Editor, The News:
Re: Teen’s suicide foreshadowed by video (The News, Oct. 12).
To the bullies of Amanda Todd, I don’t know you. I have never met you, spoken with you, or even set eyes upon you.
Therefore, I know that I have never done anything to you that warrants this unnecessary, excruciating pain you are inflicting on me and the many people who loved Amanda Todd.
I have known Amanda since she was just her mom’s greatest wish and a twinkle in her dad’s eye.
I excitedly anticipated her arrival with her mom, dad and brother for the entire nine months.
I saw the pride and joy she brought her parents in the early days of her birth.
Together, our families enjoyed play dates and day excursions throughout the Lower Mainland.
We celebrated many important milestones and holidays together.
We saw Amanda’s enthusiasm for life and watched her grow.
You, bullies, have consciously chosen to condemn and torment Amanda for being human. She made a mistake.
You justified your actions and hid behind the fact that she made mistakes.
Well, so have you.
You have relentlessly, incessantly tormented a young woman who was not a threat to you.
You are far from pure and innocent. Your mistakes are heinous and irrevocable, for even if you were able to get past your egos and become human, Amanda will not come back to us.
I do not wish your families to suffer the loss of your life. Your families most likely love you, despite your mistakes and flaws.
We loved Amanda just the same.
While you will most likely remain faceless, nameless beings to me, you are not powerful. You do not win.
Amanda may be gone, but she will never be forgotten.
She will be loved from now until eternity, more powerfully than you can imagine.
She will be loved more than you haters can hate.
Sheri and Pat Grant
Port Coquitlam
Back off
Editor, The News:
Re: RCMP investigating death of bullied teen (mapleridgenews.com).
If just one person, just one would have befriended Amanda Todd, there is a chance she would be alive today.
Those who stand around and do nothing when someone is being bullied as co-conspirators. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
I was bullied as a young girl and into my early teens and I finally struck back and decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore. Guess what? The bullies backed off.
Nowadays, bullies are in groups, which makes it harder to protect ourselves, but once the victim has a friend or friends the bullies show themselves to be the pitiful cowards they truly are.
Parents have failed in raising their children to know that everyone has feelings and we all deserve respect.
After what I went through in my early years, I started defending the underdog and I still do to this day and I am 63 years old.
Amanda, may your life not have been in vain and something serious be done to stop these bullies.
Bullying is a serious offense, in my books. It is assault. Plain and simple assault.
Wenda Graham
St. Catharines, Ont.