Williamsville School District Documented Only One Case Of Bullying Against Jamey Rodemeyer

The Williamsville School District appears to have only one documented case of bullying involving Jamey Rodemeyer, police say. The incident apparently happened when he was a student at Heim Middle School, and disciplinary action was promptly taken. The Buffalo News reports that in an update of the investigation into the September 18 suicide of the 14-year-old Williamsville North High School freshman, Amherst Police Chief John C. Askey said Wednesday that a single documented incident of harassment occurred when Jamey was in seventh grade. He may have been referring to an incident that Jamey himself recounted in a separate YouTube video six months ago when he was an eighth-grader. Describing himself as "14 and gay," Jamey said his class participated in an activity in which students offered their opinions in response to various questions. In one instance, the question was, "Should gay marriage be legal in all 50 states?" Jamey said "A kid was making fun of me because I was gay. I didn't really care. He called me disgusting because being gay is disgusting." The student teacher leading the class took action, calling the guidance office and the vice principal, he said. That student wound up with a detention. Jamey said he subsequently went on to defend gay marriage in his class but later left the room in tears. "I kind of got upset because of the lives that have been lost because of gay bullying, and I ran out of the room crying," he said. He ended his two-minute video by giving thanks to his pop star idol, Lady Gaga, and referring to her anthem song, Born This Way "Lady Gaga, I want to make a difference," he said. "You are the reason why I am alive. You're the reason why I was born. I was born this way." Askey said that “It's clear that Jamey lived a lot of his life online.” For that reason, Amherst police have turned over Jamey's computer and cellphone to the Erie County Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory to see if there's a pattern of bullying that ultimately may warrant charges of aggravated harassment and hate crimes in the coming weeks. "Jamey can't talk to us anymore," Askey said. "Hopefully, his computer can." Meanwhile, the chief said, police have determined that many recent allegations of bullying directed toward Jamey and later his 16-year-old sister, Alyssa, do not yet rise to the level of criminality. However, Askey said police are continuing to investigate and seek witnesses who may have information helpful to the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 689-1393. Williamsville School Superintendent Scott G. Martzloff said earlier this week that the district's own investigation is continuing. While single incidents at school or online may not rise to the level of "unlawful behaviour," investigators want to determine whether there was a pattern of conduct online and/or at school that could lead to criminal charges, Askey said. Having evidence collected from Jamey's electronic devices will help with that, Askey said. He added that it appears that hateful comments on his online accounts began appearing in late 2010 after he "declared his sexual orientation.” The police currently are focusing on a limited group of Jamey's peers as possible culprits. "We're looking at less than a half-dozen people over the span of his time at Heim and North High School," he said. Most recently, Alyssa and others at Williamsville North reported that at a homecoming dance September 22, a juvenile student in a small group of other students stated that she was glad Jamey was dead, touching off a brief altercation in the school parking lot. Police said that while there's credible evidence that the incident occurred, the statement was not made in a direct confrontation with Alyssa and could not be considered a crime. School officials previously said a student has been suspended in connection with the incident. "The comments were inappropriate and vile, and are certainly relevant to the larger investigation of incidents involving Jamey," Askey said. Police also are looking into three unconfirmed reports of bullying that allegedly occurred at Williamsville North. One, in particular, involved Jamey's own account of having a plate of brownies spat on and given to him in the school cafeteria last month. After speaking with witnesses to the incident, Askey said, Jamey and his friends appear to have inferred things that were not actually seen. "We can't say that those brownies were spit on, or that anything unlawful happened," Askey said. The police chief said it's apparent that Jamey, who at various points identified himself as either bisexual or gay, looked for support online through accounts such as Facebook, Formspring, Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube. But they also made him a target for hateful comments. "Acts motivated by hate deserve extra attention from the police," Askey said. Askey said he hopes to have at least some preliminary information on the case back from the computer forensic lab within a week or so. He also said the Rodemeyer family has been very understanding of the Police Department's efforts over the last two weeks. "I know the public wants — and the Rodemeyer family wants — this done right," he said. "They want us to do this correctly, not quickly."