“I’m against bullying,” Mayor Cameron Hamilton said, “but I’m getting damn tired of it being used as a mantra for everything, and the ills of the world.”
Hamilton (pictured) was speaking at a City Council meeting in Porterville, CA (pop. 55,023), where the topic of supporting an anti-bullying “Safe Zone” was brought to the floor at request of local schoolchildren, Action News reports.
“People just have to grow a pair,” Hamilton continued, “and stick up for them damn selves!”
“It’s hard to just ‘grow a pair’ when you’re a 10 year old girl,” Councilwoman Virginia Gurrola replied.
How about we take this to the next level?
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To which, Hamilton quickly spat: “Then maybe the other 10 year olds that think they want to stop bullying will stand up for her.”
Great idea! Rather than adults working to make schools safer, let’s leave it to the 10-year-olds, since they’re doing so famously already.
Councilwoman Gurrola had proposed the city support “Safe Zones,” which would designate off-campus locations for youth, including LGBT youth, to seek help in coping with bullies.
It sounds like a no-brainer to us, but opponents, primarily Hamilton, fear these alleged “Safe Zones” are just a sneaky way for gay sympathizers to promote “propaganda.”
Sounds like a move out of Putin’s playbook.
Porterville resident Melissa McMurrey doesn’t understand the mayor’s resistance. “It’s an opportunity for the community to come together, as a whole, and say that we’re not going to take this bullying in our town,” she told Action News.
McMurry is not alone in her frustration. Barry Caplan, an advocate for gay rights in the city, agrees. He feels the mayor’s comment were out of line. “[I]t’s just entirely inappropriate and another black eye for the city for the mayor to say something like that,” he said.
Hamilton was the only person to vote against Safe Zones, which means the topic will be discussed again at the next City Council meeting. Action News reached out to him for comment, but he wouldn’t return their calls.
Tookietookie123
There goes your job.
DickieJohnson
Just curious: How do they spell a.s.s.h.O.l.e. in California? I’m happy it has to be discussed again. Why can’t all schools pass a “zero tolerance” rule, abd be done with it?
Harley
Sounds to me that HE is a bully, grew up bullying others, and continues to bully. Sounds defensive to me.
Mezaien
California, will never run out of ass holes! just like Arizona.
stranded
Safe zones seem like a decent idea. It’s still very hard for kids to come to anyone and express their hurt feelings. So i don’t know how well it’ll go over, but they at least need to give it a shot.
As far as his growing a pair statement. I’m in agreement. Also, when Councilwoman Gurrola said “It’s hard to just ‘grow a pair’ when you’re a 10 year old girl.” That’s as ass-backwards thinking as the Mayor’s thoughts on safe zones. Girls can be just as tough as boys, you just have to not alter their development of a strong personality because outdated notions what a little girl should be.
Schools are doing a shit job of teaching kids not to bully. The no bullying campaign is the new DARE (anti-drugs) program. It’s a bunch of semi-boring presentations with free goodies to keep the kids focus. At the end though, it does little to nothing to alter student’s behavior.