at Lincoln Park Middle School are now trying to find peace themselves, haunted by the feeling that they may have driven their classmate to end her life. Many of Tempest’s classmates have told teachers and counselors they feel responsible, because they teased the girl so ruthlessly. More than 100 students showed up at Tempest’s funeral last Saturday, bearing cards and placards expressing their grief — and guilt.

“I’m sorry if I said mean things to you,” one of Tempest’s classmates wrote. “I didn’t mean them. It was the easiest way for me to hide what was wrong with me.”

“I am sorry that it led to this,” was the message written on a placard. “None of it should have happened. If only they had understood, then you would still be alive.”

Lincoln Park school officials and grief counselors have been working with the students.

“The last thing we want to do is make our students feel guilty,” said Lincoln Park Middle School Principal Robert Redden. “But, maybe there is a lesson to be learned here: that we should strive to treat each other with more kindness.”

More than 2,000 school-age children — age 19 or younger — take their own lives each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And while the numbers are small, the rise in suicides by children ages 10 to 14 is particularly troubling, health officials say.

Only four Michigan children in that age group committed suicide in 1995. In 1998, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 13 children in the state had taken their lives.

While there are no simple answers, health officials believe that teasing can send an already troubled child over the edge.

More than 90 percent of people who commit suicide suffer from clinical depression, said Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C. “Often, it’s these mental conditions that cause children to be teased in the first place,” Berman said.

Jean Vasquez twice attempted suicide by slitting her wrists when she was in middle school. She still has the scars on her wrists, reminders of her difficulty dealing with the relentless teasing she received as a child.

“If you’re a little different, some kids can make your life an absolute hell,” said Vasquez, now 35, of Detroit.

Are schools responsible?

Anybody here to hear me? No one will stay near me.

Educators who fail to hear the distressed cries from students who are harassed now face litigation, after a 1999 Supreme Court ruling held a Georgia school district liable for monetary damages to a fifth-grader because of the district’s indifference to a pattern of sexual harassment.

There have since been a number of similar lawsuits, said Michigan Association of School Boards legal council Brad Banasik. “The Supreme Court case opened the door,” Banasik said. “But, the person bringing the lawsuit has to prove that a teacher or other administrator actually saw the harassment.”

Robin and Carl Zaas lost a lawsuit against the Northville district last year, after the couple failed to prove their 9-year-old daughter’s teachers were aware of any allegations of harassment by other students.

But similar suits have been successful. In 1999, a Seattle teen with cerebral palsy was awarded $300,000 in an out-of-court settlement, after the boy sued the school because he said his teachers were indifferent to his classmates’ taunts about his medical condition.

Denessa Smith isn’t sure if school staff knew about the teasing her daughter received.

“Tempest said she told her teachers about it all the time,” Smith said. “I have to wonder if someone in the school couldn’t have stopped it.”

School administrators weren’t aware of the problem, said Principal Redden. “If the teachers don’t actually see the teasing, there’s not much they can do,” he said.

Not too late

Death — why does it come? Ever will I die? No, no, I will live hopefully.

Educators are becoming aware of the often devastating effects of teasing and bullying by students, and some schools are setting policies that deal with the problem. In one Oakland, Calif., district, students have a “consulting teacher” they check in with twice daily, who resolves any conflict before allowing them back to class.

And in New Mexico, Chelwood Elementary School Principal Jack Vermillion last year instituted an “anti-bullying” program.

“Experience shows that about 15 percent of students do the teasing; 10 percent are teased; and 75 percent are glad they don’t get teased,” Vermillion said. “This program focuses on getting that silent majority to speak out when they see a classmate being teased or bullied.”

Such programs seem to work. Vermillion said he usually suspends between eight and 10 students a year for fighting; during the first year of the effort, he suspended just one. And, in Norway, bullying behavior reportedly dropped by 50 percent after a program was instituted in schools there.

Although Tempest Smith is gone, it’s not too late for educators and students to open their eyes to the consequences of teasing, Denessa Smith said.

“You never know — something you say might be the one thing that pushes them over the edge,” Smith said

Tempest would’ve been surprised at how many of her classmates cared about her, said seventh-grader Shirley Kovacs.

“I was sad when she died,” Kovacs said. “The whole school was sad.”

You can find out more here about Tempest's foundation which mainly seems to be based around religious tolerance for pagans here:

The Tempest Smith Foundation

Leanis also mentioned the Nicola Raphael suicide which I thought I had blogged about before when I noted it when I was dealing with Glasgow but for some reason the post got trapped in draft. I have now put it up here. The similarities between these cases are interesting. The question is how many other alternative people self-harm or consider suicide because of bullying? I fear it may be many. Look at this recent plea for help:

Attack on 14 year old left her feeling suicidal

US teen tries to stop labelling

Student campaigns against labeling others
Pocono Record, PA - 27 Apr 2008

STROUDSBURG — Most know the saying about sticks and stones doing more physical damage than words.

For Stroudsburg Middle School seventh-grader MacKenzie Kern and others her age, words, particularly labels, can harm the emotionally vulnerable.

Someone wearing black clothes and dressing in dark makeup is a "goth." Someone wearing brand name clothes such as American Eagle or Aeropostale is a "prep." Someone wearing bright, flamboyant colors is a "scene."

And then there are the "skaters," who ride skateboards, the "jocks," or athletes, the "nerds" and the "emos," or emotionally troubled, says Kern, 13.

"You're stereotyping people just because they dress, act or look a certain way or listen to certain kinds of music," says Kern, who has been called a "hippie" for wearing clothes such as a T-shirt with a peace symbol on the front. "People have labeled me and I've labeled others, which is something I'm not proud of."

That's why Kern has taken a stand against "labelism" and is trying to convince others her age to do the same.

Every day since March 27, she has worn a white belt around her waist in school and out in public. From one end of that belt to the other are signatures, almost all of which have been put there by children ages 12 to 16 who support her stance.

"I feel it's important to focus mainly on kids in my age group," she says. "If this generation of kids can set an example by stopping labelism, then maybe future generations can do the same. So far, I have only one signature from an adult, a teacher who told me she believes in what I'm doing and said she's glad I'm doing it."

At one point, Kern had 105 signatures on her belt. But for each person who agrees with ending labelism, there's one or more who say Kern is wasting her time.

"I've had both students and teachers tell me I'll never really change anything because most people will go on labeling," she says. "I've even had students who signed my belt tell me they want their signatures removed because they changed their minds. So, I scrubbed off five signatures, which took me back down to 100."

But that won't stop Kern from trying to raise awareness among others her age.

"There are kids who know labelism is wrong, but don't speak out because they're too afraid of not fitting in," she says. "You don't know what kind of pain some kids might be going through in life and then to be labeled on top of that. No one should be made to feel like they're not as good as anyone else just because other people think they fall into a category."

Susanne Kern feels proud when seeing her daughter stand up for something she strongly believes in.

"I doubt I would have had the courage to do what she's doing when I was her age," Susanne Kern says. "I tell her to keep it up if she feels this passionately about it and don't let anyone discourage her."

Stroudsburg Middle School principal Karen Thomson agrees.

"MacKenzie is ahead of her time," Thomson says. "She realizes a social issue that has plagued teenagers for generations. Kids at this age are trying to figure out their identities.

"Many people think it's human nature to divide ourselves into categories, but labeling is dysfunctional behavior," Thomson says. "MacKenzie is sending out a good message. And she's doing it without causing any disruption in school."

Some problems with the Micro school movement in Oregan.

Small schools aren't pleasing everyone
Mail Tribune, OR

Other schools such as Eagle Point and Lebanon have pulled out of the grant program for similar reasons.

"I think we are really focusing on the dropout kids," Mullaney said. "I think we need to do that but not at the expense of everyone else."

Some Crater students complained that small schools have resulted in an adversarial relationship between students and gang-like behavior based on school identity, with some fights breaking out based on their school allegiance. Students have assigned certain stereotypes to each school, further fragmenting the student body.

Health school freshman Kyle Haviland summed it up this way: The "preps" go to School 1 (health). The "geeks" and "jocks" attend School 2 (business). The "hicks" go to School 3 (natural resources), and the "emos" (punk rockers) are in School 4 (arts).

"Some kids will say, 'Get out of here; you're an emo,'" said arts school freshman Katie Jones.The hostility between students in some of the schools prompted a group of seniors to launch a "Hate Kills" campaign, plastering the campus with messages to encourage acceptance of others.

Despite the division, both Kyle and Katie said the theme-based courses do make classes more interesting and easier to understand.

Academic study says dress codes in schools don't work

S-burg considers tougher dress code- The Pocono Record

April 03, 2008

Similar arguments are often made in favor of school uniforms, but their impact may be neither so dramatic nor positive, said David Brunsma, associate professor of sociology at University of Missouri-Columbia, who has studied the issue.

Brunsma, author of "The School Uniform Movement and What it Tells Us About American Education: A Symbolic Crusade," said efforts to standardize dress over the past decade often were surface attempts to solve deeper problems in schools.

"They kind of resonate with the public," Brunsma said. "After all, if our differences are perceived as the core cause of the problems we see, then trying to eradicate that difference makes sense."

But his research found that uniforms have no direct impact on behavioral problems or attendance, and negatively affect academic success in public schools.

"The simple fact," he wrote in the Journal of Educational Research, "is that policymakers who are interested in raising academic achievement should not count on school uniforms to deliver an academic miracle."

Another school dress code battle - Mohawks

You might think it was about punks but no this time its the American football team.


Banning mohawks, upholding dress code is a smart decision
PennLive.com, PA
When everyone from offensive linemen to punks and Goths choose to thumb the same nose at authority -- or to band together in solidarity?

Hail Mary pass for mohawks cut down
The Express Times, PA - 31 Mar 2008
By COLIN MCEVOY The school board voted 5-3 Monday against removing a specific reference in the school dress code that prohibits the pointed hairstyle.

Risky to be an Emo?

Usual stereotypes apply in this article which reports the authorities being plain stupid. Of course the real risk in being an Emo is going to Mexico or facing a barrag of misunderstanding and lies.

The Macon County Board of Education voted at Monday's meeting at Highlands School to present a "risky behaviors" program to all of the county's students in grades five and above.

The vote followed a presentation by Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland, who showed the board and audience members a revised version of the program that was presented at Franklin High School several weeks ago. The presentation was created following the Feb. 25 death of Macon Middle School student Sarah Beck. Beck died from what is known as the "choking game," which also claimed the life of a Jackson County teen five months ago.

"We should have taken notice five months ago, and we didn't," Holland said.

The presentation will be shown to fifth graders as part of the DARE program, and it will be available by appointment for upper grades from the sheriff's office. The presentation is about 45 minutes long, and it includes information on the choking game as well as inhalants, misuse of over-the-counter drugs and the EMO culture, also known as goth, in which participants are encouraged to cut themselves.

Board OKs program on risky behavior
Franklin Press, NC 25 Mar 2008

Emo Jock clash at Priest River Lamanna High school

Altercation prompts gun rumors at PRLHS
Bonner County Daily Bee

Posted: Friday, Mar 14, 2008 - 09:06:42 am PDT
By NICK IVIE
Hagadone News Network

PRIEST RIVER - A suspected gun threat at Priest River Lamanna High School was quickly downgraded in the wake of rumors of possible problems Thursday.

After an off-campus altercation over the weekend sent a teenager to the hospital for stitches, fears spread of possible retaliation. A few parents opted to keep students home until the situation was resolved.

Threats of guns and knives escalated to the point where a student was reportedly carrying a type of pottery cleaning tool for protection. Reports of the threats spread through e-mails and text messages Wednesday evening, even disrupting the scheduled school board meeting.

Some students at the school felt the incident may have ties to last month's suicide death of a local teenager.

“They think he killed himself because of the jocks and the way everyone picked on him,” said one student. “The ‘jocks' and ‘emos' were going to have a fight today, then one kid supposedly had a gun and some others had knives so they're all staying in their classrooms.”

“Emo” typically refers to an expressive genre of rock music. Fans of such bands are also known for their distinctive style of dress and grooming habits.

The deceased teen was not a student at PRLHS for the last year and was working at a local mill at the time of his death.

West Bonner County Superintendent Mike McGuire said staff has been dealing with the friction between the students.

“We have been emphasizing that the students let go of this because it doesn't honor his life,” he said. “We hadn't realized how far just a few students were taking their beliefs and it just got crazy last night. There was a real fear between adults and students alike and we did everything we could to ease the fear.”

McGuire said PRLHS Principal Brad Madison met with staff after school and additional security measures will be continued.

The small group of students are not in school at present, but according to McGuire, are not suspended either. It was thought best on all parts that they stay away from school grounds, he added.

McGuire emphasized the situation stems from a small number of students and the district will not tolerate fear ruining the rest of the school year for others.

He stressed that no weapons were found on the school premises.

“There might be a lot of upcoming discipline to squash what is going on. All this drama is not good for anyone and we will respond appropriately,” McGuire said.

Interesting comments at the site.

Texas School - Its ok to wear black as long as you are not a goth

A High school in Texas has some interesting rules:

Brenham Banner-Press Online Edition
Monday, February 18, 2008

The administration at Brenham Junior High is OK with students wearing black as long as you aren’t a “goth.”

Nobody likes being told what to wear or not wear, especially school-age kids, so when the student body mistakenly came under the impression that a ban on black clothing that applied to goth students also applied to everyone else, there was something of a brouhaha.

According to principal Artis Edwards, administrators never forbid the wearing of black for the student body as a whole, it was “another one of those rumors that was out there and they (the students) jumped on it.”

He said the entire thing got started early last week when administrators were trying to determine who among the black-clothed student body was and was not a goth. In addition to that, a student who had his black jacket decorated with padlocks temporarily taken away from him seemed to become a bigger event than it really was.

Edwards explained that schools in the Brenham school district have a long standing practice not allowing some students to wear clothing that identifies them as part of a group. This practice not only applies to groups such as gangs, but also to groups like goths.

He said that although there is not a definite cause and effect, young people who are also goths tend to suffer more from depression and self-destructive behavior, especially the practice of cutting one’s self.

In addition to being known for their affinity for black clothing, goths also frequently dye their hair black, sometimes wear make-up (both sexes) and often wear silver jewelry.

He said it is the administration’s duty to act to help protect the safety and well being of students and the banning black clothing in this case is a part of that.

“I’m not a psychiatrist, but when we see all black, we know what comes next,” he said.

Edwards said he held a “Black Out Day,” in which students were encouraged to wear black, on Friday to dispel the rumor that the ban on black applied to the student body as a whole.

He said he has nothing against black clothing and frequently wears it himself.

Regardless of the intentions behind the ban though, some see the effort as a bit heavy-handed.

A mother of a student who frequently wears black pants and T-shirts said her son was asked by administrators if he was a goth. In her eyes, a policy like the junior high’s unnecessarily gets the students riled up and is ultimately ineffective, she said.

“You can wear any color and cut yourself,” she said.

Some students see it a call to action as well, and started a Myspace group called

“Against BJHS,” which has 27 members.

This follows in the heels of the recent Long Hair Discrimination case in Texas school.

Other similar cases happened in Florida [School dress Code] and Maine["Goth-style makeup" causes school problem] recently.

What is emo? - Fox News and others weigh in while Russia panics

Russian Region Discovers “Emo” Subculture

February 13th, 2008

Related Post

• Russian University Closed Over Electoral Monitoring Course
  
• A Civic and Patriotic Youth
  
• More Arrests in Nizhny Novgorod
  

Filed Under: All News • Culture

Tags: education • emo • Nizhny Novgorod • popular culture

Nizhny-Novgorod, February 11th:

A subculture known for black fingernails, angled bangs and rock music, popular among some Russian teenagers, is under attack. On Monday, the Department of Education of the Nizhny-Novgorod oblast called for a campaign to combat a movement known as “emo”. The classification, which originated from an independent music movement in the United States, is short for “emotional,” and now relates as much to a fashion style as a genre of music.

The Department’s move comes after the local branch of the Federal Security Bureau Directorate (UFSB) brought forth a report describing repeated instances of “unconventional religious trends, and civic organizations disseminating ideas of a negative youth subculture.” The information first became public from a circular published by the Education Department.

The document, in part, reads: “According to information from the Nizhny-Novgorod oblast UFSB, the oblast is seeing the growth of ideas of the emo negative youth subculture, which are connected with suicidal tendencies of teenagers 12-16 years of age.”

The text then vividly described the emo stereotype: clothing with pink and black colors and two-toned designs. Blue-black hair. Long bangs. Fingernails painted black. Piercings.

The FSB informed the educators that “the emo ideology negatively influences the unformed teenage psyche. According to the ideology, its members are immortal, and each one’s dream is to die of blood-loss in a warm bath, by cutting the veins on the wrist region. Many of the teenagers are depressed, withdrawn in their thoughts, and the girls are very inclined toward suicide on account of unrequited love. The young people drawn to the emo movement imagine that they have an ‘allergy to happiness.’”

Based on the information taken from the FSB, the department called on its teachers to maintain vigilance and to take measures directed “at explaining the negative consequences of entering into alternative civic organizations.”

Meanwhile, the emo subculture could not be reached for comment.

The Fox News report is interesting because it shows a bit about the tedency for emos to be attacked:

Farmington Daily Times - What is emo?

2 Feb 2008

ARMINGTON — The generation gap is only widening.

In 1930s Germany, swing kids defied convention by embracing jazz music and mocking Nazis.

Hippies did the same thing in 1960s America with tie-dyed T-shirts and psychedelic rock.

Then there were the goths, the punks, the skaters and the rappers — all groups of teenagers and young adults intent on expressing themselves through dress and music.

The latest fad, emo, includes dark makeup, tight clothing and a permanent frown. The style has changed, but the phenomenon known as teenagers remains the same. And it's still music that makes the world go 'round.

"I think music really influences people," said 17-year-old Shawn Yazzie. The Piedra Vista High School senior has been part of the emo culture for four years.

"Music is individuality," he said. "It depicts emotions."

The term emo is derived from "emotional" or "emotive." The culture stems from a subgenre of punk music originating in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s and revolves around displays of deep emotion
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in music, dress and attitude.

Emo music often includes screaming, crying or other outpourings of emotion, Yazzie said.

"There is a deeper message in it," he said. "It's different than other music. It becomes more about a personal focus."

Teens dressing in emo fashion often dye their hair black and wear it long over one eye. Other patterns of dress include tight jeans, T-shirts that bear the names of rock or punk bands, studded belts, canvas sneakers and thick, black-rimmed glasses. Heavy eye makeup on males and females also is popular.

Like most fads, emo comes with stereotypes, Yazzie said. The dark clothing and emotional music can lead to beliefs that emo teens are depressed or suicidal.

"It's not true," Yazzie said of the stereotype. "Emo is just another way to dress. It's just like people who like to wear football T-shirts or pink all the time. We like to wear black."

Misunderstood

Despite explanations, emo teens often are misunderstood — by their parents, teachers and peers, said Virginia Nickels, a choir teacher at Piedra Vista High School.

Nickels began teaching in 1990. She has seen teenage fads come and go as quickly as taste in music changes, but she's never seen a style so dark, she said.

"Emos are very withdrawn," she said. "They don't have a lot of friends that I see. They're quiet, and even their posture is influenced. They walk with their heads down and their shoulders slumped."

As a music instructor, Nickels witnesses firsthand how beat and lyrics can influence dress and lifestyle. But fashion and music have taken a darker turn since the leg warmers and moonwalks of the 1980s, she said.

"I see emo as being pretty dark," she said. "I don't know if it's unhappy, but I wonder what's behind the clothes and the makeup."

Being misunderstood is part of a normal teenage life, said David Johnson, clinical social worker and president of New Horizons in Farmington. Johnson treats several emo teens, but said the clothing and music alone are not a cause for concern.

Only about 2 percent of the local teen population is emo, Johnson said. Most belong to upper middle class families and most are between the ages of 13 and 17.

"They're trying to say they're different from the rest," he said. "That's their job from the teen years until they're 20 or 25."

Some teens embrace rodeo; others like heavy metal, Johnson said. Most will dabble in many different things before settling on likes and dislikes. Emo teens are no different than the rest, except they've chosen to focus on their emotions.

The dress — which for some can be disturbing — is both a reflection of those emotions and a way to identify peers, Johnson said.

"The teenage years are a search for identity," he said. "They want to know how they're different, but they also want support from peers who are similar."

As teens mature and leave home, most will grow out of the emo culture and leave their dark phases behind, Johnson said.

"Most kids run within the normal bell curve," he said. "The emo phase is transitional. As they get more input, they grow out of it. You don't see a lot of people in their 30s or 40s dressed like this."

Taking emo too far

The overwhelming emotions that often lead teens to seek out the expressive music and dark emo lifestyle can also be a sign of more serious issues, Johnson said. While most emo teens explore their emotions through poetry, art or music, others are attracted to the culture because of its focus on pain.

"Some kids need to be seen as different because they feel different," he said. "The emo culture brings out the negative, and it creates enough pain that it becomes addicting. When there's a lack of pain, they go looking for ways to experience more."

The danger, Johnson said, surfaces when teens surround themselves so completely with negativity and emotional pain that they turn to self-injury to heighten their feelings. Others turn to drug use or other illegal activities for the adrenaline rush and emotional highs.

"Sometimes kids today have to find a more extreme statement to get noticed," he said. "More extreme behaviors are accepted, so to be noticed, they have to find something really unusual to stand out from the crowd."

Self-injury usually comes into play when a teen experiences deep internal pain. The pain can stem from a traumatic event or from everyday stresses, Johnson said.

One major stress is rejection. When teens are rejected because of the way they dress or act, it becomes a rejection of who they are, Johnson said, and that creates awful pain.

"They cut themselves to change the focus from internal pain to external pain," he said. "It's part of finding an identity that's so outside the normal culture. They collect sources of pain that they can control."

Self-injury often is associated with the emo culture, but the two are not synonymous, Yazzie said. The teen knows many people who follow the emo trends, but not all are gloomy, he said.

"Most of the emo people I've met are more happy than other people," he said. "They have an identity, and if they're sad, it's because personal stuff happens and they start to identify with the music."

All teenagers are filled with angst, Nickels said, but focusing on it to the exclusion of everything else can be detrimental.

"They get so angry or so passionate that screaming is permitted and even encouraged," she said. "It's not simply expressive — it's overly expressive."

An open mind

Yazzie's mother, Cassius Yazzie, graduated from high school in 1980. Back then, she said, she wore parachute pants and styled her hair in a Mohawk.

It didn't bother her at all when her son started wearing black and growing out his hair.

"To me, it's clothes," she said. "It's his image. You have to look beyond the clothes and get to know him."

Cassius took Yazzie shopping for stylish black jeans and T-shirts and helped him with his eyeliner. When his taste of music changed, hers did, too.

"You have to be a parent," she said, "but that doesn't mean you can't understand your kids."

Instead of judging her son, Cassius asked about his changing tastes. He had this to say: "I'm being different toward what is true for me."

That was enough for Cassius, she said.

Yazzie plans to graduate this spring and pursue a career as an architect.

"It's possible I'll outgrow this," he said, "but there's still a part of me that will listen to that type of music, part of me that will wear black T-shirts."

The teenage years are the springboard into adulthood, and it's normal for people to hold on to certain things, Nickels said. The more extreme fads generally disappear with age, and she expects most emo teens will shed their dark sides.

"I think they're going to look back and wonder what they were doing," Nickels said. "But don't we all?"

Aftermath of a tragedy

Interesting letter in Massachusetts reveals how stereotypes play out:

Gloucester Daily Times,

February 04, 2008

To the editor:

This is an open letter to the superintendent and School Committee:

I would like to express my shock and disappointment at the Gloucester school system and O'Maley Middle School's handling of the recent loss of an eighth-grade student. My daughter was a friend of the young man and is close friends with many of the students most affected by the recent events. I was deeply saddened by the news, and I hope that this letter does not cause his family any more pain than they must already endure, but I also feel that someone needs to speak on behalf of the children who have been left behind by this tragedy.

O'Maley students reported for school on Thursday and went about their normal routine. Some of the students were scheduled for a field trip that day, and the staff felt it best that the tragic news was not announced until after those students returned. That afternoon, students were told the news that the young man had "died unexpectedly." Many of his closest friends went home early, grief-stricken and shocked. A generalized phone call was made to all parents to let them know about the situation at 1:30 p.m. that day, and the school had made arrangements to leave the library open for two hours as a meeting place for any students who felt the need for counseling. A letter was also sent home, again stating that the young man had "died unexpectedly."

By the time my daughter had arrived home that afternoon, I had learned the truth from several other parents and friends — that the young man had taken his own life. My daughter had heard rumors before she had even arrived home. The loss of her friend was hard enough to comprehend, but the shock that he had taken his own life brought many other emotions to the surface. All of her friends were left with a feeling of disbelief, and many started to question whether they had missed any hints that their friend may have been trying to give them. Even if he had left clues, no one could have known how serious his intentions were. All of these complicated feelings are too much for anyone to deal with, no matter a typical 13-, 14- or 15-year-old.

What was the Gloucester school system's response to this crisis? Two hours of "grief counseling," a nonspecific letter to parents, and send the children home for a four-day weekend.

Although the school did not, or perhaps could not, admit that the tragedy was a suicide, they should have treated the grief counseling as such. The school most certainly did not give parents enough information to help their own children, nor did they lead them to the proper resources to deal with their children's grief. Most parents learned the truth through the newspaper the following day and were left to try to guide their children through a complicated and unfamiliar grieving process, unprepared and without assistance.

O'Maley students returned to school the next week, many still too upset to try to go to class. Some relied on each other for support. Some teachers were helpful, others were not. It seemed as if the school staff were trying to "hush-up" the tragedy.

A small group of the young man's closest friends, all O'Maley students, decided to wear T-shirts in remembrance — light pink with small lettering bearing the young man's name, the date of his death, and "we will never forget you." These children were pulled out of their classes by the staff and told they were "forcing their opinions onto other students."

So these grieving children are not only expected to cope with this tragedy without any help, but are also expected accept other students' rude and disrespectful comments? I understand free speech and all, but whatever happened to common courtesy?

One of the issues appears to be that this boy was part of a group known to be "Goth" or "Emo" by other kids. These children often wear black clothing, grow their hair long and dye it various colors, and may listen to certain kinds of music. Both of my daughters listen to the music, and occasionally dress in dark clothing, but they are part of the group no matter what they choose to wear each day.

It seems to be a common belief that children in this group are continually harming themselves, or that they are all having suicidal ideologies. I think the school system needs to stop assuming that every child who dresses in dark clothing will injure themselves. They also need to remember not all children who inflict harm on themselves dress in dark clothing. These children are individuals, and they do not fit into a general category. Take a minute to get to know them before you judge them.

After talking with other parents, whose own middle and high school children are part of this crowd, I was shocked to discover that many of these children have recently admitted to being physically accosted by other students and verbally harassed with such comments as "Why don't you go kill yourself?"

Why is the school system doing nothing to ensure the safety and well-being of ALL of their students? And why are they more interested in protecting the freedoms of those who choose to make rude comments, not the freedoms of all students who choose to express themselves in a way that does not harm others?

I have raised my children to be individuals, to think and act for themselves, and to accept the consequences of their own actions. I believe that is what will teach them to become compassionate, responsible adults.

Perhaps the Gloucester school system should re-evaluate what it expects our children's future contributions to society will be — and whether an atmosphere of prejudice and harassment will lead them there.

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JULIE CIARAMETARO

Veterans Way, Gloucester

Letter: How can O'Maley students deal with grief? - GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

Long Hair Discrimination case in Texas - 4 suspended

Seems there is something about long hair that riles schools in Texas as well as Northern Ireland.
I note that Frontiersman Davy Crockett was one of the heroes of the Alamo who had long hair, as indeed did George Washington. So both of those men would be suspended in that particular Texas school if they were there today. Below we have a series of articles on a longstanding row.

Long-haired teen says trim not likely

E. Texas district warned him he risks not graduating if it's not cut

12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008

By MATTHEW HAAG / The Dallas Morning News
mhaag@dallasnews.com

KERENS, Texas – Matthew Lopez-Widish hasn't cut his curly brown hair in four years, and he doesn't plan to despite an ultimatum from high school administrators.

KYE R. LEE/DMN

Matthew Lopez-Widish was told by Kerens officials to cut his hair before returning to classes, per the policy that forbids male students from having hair that extends past the collar.

A few days before Christmas break at Kerens High School, about 15 miles east of Corsicana in a tiny town known as the birthplace of Big Tex, the straight-A student and at least four other students were called into the principal's office.

Cut your hair by the time you return to school in January or be sent to alternative school, be removed from all extracurricular activities and risk not graduating, Matthew said the principal and assistant principal told him.

Classes in the Kerens district resume today.

"I told them that I'm not going to cut my hair," said Matthew, 18, whose hair, when uncurled, reaches the middle of his back. "It may seem kind of stubborn, but to me, it's part of who I am."

Matthew says that his rights are being stripped and that he's going to take his concerns to the school board meeting Monday.

Making his case

"I just want the school board to notice that just because I have long hair doesn't mean I'm going to quit learning or obstructing people from learning," Matthew said.

Downtown Kerens consists of a three-block strip of red brick road and mostly vacant or dilapidated one-story storefronts. About a mile to the south is the school district's campus, which houses all grade levels.

During school board meetings last fall, parents complained about recurring instances of students disobeying the hair code in the student handbook. Apparently, some long-haired boys were not doing a good enough job keeping their hair from falling below their shirt collar or from covering their ears.

The hair policy for male students at Kerens High is straightforward: No hair past the collar, no hair below the eyebrows, hair can't extend ½ inch over the ears, and ponytails can be no longer than a half-inch. The student dress code does not mention hair length for female students.

By December, Superintendent Kevin Stanford came up with a solution to repeated complaints about hair length: All high school males with long hair must get haircuts.

"What happened was that a number of male students would come in with it down, and they would play games and not have it up when they should have," said Mr. Stanford, whose grayish hair is cut close to the scalp. "The students had a chance to follow the rules, and they didn't."

Too many students would be on campus before or after school with their long hair let down in violation of school policy, Mr. Stanford said.

"The problem is that they don't consistently comply with the policy," he said, though he's never seen Matthew disobey the dress code rules.

To meet the dress code standards, Matthew's mom braids his hair and then tucks the braids to shorten them and keep them off his collar. He slicks back his hair on the top to keep it out of his face and from covering his ears. After the five-minute process is over, it's hard to tell that his hair is nearly 2 feet long, Matthew said.

His friend Wesley Bunch, who was also called into the principal's office, puts his much shorter blond hair in a ponytail and wears a headband to keep it out of his face.

Matthew's mom, Linda Lopez, doesn't buy the superintendent's reasoning that students didn't comply. She believes that the school board is against males having long hair, which she says is utterly foolish.

"It's not the '60s anymore. They aren't hippies, and they aren't radical anti-war tree huggers," she said.

Schools' right

Jim Walsh, a school law expert in Austin, said that school districts have the legal right to mandate hair and dress codes. Several cases, including one in the 1990s from Bastrop ISD that reached the Texas Supreme Court, have been decided in favor of the school districts.

"The courts generally affirm these standards," Mr. Walsh said.

Some challenges made on the basis of religious discrimination have been successful.

If Matthew is sent to alternative school, he could risk losing his extracurricular activities. His participation in a work program allows him to leave school early to go to his job as a cashier at a Jack in the Box near Corsicana, where he works upward of 30 hours a week.

But more important, Matthew said, he would be removed from One-Act Play, the UIL-sponsored theater contest that begins the first day back from the holiday break.

"That's one thing that I'd hate to lose," said Matthew, who played a villain in a recent community play.

His friend Wesley, is in the same situation. If he doesn't cut his hair, he will be removed from the school's skateboarding team.

But neither is budging.

Wesley and Matthew said the administration can send them to alternative school. And if that happens, Mrs. Lopez said, she'd look into removing her son from the district.

"It's just a kid with long hair," she said. "It doesn't seem like a punishment that he deserves."

Suspended KHS student likely to attend Trinidad

January 11, 2008 01:44 am

Suspended KHS student likely to attend Trinidad

By Janet Jacobs

Two of the four boys suspended from Kerens High School Tuesday have returned to classes, while two others are holding firm to their long locks.

A disciplinary hearing was conducted Thursday afternoon for Matthew Lopez-Widish, a senior, who has been growing his hair since eighth grade. He moved to the Kerens district in the fall of 2006, and was allowed to keep his long hair because he was willing to bind his hair up. Three other boys were also allowed to keep long hair by following the same procedure.

However, some of the boys weren’t consistent in following the rules, and sometimes had to be asked to go pull back their hair, leading to complaints from teachers and parents, according to Superintendent Kevin Stanford.

In December, the school district told the boys they had to cut their hair or they wouldn’t be allowed back in school following the Christmas break.

On Tuesday, the hammer fell in the form of suspensions.

Following haircuts, Wesley Bunch and Andy Coronado returned to school.

“We initially suspended four students. Two of the four have returned to the classsroom,” Stanford confirmed.

Lopez-Widish and Derek Divetta remained out of school. Both want to transfer to the Trinidad school district, which is less than 10 miles east on Texas Highway 31.

However, before they can transfer, the students have to complete their punishments in Kerens, first. The punishments handed down in Thursday’s conference with school officials was not made public. Trinidad’s dress code only calls for a student’s hair to be neat and clean, but doesn’t specify a length, Lopez said.

In a visit to the Daily Sun offices Thursday, Linda Lopez said the family has been contacted by representatives of the “Dr. Phil” television show, adding to the nation-wide attention the incident has attracted. Lopez-Widish also was scheduled to appear on Thursday’s “CBS Early Show” to discuss his experiences.

Parent airs concerns over KISD hair policy
January 15, 2008
By Loyd Cook

KERENS — One more parent is complaining about an offspring being moved off campus to an alternative learning center, all because of the length of the student’s hair.

Walter King, the stepfather of Kerens ISD middle school student Emilio Compoz, said getting a “bad mark on his record” for liking to wear his hair long is unfair.

“They say (the long hair) is a distraction,” King said. “It’s not a distraction to the kids.”

“I think it’s nice everyone stood up and said the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,” he added, referencing how the KISD Board of Trustees began its meeting. “That’s freedom. But what about his freedom?”

King was speaking during the portion of the KISD board meeting set aside for public forum. Since the topic he spoke on was not an agenda item, the board could take no action in response, board president Kenny Berry said.

Two high school teens also cited for their long hair have gotten it cut and returned to classes. Another, Matthew Lopez-Widish, had a disciplinary hearing Thursday, eventually agreeing to serve five days in the KISD Alternative Learning Center before transferring out and enrolling in Trinidad’s public school district.

Compoz will remain in the Alternative Learning Center until his family makes a decision on what they wish to do. Kerens superintendent Kevin Stanford said King was welcome to pick up a complaint form in his office Tuesday, and meet with him about the issue.

In an agenda item, trustees adopted a policy covering sex offenders visitation, approving the second option of ones presented to them at a meeting last month.

The policy forbids any person from entering or being present on any school district property if he or she is required to register as a sex offender, regardless of the age of the victim.

Bullied Emo faces possible trial for "Death List"

Massive panic in a school in the States when it is discovered that a bullied teen kept a diary in which he slagged off his tormentors. He dressed in black and even worse he had a MySpace page in which he mentioned his frustration at being bullied. Clearly a psycho... lucky the authorities caught him.

Yet he had no weapons, or any history of violence. I thought there was freedom of speech in the United States, but not if you are unlucky enough to be bullied, if you voice your frustrations and if you dress alternatively clearly you are likely to kill at any moment (See this previous story for a similar incident US Police target alternative teen):

Lockport Teen Creates High School Hit List | WKBW - TV Buffalo, New York | Local News:

A Lockport student is accused of coming up with a high school hit list and tonight the teen's friends are coming to his defense. School officials say a student from Lockport High kept what amounts to a diary of death. But tonight the student's friends say he's the victim of bullying and that he would never have acted out his chilling threats.

The graphic descriptions of death that we are told were outlined in this notebook would cause anyone to be concerned. The teen allegedly wrote of hangings, breaking ribs and choking off air to 40 of his peers. But friends of the student who created the so-called "hit list" say he is misunderstood. Heather Tschaepe said, "He wasn't really going to kill anyone or anything. He was just letting out his anger because everyone always picks on him. He was just letting out his anger by writing it in a book. He didn't mean for anyone to see it or anything."

Tschaepe and Emily Doctor are close friends with the teen who wrote the list. They say its been blown out of proportion by fellow students and school leaders. Doctor said, "He's not the kinda person who would actually do any of it. He wouldn't have to nerve to. Its just what he would hope to happen... but maybe not that bad."

However, when a student came forward and reported the notebook hit list, Lockport school officials reacted quickly to the potential threat. Superintendent Terry Anne Carbone said, "The student is not in school at this time and we will be conducting a thorough and complete investigation, appropriate consequences and support networks will be put into place."

Students tell 7 News that the teen started wearing black in the last year and mostly kept to himself. But his friends say he was just acting "emo" which is teen slang for acting emotional, and that he wore black to show that he was hurt and scared from being picked on. Doctor said, "People are really taking it the wrong way. Like if they really knew him, they would know he's not like that and they're just blowing it way out, calling him crazy and psychotic and he's just not. He just expresses differently."

His friends say he's in a hospital tonight, getting mental health treatment. Tschaepe said, "I just want them to stop picking on him because he gets emotional."

The teen's friends tell us that he wants to come back to school, but they don't think it will happen. Meanwhile, the Lockport Police Department is investigating this for the school district. A detective will hand over his findings to Superintendent Carbone who will make the ultimate decision on what will happen to this student. The Lockport police chief told 7 News its possible that this teen will be referred to family court.

SAFE OR SCARED?
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, NY - 12 Jan 2008
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Like any other high school, Lockport has its share of cliques and groups. Despite their differences, students say they generally co-exist peacefully.

Students had mixed reactions Friday to news that one of their own had compiled an alleged “death list” and had been removed from classes.Some said they felt safe, despite the details they were hearing. Some were clearly feeling scared. But few we spoke to felt that cliques had anything to do with the student’s alleged threats.

Nonetheless, the topic of the threats was foremost on the lips of students, parents and school personnel in conversations at LHS on Friday.

The furor began after school officials were tipped off to a notebook that allegedly contained a kind of “death list” with about 40 students on it. Sophomore Tim Ritiss said he felt “pretty confident” about his safety in school.

Jessica Palermo, a 10th grade student, said she didn’t know much about the student’s group of friends, but described him as “gothic.” The student’s friends were described as “just kind of out there.” Palermo added that some students did not take the threat seriously.

One student, who did not want his name used, said the student in question belonged to a group who were known as “emo.” It is a slang term describing someone who is emotional and introverted.

On the social networking Web site MySpace, the accused student, who lists his age as 15, does describe himself

as “emo.” The page, on which the student has more than 200 friends listed, includes references to cutting, or self-injury, and threats about people who make fun of “emos.” Also on his MySpace page, the boy wrote there are people he’d “love to kill.”

Sophomore Katie Schaunk said she can’t understand how someone could have so much anger at such a young age.

“He’s only like, 15. He must have come from a bad family,” she speculated. “He was only 15 years old, a freshman. How can you go through that much when you’re 15?” she asked.

Lockport High School resource officer Scot Snaith keeps a close eye on everyone walking the halls of the high school.

“They usually stay in their little groups,” he said. “Students with similar interests stay together. The jocks hang with the jocks, and so on. But we watch for anything that draws attention and find out if there’s a problem.”

In addition to the student athletes, groups at LHS include band members, drama participants — and a whole range of kids bound together by separate interests and kinships.

As the resource officer, Snaith is expected to have a relationship with students and teachers, address classes on crime prevention, investigate possible criminal activity within the school, advise the school on how to deal with law enforcement agencies and keep records relevant to his position.

But Snaith’s primary purpose is to help ensure the safety of students and staff.

Snaith “took immediate action with the school to investigate and intervene,” Wednesday when the notebook was found, a press release from the Lockport Police Department said.

“My presence in the hallways helps, they let me know if they see anything,” Snaith said. “I would rather check out 50 million reports that were wrong than to miss something.”

Lockport doesn’t try to break up the groups, but the resource officer’s strength in keeping the peace is in the daily contact he has with the students. Snaith said everything he hears is checked out.

Of course, there are confrontations from time to time, but that is expected, some students said.

“There’s always going to be fights,” said Damian Mavrak, a sophomore.

“You do see other groups pick on other groups — the more passive groups,” Snaith said. “But a lot of students are forward with me, and they let me know what’s going on. Communication is the most important thing.”

Snaith said there wasn’t any one group that causes more problems than the rest. All of the different groups in the student body are watched.

“We’ve had our share of problems from all of them,” he said. “We try and pinpoint if there is a problem.”

As to what happened at Lockport High School last week — and why — there’s no immediate answer.

“We’re investigating,” he said.

‘DEATH LIST’: Anger, emotions evident on MySpace
Niagara Gazette, NY - 11 Jan 2008
By April Amadon/amadona@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

LOCKPORT — The LHS student who wrote a “death list” is being described as an energetic but quiet student who often dressed in dark clothing.

On the social networking Web site MySpace, the student, who lists his age as 15, describes himself as “emo,” a slang term used to describe a person who is emotional or introverted.

The page, on which the student has over 200 friends listed, includes reference to cutting, or self-injury, and threats about people who make fun of “emos.”

“Oh yes there are some people in this world that I would love to kill but they will not be listed, you know who you are, you are the people that I want to jump up and down and kill and throw (their) body in the (canal),” the student wrote. “I don’t need help my life is fine, I just want to be left alone.”

Freshman Thomas Felcher, 15, said he’s had French class with the student for years. He said the teen has recently begun to change his fashion style, but has otherwise stayed the same.

Felcher said when he first heard about the list, he thought it was just a story, because the student “usually writes stories like that.”

“I never knew that it was supposed to be a real list,” he said. “I didn’t think much of it.”

Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said he can’t speak specifically about the boy in this case, but in general, many teens may have a hard time adjusting to the new social structure in high school, while at the same time dealing with hormones, stress from schoolwork and possibly problems at home.

“We all know what those years were like. You throw in some other variables ... before you know it, it can blow up to a real problem,” he said. “If you let it fester, there may come a day where the kid might just say, ‘You know what? Now’s the time.’ ”

Search for motives for Colorado killer

A killer who attacked two churches on the weekend killing 4 has caused a flurry of media attention. Matthew Murray had evangelical home school upbringing but turned violently against the church after his plans to become a missionary failed. It appears that his killing spree began through an argument with staff at a Christian shelter

Murray had turned from the church to another interest heavy metal - Marilyn Manson and Cradle of Filth being an especial favourites. He also dabbled in the occult.

Murray attended events held by the Denver-based occult group Ad Astra Oasis during the last two years, but was turned down when he sought to become a member of the group. His involvement with them apparently ended in October.

Bizarrely the media missed a trick here as this connection means they could (with appropiate manipulation and spin) blame it on Aliester Crowley. I guess that will be the next step.

ABC News: Colo. Church Gunman Left Twisted Trail

He posted an online rant that ended:

"I'm going out to make a stand for the weak and the defenseless this is for all those young people still caught in the Nightmare of Christianity for all those people who've been abused and mistreated and taken advantage of by this evil sick religion Christian America this is YOUR Columbine."

Murray simply cut and pasted the words of the Columbine killers with some alterations.
Web posting replicates Columbine shooter's manifesto
Denver Post, CO - 11 Dec 2007
Debate renewed on Columbine writings
Denver Post, CO - 12 Dec 2007

He assembled a massive arsenal so he may have been planning or thinking about this for some time
Gunman legally amassed weaponry in year's time
Denver Post, CO - 6 hours ago

Inevitably metal music is being blamed as one thing behind the attacks.

Christian Leaders Say Popular Culture Behind Teen Violence

Colorado gunman Murray had shown possible signs of media influence years before the shootings. He posted lyrics by industrial rock band KMFDM on a website designed for people who left evangelical religious groups. At a YWAM Christmas festival in 2002, he played what his former roommate, Richard Werner, described as “bizarre” music. The two songs he played were Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (are Made of This)" and Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" which included the lyrics "Cause I'm one step closer to the edge and I'm about to break." Meanwhile, songs played during the festival had been about Christmas, God and friendship, reported CNN.

Don't blame the music, metal frontman implores

The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 12/13/2007

Heavy-metal musicians are accustomed to being scapegoats after tragedies like the shootings in Arvada and Colorado Springs.

But while musicians may be used to the blame, they don't own it.

"Don't blame metal," said Devil Driver frontman Dez Fafara, standing in his tour bus in the back parking lot of the Fillmore Auditorium on Wednesday night. "We're all out here trying to give the kids some hope."

Talking before his death-metal band's show, opening for like-minded rock outfits Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage, Fafara — a father of three boys back home in Santa Barbara, Calif. — was clearly concerned about the shootings that left five people, including gunman Matthew Murray, dead. He sent his condolences to all ofthe families involved, including Murray's.

"But before laying the blame anywhere outside the home, you have to look inside the home," Fafara said. "Something touched that kid that was not right. And it had to come from the household."

Fafara said he monitors his kids' music and gaming intake, forbidding bands and video games that are overly violent or degrading to women.

Murray was a death-metal fan, according to posts he purportedly wrote on various websites. He attended a mid-October Cradle of Filth show, and afterward he posted, "Some people say this is 'just entertainment,' but for me, and some of my friends, the songs bands like this sing are VERY REAL, it's kind of something we can 'see' and can feel and in a spiritual sense and we're able to 'connect' 'into' the music." The post included a link to the video for the 1999 Cradle of Filth track "From the Cradle to Enslave."

Murray also claims online that he went through Bill Gothard home schooling, a fundamental Christian organization that has about 2,000 students enrolled nationally. Gothard's program bases a curriculum on the 54 verses from the Sermon on the Mount, and its strict teachings prohibit rock 'n' roll and television.

Gothard, in an interview Wednesday, said he "didn't recall" ever meeting the Murray family, but he was sure one of the parents was probably trained in his program.

Ultimately, Gothard blames rock music for Murray's murderous rampage.

"That is the most contributing factor," said Gothard, who is based in a small town south of Chicago. "It'd be important to see the connection between his passion to rock music and how it ultimately brought this on."

Gothard said whenever he gets calls from parents having trouble with their kids, he asks about what they listen to. "In every case, (the kid) is listening to rock music," he said.

As is the home schooling packs which Gothard provides:
Institute defends teachings in wake of posts by Murray
Rocky Mountain News, CO - 7 hours ago

Shooter had problems at Christian facilities
Summit Daily News, 13th dec

After the conference, the user said his mother and a pastor
searched his room for "anything evil," including video games and a DVD collection.
"After that incident my mother searched my room for the next 3 months EVERY SINGLE DAY. After that I decided it was over, that I had had it with christianity."

In the 1,200-word post, Christnghtmr tells of growing up in a Christian homeschooling family and being removed from the Youth With a Mission program, as Murray had been. As in other postings linked to Murray, the writer expresses anger toward his family and makes allegations of homosexuality in church organizations.

He said being removed from the Arvada mission caused him to lose his faith.
"When I got back home it was back to the good old restriction and that is when I started having serious doubts about christianity," Chrstnghtmr wrote. But according to the post, problems at the mission were only part of a troubled past.

"In addition to all of (Christian homeschool curriculum guru) Bill Gothard's insanity, my mother was into all the charismatic/"fanatical evangelical" insanity.," Christnghtmr wrote. "Her and her church believed that Satan and demons were everywhere in everything. The rules were VERY strict all the time. We couldn't have ANY christian or non-christian music at all except for a few charismatic worship CDs."

Gunman wrote of rejection
Denver Post, CO - 12 Dec 2007

Carl Raschke, a professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, said he believes Murray was "under huge psychological turmoil."

"It seemed like he was involved in his own spiritual battle against the empire of Christianity," adding that one of the screen names, nghtmrchld26, is taken from a video game in which characters battle evil demons.

"I would call him a defector from the spiritual warfare that he was brought up in," Raschke said.

Steve Mariner, the president of Denver's occult group Ad Astra Oasis, says Murray attended group meetings for about a year before being asked to leave in September. Ad Astra Oasis is an officially chartered body of the Ordo Templi Orientis, a ceremonial magic order based on the teachings of English poet and mystic Aleister Crowley.

"He was a mostly quiet, geeky young man," Mariner said of Murray. "He was a skinny little kid. He was your typical I-like-college-over-cars type. He was a voracious reader, as far as I could tell. I never heard him raise his voice."

Mariner said the group of about 15 people realized over time that Murray was not fitting in."It seemed like he needed some time to back off and evaluate himself," he said. "We could summarize it as saying the personalities were not a good mix."Mariner said he was shocked when he learned Murray was the shooter.

"You are sitting there having a conversation with someone ," Mariner said. "We all have our little personality quirks, but you don't appraise them of being someone who would go off and do something this atrocious."

But Murray's behaviour demonstrates classic signs of schizophrenia and other mental problems. Blaming the music he listened to is as inadequate explanation as Murray's decision to blame his Christian upbringing for his social problems and to go on a rampage.

Curiously one of Murray's victim's was a reformed metaler:
Missionary went from rebellion to redemption
Philip Crouse is remembered for his turnaround from "the dark lord" to Christianity.
Denver Post, CO - 6 hours ago
By Kirk Mitchell As a skinhead and Goth in Washington, Pa., Philip

Crouse was the one others feared. "He would come to youth group in a black trench coat," childhood friend Shiloh Ryan-Anikienko said Wednesday morning. "He really embraced being the Goth scary guy." But Wednesday morning at his memorial service, those who knew him honored him as a selfless missionary who wanted to find homes for orphans and teach the Gospel to people in foreign countries...
"He went from the dark lord from the abyss to this angel of light," Ryan-Anikienko said.

While another victim was a metal musician:

Dan Griebenow is known as a snowboarding missionary, his sister said.

Griebenow, 24, who was wounded in the neck in the Arvada shooting, was in critical but stable condition at Denver Health Medical Center.

He snowboards and sang with a Christian heavy metal band in South Dakota before enrolling two years ago in the missionary training program in Arvada, his sister, Becky Griebenow, told the Rocky Mountain News

.