B.C. girl's suicide foreshadowed by video
Tributes are pouring in for a Maple Ridge, B.C., teenager who committed suicide after posting a video describing how she was tormented by bullies and suffered from depression.
The 15-year-old, whose name was Amanda, posted a cry for help in a YouTube video in September. It was taken down by YouTube on Thursday following her death.
Amanda didn't speak through the entire nine minutes, but flashes dozens of cards telling how she sank into depression after she says she was blackmailed, relentlessly taunted and physically attacked at school.
She moved schools several times, but couldn't escape bullies, she says through the flash cards.
In the notes underneath the video, she writes, "I'm struggling to stay in this world, because everything just touches me so deeply.... Haters are haters but please don't hate," said the posting.
News of the teen's death has sparked a wave of grief and anger online and in her community.
Cheryl Quinton, who is with the Coquitlam School Board, says the girl's suicide has shaken students and staff.
"Student deaths in such tragic circumstances do hit a community very, very hard," said Quinton.
She said the school was aware of the video before Amanda took her life, and supports were in place to help her.
Bullying has been an issue for schools for decades, and it's particularly difficult to combat now in an age of social media, Quinton said.
B.C. Premier Christy Clark posted a message on YouTube expressing her own concern and condolences for the family.
"No one deserves to be bullied. No one earns it. No one asks for it. It isn't a rite of passage. Bullying has to stop," said Clark.
"Every child, everyone needs to be able to feel safe at school. And when we send our kids to school we need to know that they are going to come home safe."
RCMP have released a statement saying it was an unimaginable tragedy that has a huge impact on the community as a whole.
