Mayor Fogarty searching for harassment solutions
January 21, 2008
Dardenne Prairie, MO
It seems Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Fogarty has the task of fighting harassment added to her job description.
Recently, Mayor Fogarty was a guest on the Tyra Banks show. The topic, bullying. Fogarty told sccworlds.com that during the taping, an audience full of bullies and bullying victims addressed each other and many tears were shed. Tina Meier was also a guest on that show; Lori Drew was not. The show is set to air in the next three to six weeks.
In addition to making talk show appearances against bullying, Mayor Fogarty also attended Governor Blunt’s Internet Harassment Task Force meeting on January 8. This task force is made up of a variety of participants, including: Rep. Joe Smith, Sen. Scott Rupp, a law professor, representatives from MySpace and those in the fields of child advocacy, public safety and law enforcement.
According to the Missouri Safe School Act, school administrators must report to law enforcement certain acts, such as (but not limited to): murder, kidnapping, distribution of drugs, arson, assault and manslaughter. The governor’s task force is working to add cyber-bullying and harassment to this list of reportable acts. As with any legislation, definitions must be tempered with reason while at the same time be specific enough to include current technology.
Fogarty said that she has received many e-mails, some encouraging new laws and some opposing them. One man from Florida stated, “In my day, what laws didn’t prohibit, shame did.”
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Megan Meier hanged herself on Oct. 16, 2006 after allegedly being bullied on the Internet by Lori Drew, Drew’s daughter and an employee of Drew’s business. The group anonymously created a virtual boyfriend for Megan. The online communication began with friendly posts but then turned mean. The comment “The world would be a better place without you,” was reportedly posted shortly before Megan’s death.
On Dec. 3, 2007, St. Charles County prosecutor, Jack Banas, announced that there would be no criminal charges filed in the Megan Meier case. Banas stated, “The purpose was never to cause her emotional harassment that we can prove.” Without being able to prove the allegations, officials felt they could not proceed with charges.
Copyright 2008 Neighbors About Town