Rutgers man who jumps off bridge to his death.

[DSM4Life]

If you haven't read it, here is the story:

Tyler Clementi, 18, who was studying at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, jumped from the George Washington Bridge.

He posted a final message on the social networking website Facebook, which read: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”

Paul Mainardi, a lawyer for his family said: “Tyler was a fine young man and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words.”

His driver’s licence and university identification card were found in a wallet left on the bridge on Sep 22 after two witnesses saw someone jump.

His body has not been recovered.

Fellow students Dharun Ravi, who was Clementi’s room-mate, and Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

They are accused of placing a camera in the room and streaming the images straight on to the internet.

In a message posted on microblogging website Twitter on Sep 19 Ravi allegedly said: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”

Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, said his group considers Clementi’s death a hate crime.

He said: “We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of a young man who, by all accounts, was brilliant, talented and kind.

“And we are sickened that anyone in our society, such as the students allegedly responsible for making the surreptitious video, might consider destroying others’ lives as a sport.”


My question:

What do you think should happen to the 2 students that filmed him? Do they go to jail or murder ? Hate crime ? Or was it a prank that took a turn for the worse but there shouldn't be any punishment ?

It's tough because for murder there needs to be intent. Did the students intend for harm to come from the prank? Could that possible mean manslaughter?

[HitIt]

i think they intended to embarass him...i doubt they would have done it if they thought he would go jump off a bridge...but to go kill yourself because someone saw you making out? i wonder if the kid already had some issues

[Hazard]

i think they intended to embarass him...i doubt they would have done it if they thought he would go jump off a bridge...but to go kill yourself because someone saw you making out? i wonder if the kid already had some issues

These are my thoughts exactly.....

What they did was clearly wrong but stuff like this goes on ALL the time in colleges across the nation..... we just don't hear about it. Guys film girls without them knowing..... etc..... I'm sure they just wanted to embarrass him. It's such a shame to lose such a young life.....

There was another story of a 13 year old kid who "came out" to his friends. The next day they made fun of him at school and he came home and hung himself in a tree. He was in a coma for 9 days before he died.

~Haz~

[Vitruvian-Man]

i think they intended to embarass him...i doubt they would have done it if they thought he would go jump off a bridge...but to go kill yourself because someone saw you making out? i wonder if the kid already had some issues

No. The people who had issues were Razi and Wei.

How could they possibly think it was okay to do this to another adolescent?? how have children become so desensitized nowadays?

What do you think would be going through your mind if you were: living on residence of your college, with no support system from your family nearby, and you're an in the closet homosexual who just UNKNOWINGLY had a live video of yourself engaging with another man, being streamed to the entire student-body. The worst part about it, in the supposed privacy of his OWN room.

IMO, it's unfortunate that prosecutors cannot charge the two with some form of manslaughter, or murder to some degree. However, because it's an "internet crime" it falls into that realm of "indirect effect" etc.

The one thing that does please me is that criminal charges for invasion of privacy, and the distribution of the video without consent will probably get them both 5 years in federal prison. Razi is about 140 pounds, he will be raped so many times in that 5 year span that he will finally get what he deserves. Arm for an Arm.

Just my 0.02...

Sorry for the graphic images.. this story just really got to me. Been following since day 1.

-VM

[DSM4Life]

If I am correct, if there is no intent but someone dies because of ones action that equals manslaughter.

Example. A drunk driver crashes his car into someone elses car and they die. The drunk driver did not intend to hurt anyone but because of his actions he did.

[Times Roman]

If I am correct, if there is no intent but someone dies because of ones action that equals manslaughter.

Example. A drunk driver crashes his car into someone elses car and they die. The drunk driver did not intend to hurt anyone but because of his actions he did.

Your example is not a fair comparision. Drinking and then getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is something that everyone knows is dangerous. Killing someone in that condition, it can be said there is a clear cause and effect. Filming someone making out, I would argue there is no direct link between cause and effect. UNLESS this person has been so heavily traumitized, so victimized, that this is a "straw that broke the camel's back" type situation, and all the previous "pranks" were known by the group of individuals that did the filming. Since the article is silent on this, it would be a leap to assume it has, an unfair leap, I would add.

Then again, I've never had to go through what this young man experienced. he wasn't being too secretive about meeting with the other young man, since he was having s3x in a college room where others had a key to the room. To me, it would seem if others had a key, even though they agreed to certain hours, it would seem there is a plausible risk of discovery. If he was ultra concerned about keeping his orientation a secret, you would think he would have went somewhere where the risk of discovery was less, like a hotel. So in the back of his mind, the risk of discovery was NOT zero, so he must have been OK with that risk? the internet thing is a whole other thing,

I don't know, mates. Like a dude trying to understand how a woman feels after she's been raped. I don't have anything in my experience like this or that to really understand how it feels, I can only guess.

[Ernst]

So everyone who ever teased a kid who kills himself later on in life should all go to prison? There'd be no one left out to guard the place.

What they did was wrong, and the outcome is unfortunate, but they're not liable for his death IMO. It's not as if they systematically tortured him for years culminating in his suicide. This was an isolated incident. Do they deserve more than a slap on the wrist? You bet.

[lovbyts]

So everyone who ever teased a kid who kills himself later on in life should all go to prison? There'd be no one left out to guard the place.

What they did was wrong, and the outcome is unfortunate, but they're not liable for his death IMO. It's not as if they systematically tortured him for years culminating in his suicide. This was an isolated incident. Do they deserve more than a slap on the wrist? You bet.

My thoughts also. Who here had NEVER teased anyone? We have all teased someone who was taller, shorter, fatter, skinnier, gay, straight, black, white boy, girl. We all have at one time or another been cruel so someone; some a lot more than others but I agree i dont think he should get manslaughter but he should get the MAXIMUM punishment for violating someone privacy which still could be a still prison sentence.

Yes it's hard enough being a teen and always has been. Kids are cruel. It's to bad he did not have enough support at home to accept him for who he was.

They need to be careful with this whole hate crime thing or like said, it will get out of hand. I dont think it was a hate crime. It was a crime of violation of privacy.

[DSM4Life]

My thoughts also. Who here had NEVER teased anyone? We have all teased someone who was taller, shorter, fatter, skinnier, gay, straight, black, white boy, girl. We all have at one time or another been cruel so someone; some a lot more than others but I agree i dont think he should get manslaughter but he should get the MAXIMUM punishment for violating someone privacy which still could be a still prison sentence.

Yes it's hard enough being a teen and always has been. Kids are cruel. It's to bad he did not have enough support at home to accept him for who he was.

They need to be careful with this whole hate crime thing or like said, it will get out of hand. I dont think it was a hate crime. It was a crime of violation of privacy.

Totally agree with you but i think time they are a-changing. Maybe, just maybe if we have tougher bullying laws it would help curb tragedies like this. For example if we did have tougher laws and enforced them more (teachers not ignoring stuff) then maybe columbine would have never happened. There have been MANY more school shootings because of bulling we just never hear about them because stories like columbine trump them. So do i believe in tougher laws. The only issue i see is how are children/kids/students going to fully comprehend these laws? Is telling a 13 year old he could face life in jail going to stop him from pushing around another kid? Can that children fully comprehend what it means to life your life behind bars ?

I think its a very slippery slope.

[zaggahamma]

I think that they should face what ever law that is in place for what they did. I wonder if the law was to change for the current bullying issues and that people WOULD face harsher punishments if all this mean "playing" would diminish.

[Flagg]

I think this is a really tragic case, and obviously this poor kid who killed himself must have had more deep rooted issues.

As for the two pranksters, well I think giving them a 5 year jail sentence is far too hard. Hear me out. I'm 100% confident that they would not have done this if they had known he had suicidal tendancies. That being said they should be kicked out of their Uni and certainly charged with some sort of "invasion of privacy" writ.

Manslaughter? That's a really slippery slope. If I bump into some girl at a bar, and she starts pestering me all night and I say to her in the end "look fvck off, I dont find you attractive at all" and she later kills herself, am I guilty then of manslaughter?

EDIT: bottom line is, people with severe depression will always walk on a knifes edge between fighting and deciding to just give up. Someone or something will always trigger that. You can't hold people accountable for someone who is severely depressed and decides to end their life.

Those two kids will be living with what they have contributed to for the rest of their lives. Kind of a life sentence in itself.

[themoreyouknow]

Your missing the part where the roommate live streamed him having sex with another man...essentially his roommate outed him

[SlimmerMe]

Everytime I hear this story I get nauseous which rarely happens to me.
Maybe something...something good will come out of it. Only time will tell.
Horrible Tragedy. Just simply horrible every which- a -way you look at it.

[MuscleScience]

The whole premise of labeling something a hate crime is wrong and un-american. A crime is a crime, if someone did something like that to me. Why is that any less of a crime against me vs someone else who is gay.

[zaggahamma]

The whole premise of labeling something a hate crime is wrong and un-american. A crime is a crime, if someone did something like that to me. Why is that any less of a crime against me vs someone else who is gay.

agree...do u think they committed a crime?

[Flagg]

agree...do u think they committed a crime?

I don't think they are guilty of murder or manslaughter for that matter.

They're guilty of being epid D-Bags and humiliating this poor guy. Hate crime? No way.

[zaggahamma]

I don't think they are guilty of murder or manslaughter for that matter.

They're guilty of being epid D-Bags and humiliating this poor guy. Hate crime? No way.

yes i was agreeing with that 100% and that a crime on anyone is the same for everyone...just wanted to know if he or anyone else thinks what they did is indeed a crime...i believe there has to be a victim for a crime

[MuscleScience]

agree...do u think they committed a crime?

I think videotaping someone without their knowlegde is a crime, especially if it's of a sexual nature. They should not be charged with a hate crime or any other crime that has to do with the kids death. They are not legally responsible for the kids actions afterwards. Now is that to say they are not somehow liable, no. I think they can be held accountable in a civil court matter. As shitty as that sounds, who on the planet as not been picked on. Teasing and being embarresed is part of life. Life is not fair, and will never be fair. The decision to try and charge these kids with a hate crime is purely political and knee jerk in nature.

[MaNiCC]

Imo they deserve some form of punishment, they may not have directly killed or intended for it to get out of hand like it did. However they invaded an 18 year olds privacy and filmed having relations with another man. From what dsm posted it is clear to me that Tyler didn't want this part of his life being revealed but yet those two went and revealed it anyway. Obviously they knew what would get said to Tyler from his peers and they probably looked forward to taking the piss out of him with the other kids. At the end of the day these two idiots broke the law and by doing so they created the catalyst that would lead to tyler taking his life.

They made their bed, now they lay in it.

[Ernst]

Bullying laws? What happened to just getting in a fight? Now we need cops on the playground too? Should the FBI monitor little Susie's twitter account? Slippery slope indeed. When you're 13 there are rules against it, not laws, precisely because they are only kids.

I disagree with the idea of bullying laws altogether. You can't legislate against the petty rivalries of human nature, especially in regards to children. Life isn't fair. People will talk about you behind your back and say rude things to you or about you no matter how old you are. Get used to it, or get out of the pool.

If the guy had gone to the school board/cops these idiots would have at least been thrown out of school and been stuck on probation and community service.

Strong and proud people make for poor targets....

[DSM4Life]

Bullying laws? What happened to just getting in a fight? Now we need cops on the playground too? Should the FBI monitor little Susie's twitter account? Slippery slope indeed. When you're 13 there are rules against it, not laws, precisely because they are only kids.

I disagree with the idea of bullying laws altogether. You can't legislate against the petty rivalries of human nature, especially in regards to children. Life isn't fair. People will talk about you behind your back and say rude things to you or about you no matter how old you are. Get used to it, or get out of the pool.

If the guy had gone to the school board/cops these idiots would have at least been thrown out of school and been stuck on probation and community service.

I agree with you to a certain point.
I would like you to give that speech to the thousands of kids parents who's children committed suicide because they just couldn't take it anymore.

[stiflersmom]

Bullying laws? What happened to just getting in a fight? Now we need cops on the playground too? Should the FBI monitor little Susie's twitter account? Slippery slope indeed. When you're 13 there are rules against it, not laws, precisely because they are only kids.

I disagree with the idea of bullying laws altogether. You can't legislate against the petty rivalries of human nature, especially in regards to children. Life isn't fair. People will talk about you behind your back and say rude things to you or about you no matter how old you are. Get used to it, or get out of the pool.

If the guy had gone to the school board/cops these idiots would have at least been thrown out of school and been stuck on probation and community service.

Strong and proud people make for poor targets....

couldnt have said it better

I agree with you to a certain point.
I would like you to give that speech to the thousands of kids parents who's children committed suicide because they just couldn't take it anymore.

it being hard to say that to the parents doesnt make his statements wrong. suicide is selfish and i dont feel sorry for anyone who kills themselves. your perception of things is your reality. he could have handled things a lot differently. imagine for a second you were the other party. your now looking and prison sentence for something you thought was a prank and occurs on some level everyday.

[lovbyts]

Bullying laws? What happened to just getting in a fight? Now we need cops on the playground too? Should the FBI monitor little Susie's twitter account? Slippery slope indeed. When you're 13 there are rules against it, not laws, precisely because they are only kids.

I disagree with the idea of bullying laws altogether. You can't legislate against the petty rivalries of human nature, especially in regards to children. Life isn't fair. People will talk about you behind your back and say rude things to you or about you no matter how old you are. Get used to it, or get out of the pool.

If the guy had gone to the school board/cops these idiots would have at least been thrown out of school and been stuck on probation and community service.

Strong and proud people make for poor targets....

It's worse than that. A couple years ago they already banned dodge ball in a few states at school because it was considered bullying. Another example of parents/teachers who dont want to take the time to open there eyes and see what is going one and put a stop to it before it gets out of hand but they want the government to just make more laws no one will enforce except to make an example once in a while. If parents/teachers would learn to monitor what is going on and step in when it looks unfair it would be much easier.

I saw we just put a Hit Girl in every school, she will put an end to the bullying.

[MaNiCC]

Update

(CNN) -- Rutgers University will hold a vigil Sunday as the campus grapples with the suicide of a student whose sexual encounter with another man was broadcast online.

The body of Tyler Clementi, 18, was recovered from the Hudson River on Thursday, more than a week after he jumped from the George Washington Bridge, which spans the river between New York and New Jersey.

Two other Rutgers students -- Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, 18, and Molly Wei, 18 -- have been charged with invasion of privacy. The pair allegedly placed a camera in Clementi's dorm room without his knowledge and then streamed his sexual encounter online, according to the Middlesex County, New Jersey, prosecutor's office.

The vigil will unite student organizations, campus offices and LGBT communities "as an opportunity for the members of the community and our allies to stand together united in peace, healing and social justice," a statement from the university said.

On Friday, the president of Rutgers pledged to meet with members of the university's gay community as the school deals with scrutiny in the wake of the suicide.

In a letter to the Rutgers community, President Richard McCormick praised what he called the school's "strong history of social activism on behalf of diversity." However, he said, the university "is an imperfect institution in an imperfect society."

University officials declined to respond to CNN's questions about when Rutgers first learned of the webcam incident, citing privacy laws. But a school spokesman said Friday that officials "did the best they can."

"I have spoken to virtually every principal involved in this matter, and they have attempted to handle this matter to the best of their ability," Rutgers spokesman Greg Travor told CNN.

McCormick said that the incident has raised questions about the campus climate.

"Students, parents and alumni have expressed deep concern that our university, which prides itself on its rich diversity, is not fully welcoming and accepting of all students," the president said in a letter.

New Jersey prosecutors were working to determine whether additional charges, including bias, may be brought against Ravi and Wei.

On the evening of September 19, Ravi allegedly sent a message via microblogging site Twitter about Clementi.

"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay."

Ravi tried to use the webcam again two days later, on September 21, according to the Middlesex County prosecutor's office.

"Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again," Ravi is believed to have tweeted.

The next day, Clementi was dead.

A mobile status update September 22 on a Facebook page purportedly belonging to Clementi said: "jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

Clementi's family has remained largely quiet, except to say that their personal tragedy has raised a host of legal issues for the country.

"Regardless of legal outcomes, our hope is that our family's personal tragedy will serve as a call for compassion, empathy and human dignity," the statement said.

[NVR2BIG1]

No, what bothers me is some dude who claims to be straight constantly talking about gay guys, sucking dick, homo this, homo that. Obviously setting up a ****ing camera just shows the guy's obsession with his gay roommate. He didn't do it to make fun of the kid, he did it because he's curious and cannot quit thinking of it!!!

[MaNiCC]

No, what bothers me is some dude who claims to be straight constantly talking about gay guys, sucking dick, homo this, homo that. Obviously setting up a ****ing camera just shows the guy's obsession with his gay roommate. He didn't do it to make fun of the kid, he did it because he's curious and cannot quit thinking of it!!!

Interesting theory, guess pornhub wasn't doing it for him....

[Gaspari1255]

Sad story. However, the kid was probably extremely disturbed or fvcked in the head from the get go. I hate to say it but he probably would have ended up committing suicide eventually, regardless of the roommmates actions. The kids who recorded him should not suffer any legal punishment. The guilt will keep them up each night and every night. They have to live with what they did the rest of their lives. There is no worse punishment than that.

[Gaspari1255]

A lot of fvcked shit has been happening in North Jersey schools lately. The Seton Hall shooting at the frat house was horrible. Luckily, they recently caught the scumbag who did it. Thank god my school has not had any tragedies thus far.

[zimmy]

weak people will kill themselves...Promise you if that happened to me...I woudln't be the one hurt...might be going to jail.

Just like all these stupid high school shooters....

GROW A PAIR...life is hard ...boo hooo...poor me...Dennis leary had the solution right on no cure for cancer..."Shut the **** up and pull up your pants"

[DSM4Life]

weak people will kill themselves...Promise you if that happened to me...I woudln't be the one hurt...might be going to jail.

Just like all these stupid high school shooters....

GROW A PAIR...life is hard ...boo hooo...poor me...Dennis leary had the solution right on no cure for cancer..."Shut the **** up and pull up your pants"

What if your son was "weak" and killed himself ?

[MaNiCC]

Interesting question^^

[Flagg]

Everything in life is situational, and I love how "tough" or "hard" people can be about things, but until you're in that situation there is no way you know how anyone or yourself will/would act.

Zimmy, I think DSM asks a valid question. If you had a son who grew up to be a closet homosexual and ended up killing himself, would you have nothing but contempt and think him a weak maggot as well?

[Gaspari1255]

Everything in life is situational, and I love how "tough" or "hard" people can be about things, but until you're in that situation there is no way you know how anyone or yourself will/would act.

Zimmy, I think DSM asks a valid question. If you had a son who grew up to be a closet homosexual and ended up killing himself, would you have nothing but contempt and think him a weak maggot as well?

A lot of that has to with how you were raised/brought up. A decent parent would raise their kid to not give a fvck about what others think ( to some extent) and to do what makes you happy. If my son were to commit suicide, I would parially blame it on myself for not making him tougher/stronger when he was growing up. Just my .02. None the less, still a very fvcked up situation.

[Shol'va]

Some here think that the boy had issues, well yeah he did. He was a closeted gay man. When your closeted you carry a lot of baggage around always worrying about what you do where you go am I going to be seen by someone who doesnt know about me. You worry about what you say always thinking before speaking afraid of saying something that will be misconstrued and outing yourself. These things take a toll on a person. When you grow up knowing you are gay and different than the 90% others around you, you are scared of telling anyone about your feelings and all this shit works on your psyche especially in High School. You withdrawal from your family and friends not able to talk about what is going on in your life, fearing that they will reject you if they know who you really are. And for those who think it is a chosen lifestyle, I ask why in the world would someone want to grow up being different from the norm and to put thereselves in a position to be bullied and ridiculed all their life. I knew I was gay when I was 14. Yeah that was fun. You go to church only to be told that you are an abomination worthy of death. That it is a chosen lifestyle and you can just change and be straight. every conversation you overhear on the subject is always negative. If you hang out in a gay area, you put yourself at risk of harassment, beatings and being killed just for who you are. You cant go to the prom cause that would out you if you took a male date. You cant go double dating with your straight friends always having to make excuses. You go out of your way to cover your tracks and always deny who you are as you cant take the sh*t from being outed especially at that age, if you are not emotionally ready for it. Life is tough enough without that added stigma of being different from the accepted norm. If these two students who broadcast this over the net had of just watched it from their dorm and not sent it to the world, I think this would have been a non issue and Tyler would not have taken his life, but by outing him to the world without him being psychologically prepared for the aftermath, I think just pushed him over the edge. Just wanted you all to see this from a gay perspective. As far as the laws and what should be done to the two involved, I think they just used bad judgement and didnt think about possible consequences so to me they shouldnt have their lives destroyed, maybe just a few months of shock time in the slammer. As they will have this death on their conscience for the rest of their lives. It just goes to show you that no one knows what is going on in the others lives and that what we all do and say really can affect the others around us.

[lovbyts]

Some here think that the boy had issues, well yeah he did. He was a closeted gay man. When your closeted you carry a lot of baggage around always worrying about what you do where you go am I going to be seen by someone who doesnt know about me. You worry about what you say always thinking before speaking afraid of saying something that will be misconstrued and outing yourself. These things take a toll on a person. When you grow up knowing you are gay and different than the 90% others around you, you are scared of telling anyone about your feelings and all this shit works on your psyche especially in High School. You withdrawal from your family and friends not able to talk about what is going on in your life, fearing that they will reject you if they know who you really are. And for those who think it is a chosen lifestyle, I ask why in the world would someone want to grow up being different from the norm and to put thereselves in a position to be bullied and ridiculed all their life. I knew I was gay when I was 14. Yeah that was fun. You go to church only to be told that you are an abomination worthy of death. That it is a chosen lifestyle and you can just change and be straight. every conversation you overhear on the subject is always negative. If you hang out in a gay area, you put yourself at risk of harassment, beatings and being killed just for who you are. You cant go to the prom cause that would out you if you took a male date. You cant go double dating with your straight friends always having to make excuses. You go out of your way to cover your tracks and always deny who you are as you cant take the sh*t from being outed especially at that age, if you are not emotionally ready for it. Life is tough enough without that added stigma of being different from the accepted norm. If these two students who broadcast this over the net had of just watched it from their dorm and not sent it to the world, I think this would have been a non issue and Tyler would not have taken his life, but by outing him to the world without him being psychologically prepared for the aftermath, I think just pushed him over the edge. Just wanted you all to see this from a gay perspective. As far as the laws and what should be done to the two involved, I think they just used bad judgement and didnt think about possible consequences so to me they shouldnt have their lives destroyed, maybe just a few months of shock time in the slammer. As they will have this death on their conscience for the rest of their lives. (Good call) It just goes to show you that no one knows what is going on in the others lives and that what we all do and say really can affect the others around us.

I can only imagine how difficult that would be but I also like to think I have helped a couple boys who where in your situation. They where friends of my daughter in Junior High. They where Emo type kids and pretty obviously Gay but their parents didnt know???? They use to confide in my daughter about how they felt being scared, the fact that their parents would not understand and how they would be ridiculed. She was good at not judging people since I had taught her NOT to judge people by their race, looks or sexual preference since she was very young.

They use to ask her how she though I would respond to them if I knew they where gay and she sort of embarrassed them by calling me over to them as asking point blank in front of them (because she knew my response). I just said so what? They would then ask what if they where my son or daughter? I would again respond with it didnt matter, there are a LOT more important things to worry about; Health, grades and how they presented themselves (manners). One of them asked me one time what if I found out my daughter was gay? I gave him a fake surprised look and said; WHAT???? you mean she isnt? LOL

They both of course eventually came out and confided in their parents. I told them NOT to try to just shock them or they would probably get the expected reaction from them. I said if you dont have an open dialog with them, if you dont talk to them much then now is the time to start and start slowly, little by little and confide in them about other things first to get them use to talking to you again. When you decide it's time to tell them make sure it's in private, it's not at a time when something else is going on or they need to be somewhere. Make it as un-stressful as possible for everyone as possible.

From what I remember one of them was surprised (I wasnt) that the parents already knew and everything was fine. The other kid had a rough time for a week or so but of course things settled down and the parents came to terms with it. He stayed the night at our house one time during the blowout and my daughter asked if he could sleep in her room on the floor since he was gay. I LOL and said NO, because he is gay does not mean I am going to treat him any different than any other boy. He respected that.

Yes it can be interesting being a parent.

[DSM4Life]

Never judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes

[cherrydrpepper]

My question:

What do you think should happen to the 2 students that filmed him? Do they go to jail or murder ? Hate crime ? Or was it a prank that took a turn for the worse but there shouldn't be any punishment ?

It's tough because for murder there needs to be intent. Did the students intend for harm to come from the prank? Could that possible mean manslaughter?

Sad stuff man. I hate suicide. We all lose when that happens.

They should definitely do jail time. I can't say about the charges I mean there has to be some proof if they are going to be charged with a hate crime i.e. witnesses would have to have heard them use slurs and hate language imo.

Good topic DSM. You are loved and accepted. Wish this kid had known he was too.

[DSM4Life]

Sad stuff man. I hate suicide. We all lose when that happens.

They should definitely do jail time. I can't say about the charges I mean there has to be some proof if they are going to be charged with a hate crime i.e. witnesses would have to have heard them use slurs and hate language imo.

Good topic DSM. You are loved and accepted. Wish this kid had known he was too.

Thank you .


Zimmy no where to be found now ? How convenient .

[danielmaco]

I think the two students need to spend some time in jail. They had no right to film him, and to distribute the film. They only filmed him because he was gay, clearly they have a problem with his sexual identity. I don't think they would've filmed him if he was with a girl. I think these two monsters have committed a federal crime, and a hate crime.

At the end of the day, they have ruined the life of a promising young man, which lead to his suicide. They should be punished. Jail time is a must for me.
If he had decent people around him, I think he would have found himself, and would have been fine in a couple of year's time.

Also, depending on what these two are studying, a criminal record could ruin future job prospects. A small consolation, but at least their lives would be ruined.

[DSM4Life]

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg said Wednesday he'll introduce legislation requiring colleges to adopt a code of conduct that prohibits bullying and harassment following the suicide of a student whose gay sexual encounter in his dorm room was broadcast online.

Lautenberg, D-N.J., made the announcement at a town meeting on the Rutgers University campus in memory of 18-year-old freshman Tyler Clementi.

Clementi, a promising violinist, jumped off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River on Sept. 22 after the intimate images of him with another man were webcast, and his body was identified days later.

Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, and another Rutgers freshman, Molly Wei, both 18, have been charged with invasion of privacy, and authorities are weighing whether bias crime charges should be added.

Clementi's death has prompted a national discussion on the plight of young gay people and bullying. The Rutgers event, organized by the university and the gay rights activist group Garden State Equality, drew about 300 students and others, including U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and actress/comedienne Judy Gold, a Rutgers grad and gay activist who won two Daytime Emmy Awards as a writer and producer for "The Rosie O'Donnell Show."

"No one could have heard about this degradation he suffered without feeling pain themselves," Lautenberg said. "This is a major problem, and we're going to fix it."

Gold expressed outrage at the pain inflicted on Clementi. "What happened to him was not just an invasion of privacy. This was just sick," she said.

Lautenberg said his bill would require colleges and universities that receive federal student aid to create policies prohibiting harassment of any student. Such policies are not currently required by federal law, he said. The bill also would provide funding for schools to establish programs to deter harassment of students.

Clementi's death was one of a string of suicides last month involving teens believed to have been victims of anti-gay bullying.

Just days after Clementi's body was recovered, more than 500 people attended a memorial service for a 13-year-old central California boy, Seth Walsh, who hanged himself after enduring taunts from classmates about being gay.

Earlier Wednesday, Ravi's lawyer, Steven D. Altman, issued a statement saying he was "heartened to hear" that investigators are taking their time "to learn all the facts before rushing to judgment" about whether to file bias charges against his client. Altman said he hoped the public would do the same.

"I am confident that nothing will be learned to justify, warrant or support the filing of any bias criminal complaint," Altman said.

Middlesex County prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said earlier this week that he wouldn't rush the investigation into Clementi's death. His spokesman said Wednesday there was nothing new to report.

Lawyers for Wei released a statement Tuesday saying she was innocent and extending sympathy to the Clementi family.

"This is a tragic situation," the statement said. "But this tragedy has also unfairly led to rampant speculation and misinformation, which threaten to overwhelm the actual facts of the matter. Those true facts will reveal that Molly is innocent."

Ravi, of Plainsboro, and Wei, of Princeton, each could face up to five years in prison if convicted on the invasion of privacy charge.

Clementi's family has said little. In a statement last week, it said it hoped the tragedy would "serve as a call for compassion, empathy and human dignity."