Video of Nanaimo girl being beaten underlines divergent views on bullying itself, video, where, media

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Video of Nanaimo girl being beaten underlines divergent views on bullying


The video itself is clear. Five teenage girls wrestle and throw punches at each other outside a Nanaimo shopping mall. One girl falls to the ground and is kicked by two others.

But just what the disturbing images mean for Nanaimo, where bullying has been a problem in the past, is much less obvious. The Vancouver Island city seems divided over whether bullying, fuelled by social media, is on the rise — or if it has always been a part of growing up.

Nanaimo RCMP are investigating the “brawl” near the Woodgrove Centre bus loop after a video was posted on YouTube in mid-March, showing five girls engaged in a violent confrontation watched by about 20 other youths.

Const. Gary O’Brien said police could lay assault charges against two girls, ages 13 and 14, who appear to be the aggressors in the attack and may have lured the victim to the scene. “The victim received some bumps, bruises, a cut to her lip and a black eye,” he said Friday.

The video, which has since been removed from YouTube, was forwarded to Nanaimo RCMP school liaison officers early last week, prompting police to begin an assault investigation.

“As police officers, it’s disturbing to see brawls of this nature involving young persons,” said O’Brien. “What’s also disturbing is to see the number of people who witness it, then do nothing to stop it.

“Recording these incidents only leads to further victimization.”

But Nanaimo rapper Jason McDonald, who goes by the name Reveal, said he was merely trying to bring attention to his work when he took the video footage, which was sent to him anonymously, and set it to music before posting it on his Facebook page.

“I think the silver lining for all of us is the exposure this brings to the issue of bullying,” he said Saturday.

McDonald doesn’t regret posting the video, despite some of the comments he’s received saying he’s re-victimizing the teens involved.

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In fact, he said he’s spoken to the alleged aggressors and believes they were merely sticking up for themselves.

“If I had been there, I would have stepped in (to stop the fight), but I don’t think this a big deal,” he said. “Everyone knows high school is hard. Growing up in Nanaimo, this stuff happens.”

For Kristyn Robert, the video brought back memories of her own experiences with bullies in a Nanaimo high school.

“Something needs to be done,” she said. “I really wish the schools would do more.”

Robert, who began a Facebook group called Bullying Awareness in Nanaimo, decided to share her story when another Nanaimo teen, Ashkan Sultani, committed suicide in January 2010. After the 15-year-old boy’s death, his parents held memorial events at both Dover Bay and Woodlands Secondary — schools where their son had trouble with bullies — to prevent another person from being victimized.

Robert said bullying may not be a new issue, but that doesn’t make it any less concerning.

But Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan said he believes the brawl was an isolated incident.

“This is regrettable, but not typical in Nanaimo,” he said. “What is personally discouraging to me is that no one made an effort to stop it.”

University of Victoria child violence expert Sibylle Artz said that while the first priority for everyone involved should be ensuring the victim is safe and supported, she agrees two incidents of bullying in Nanaimo don’t necessarily indicate a trend.

“When girls do anything that is seen as being outside the stereotypical role, people are shocked and it gets attention,” she said.

The professor said it is always serious when one person causes harm to another, but the punishment for those involved should not be criminalization.

“The idea that we can solve the problem of kids fighting in a mall parking lot with charges and custody is not realistic.”

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A brawl involving young teenage girls has sparked calls for charges and anti-bullying messages in Nanaimo.