This is a really horrible ending for a situation I felt could have been handled sooner if it was taken more serious: 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker Hoover, who played football, basketball and was a Boy Scout, hanged himself last monday when anti-gay bullying and constant harassment became too much for him to bear.
Carl Joseph Walker Hoover was so overwhelmed by bullying that he committed suicide by hanging himself with an extension cord and his mother found his broken little body. Carl’s mother Sirdeaner Walker, who was active at Carl Joseph’s school as a member of the parent teacher organization, was aware that her son was being bullied and experienced repeated frustration at getting the administration to do anything effective about it. Students called him gay and made fun of him for the way he dressed. Sirdeaner Walker said she began phoning his school repeatedly when Carl first told her about the bullying last September, but she says the school was unresponsive.
Carl Joseph Walker Hoover should be with us this Easter. Sirdeaner Walker: It was just unbelievable to me. I thought I was in a dream. I thought I was in a nightmare. I couldn’t lift him – so all I could do was scream. Carl attended the New Leadership charter school in Springfield. Sirdeander Walker, He was being teased at the school – he was being made fun of – he was being bullied. A lot of it surrounded by “you act gay,” “are you gay?”
this is so sad. i know how cruel kids can be but i guess it’s nothing to take lightly.
man this is crazy this is a little boy that killed his self maby if the mother and the teachers and them would have set down with him and the kids maybe this wouldnt have happened and i jus want to say that all my prayers go out to this little bots family…
I also wrote about this senseless tragedy. I would love to get your feedback.
http://matrixfreeblackness.com/?p=148
Sad, just why people shouldn’t look at teasing as just a thing kids do. If we don’t tolerate it from adults who only do it because it was tolerated when they were kids, shouldn’t happen at that age either. Not everyone will take their lives for something like this but many suffer scars throughout life due to this.
This is such a sad,sad story. I unfortunatley went through the same thing withmy 11 year old son. He was harrassed and bullied at school to the point he kids decided to jump him. He was beaten badly, and I asked the school for answers as to why this was acceptable. They were also unresponsive to the situation, and so were the local police. As a parent you always try to protect your children, but at school they are to be protected by the school when you are not there. My son passed away August 11, 2008, at 11 years old, he drowned at lake. And I know that if he was to read this story he would have wanted to comment on what the little by endured. My heart goes out to this mother, I can feel her pain in more ways than one.
Awww This Is So Sad…2 Bad He Didn’t Tell Somebody Before He Felt Like He Had 2 Take His Own Life!! This Should Be A Wake Up Call 4 Parents An Teachers To Pay More Attention 2 The Kids.
Thank you eveyone for your comments. Kaelin, thank you for sharing your story with us and my heart goes out to you and your family as well as Carl and his family. I am not sure what other schools are doing about Bullying but here in ft lauderdale, the county has relased an anti bulling program in school and even provided a number for student, parents to call annoymouslly if they have to to report bullying…It has to start somewhere and parents need to get more involved…
- Wanda
May God keep this Mother strong. This kind of thing should not keep happening to our children. I feel that the parents of these “BULLIES” should be held accountable for their children actions because they are minors. Most parents try to guide children in the right direction and then you have kids that defy all adult authority. What can we do with these that defy and disrespect others? Get them help by any means necessary…. Maybe this wonderful child would not be “gone” if these bullies and parents were held accountable.
[...] media is still talking about little Carl who committed suicide recently for being taunt and called gay and here we find another poor child [...]
mona u have no idea a teacher and a parent sitting down and talking about it is not going to do anything if the teachers would of confronted the kids. But this is what is wrong with teachers all they do is say walk away you cant keep saying walk away. It doesn’t work they dont know what is going on you cant just say that if that was my child i would ask my child if he would like to change schools . Anyway thats pittiful i hope those kids no what has happened and think about that life that was lost because of thier harsh words
people should just stop bullying other people why do people feel the need to bullt some1
lots of kids in there teens commit suicide because of what bulying has done to them
i was bullyd from when i was 5 to 13 i had no friens and was verbilly and phisicly abused at school teachers didnt belive me and i was put on things that naughty people were put on i had siver counsiling and got through it….. but what hAS happend to carl is a tragidy it should never happen…. my prers go out tooo carls family……… rip carl you aare now in a beter place
love
bee xx
Bee I am very sorry to hear that, I hope you have matured into a beautiful and strong person who can assit in showing people the horrible affects of bullying. Thanks for sharing your story