KMTV’s Emily Szink had the chance to interview and speak with Frida Aguilera De la Torre and Jared Williamson, two Nebraska students who were attacked and assaulted by bullies in 2014.
Both Frida and Jared were brutally attacked by fellow students while bystanders stood by watching and videotaping the vicious assaults.
During the interview, Szink was able to discuss the attacks with the two students. Both students recalled feeling ambushed, embarrassed and afraid.
After his attack, Jared was diagnosed with PTSD and he is now homeschooled. “[It] was so brutal that I was sick,” said Jared’s mother, Tami Krogh.
While Frida returned to school, she continues to experience fear and anxiety every day. Frida’s mother was so traumatized that she couldn’t even finish watching the video of her daughter’s attack.
Both families have retained Nebraska’s leading bullying law firm, Inkelaar Law to represent them. Thomas Inkelaar, founding partner of Inkelaar Law, was so disturbed by the lack of strong anti-bullying laws in Nebraska, that the firm initiated a push to implement Frida’s Law.
The bill seeks to criminalize bullying behavior and hold both attackers and bystanders responsible for their actions. If passed, the bill would require that bullies be sentenced to counseling and community service in addition to other penalties.
Both Frida and Jared were attacked on the way home from school and the physical assaults were compounded by social media distribution of their videoed attacks.
Cyber-bullying, the use of the internet and social media networks to film, harass and attack students, is a significant problem. Both Jared and Frida were forced to relive their attacks endlessly through video recordings and through popular social media networks.
Frida Aguilera De la Torre and Jared Williamson represent countless Nebraska students who are threatened and harmed by their peers before, after and during school.
Violent bullying assaults and social media humiliation are much more common than we would like to think. We hope that you will join residents across the state and Senator Al Davis in making the passage of new anti-bullying legislation a priority.
Sign the Change.org anti-bullying petition to let legislators across the state know we need to end bullying behavior and we need to do it now.
Please show your support for Frida and Jared by using the hashtag #Fight4FridasLaw on all of your social media accounts.
As a parent, you may have many concerns about bullying behavior. If your child has been harmed by bullies and you have a legal question, do not hesitate to contact us.
