SCHENECTADY — Kuanna always had their backs.
When she led them to the group that called itself the 4 Block gang, she was there to protect them. For a while, it was fun. Boys had sex with them, they got invited to the cool parties where alcohol flowed freely and marijuana made them feel better than they’d ever felt before.
But then Kuanna killed herself on Nov. 25 and their world spiraled out of control.
According to the journals and Internet postings of the three girls who killed themselves this year and interviews with their parents and mentors, the girls were buried by a landslide of the most dangerous risk factors for suicide.
First among them was the fact that they had lost not only a friend but a trusted protector. Simply knowing a suicidal peer “significantly” worsens a teen’s ability to cope with suicidal thoughts, according to national suicide expert Madelyn Gould.
Imagine how much worse it would be if the loss of that friend meant the loss of the only barrier between the child and a host of bullies.
Kuanna issued a blanket threat to anyone who wanted to hurt her friends, saying in capital letters on her MySpace page: “If you f--- with me or my peoples, you’re going DOWN.”
After her death, the teens she left behind filled her page with pleas for help.
“Kuanna omg plsz jusz help meh through this,” one girl begged, using an abbreviation for “oh my God.”
Another added, “i just wish yu were here to put bitches in their place.”
Without her, the members of her group were attacked regularly by other girls — another huge suicide risk factor. The abuse was so bad that Mary, 17, and Jalissa, 15, stopped going to school. Jalissa killed herself soon after, on Feb. 23, and Mary committed suicide on March 1.
Cherelle, 14, also wanted to avoid school. But her mother wouldn’t let her drop out, so she rode the bus to school — and then skipped classes whenever she could sneak away.
Unfortunately, leaving school didn’t seem to help any of the three. Other girls regularly attacked them on the street, even hunting them down when they ventured to a friend’s house.
Mary, who became pregnant shortly after Kuanna’s death, faced slurs from other girls who called her a “slut” and a “whore.” Making matters worse, she wasn’t sure whether to abort the baby. Her mother told her that abortion was un-Christian, while the mother of the baby’s father demanded that she abort.
“She was scared. She was badgered, bullied, threatened. Two kids called her all kinds of things,” Mary’s mother, Carolyn Turner, said. “The [boyfriend’s] mother called my daughter a slut. I tried to talk to her as one mother to another. I said she should have some compassion because kids make mistakes.”
Two days before Mary committed suicide, she took a phone call from the woman. Turner doesn’t know what the woman said, but her daughter kept repeating, “I am a child of God and I leave it in God’s hands.”
And then she killed herself. She was three months pregnant.
The act left Cherelle alone, bereft of three of the only friends she had made in her first six months at Schenectady High School. She had previously gone to the International Charter School of Schenectady and then attended middle school in Burnt Hills while living with her grandparents. She did well there, but she begged to return to Schenectady for high school, wanting to fit in among other biracial children and live with her mother again.
It was a decision she came to regret.
Alone among the more violent members of Kuanna’s gang, Cherelle was beaten so badly one night this spring that she staggered home with two broken ribs and a concussion. She told her mother then the 4 Block gang had attacked her.
What her mother did not know was that Cherelle had been hanging out with that gang since August.
At various times, Cherelle offered conflicting explanations for the attack. Once she said it was a gang initiation, but when pressed for details about whether she was being initiated, she said she was the hapless victim chosen by a stranger who wanted to earn entrance into the gang.
Cherelle also explained the beating as an act of random revenge. At one point, she said she was beaten because some 4 Block members were thrown out of a party she was attending. Infuriated, they took it out on her when she left to go home.
It’s possible that was closer to the truth. The girls’ journals suggest that relationships within the gang were fraying and fights were forming between factions.
They wrote that they wished Kuanna was still around, that she had been the mediator who kept them together.
“I remember back then when no one had any worries, [we] just had fun and never thought about any of the bullshit in our lives,” one wrote.
Another wrote that the gang members were now fighting “over dumb shit” or for no reason at all.
“Kuanna, you always had my back,” one wrote on Kuanna’s MySpace page. “And I really need you now.”
Cherelle’s journal also indicates that she might have had second thoughts about the gang.
“She wrote, ‘I just don’t want to be involved in that gang crap,’ ” her aunt, Debra Ryan, said. “I unfortunately think she made some wrong friends.”
In the journal, Cherelle also wrote that a 4 Block boy said he would protect her. All she had to do was say his name and the others would back off, she wrote.
But her mother wanted to call police.
“She broke down and cried, ‘No, Mommy,’ ” said Lisa Seymour, Cherelle’s mother. “There were threats that if she went to police, they’d do it again.”
Cherelle admitted that she knew her attackers, but she refused to identify them. Her psychologist said she shouldn’t be forced to talk to police. In the end, Seymour decided not to even report it to the high school.
“I felt they would make us go to police,” she said.
But when she called after her daughter killed herself on April 2, she realized Cherelle had faced far more than one attack. School officials told her Cherelle was badly bullied during school and had starting skipping class.
In Cherelle’s backpack, Seymour also found suicide hot line pamphlets. She learned that her daughter had been regularly attending the small-group school counseling sessions that began after the previous suicides. Seymour had never known.
“Why didn’t they tell me?” she said. “I understand about confidentiality but if you see my daughter’s face at these suicide groups a few times, you know she’s having some issues. If they attend a few times, you need to make a phone call.”
But there’s not much more that Seymour could have done. Her daughter had already been diagnosed with depression — long before she met Kuanna — and was on medication and seeing a counselor weekly. Twice in the last weeks before Cherelle’s death, she mentioned suicidal thoughts and her mother rushed her to emergency counseling sessions.
“She was getting the counseling she needed. So I don’t understand why . . .” Seymour said.
Depression is also a risk factor for suicide, but it’s generally not the cause. Experts say more than 20 percent of teenage girls get depressed during adolescence. Only 10 percent of those try to kill themselves and even in those cases, there is always something more, experts say.
Cherelle didn’t kill herself when she became depressed. She didn’t give up when she was beaten senseless. She didn’t try to die when she lost Kuanna, or when Jalissa died. She carried on for a month after Mary committed suicide.
What pushed her over the edge?
Seymour thinks the long line of suicides in Cherelle’s past overwhelmed her with grief. Not only did she lose three good friends just after transferring to a new school, but her cousin committed suicide in 2007 and her stepfather, Joe, who raised her, killed himself when she was 9 years old.
“When Joe died, that was hard enough,” Seymour said. “To go through that five times? I went through it twice and I’m having a real hard time. The fifth time, I think I’d be where Cherelle is.”
7:11 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
What has not been mentioned here is whther or not the other suicide victims were being treated with antidepressant medication.In 2004 FDA placed Black Box warnings on antidepressants for increased risk of violence and suicide for those under the age of 18. "ANTIDEPRESSANTS DO NOT DECREASE THE RISK OF SUICIDES, THEY ONLY INCREASE" Many times the treatment can be worse than the disease itself.
7:22 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Ivansyckel...The most important thing not listed in the story is what was the relationship of the parents and children, did they have one? Another aspect is this, The only true relationship that will work for parents and there children is getting to know Jesus Christ, I know that the world mocks this all the time but after all he came to save sinners in which we all are, but after I have become saved, I found that no matter what the problem, Jesus can solve it for me if I trust in him. And about the word disease, the only disease that kills for eternity is " Sin" and unless that is dealt with through faith in Christ,one shall die in it.
8:07 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
mrmjs,
A Child Psychiatrist named Dr Biederman stated in a deposition, that he, is "second to God". It is never a good idea to mix science and religion. In a teenagers mind,.. adults are goofy and out of touch. Teenagers truly believe that adults dont understand what they are going through. And as far as religion is concerned, children from religious backgrounds are more proned to be overmedicated.
8:34 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
"Children from religious backgrounds are proned to be overmedicaed"???? Where did that come from? Post a link to back it up.
This is a tragedy. Obviously Schenedtady schools have far greater problems than "the intimidator". Are they so understaffed that no one saw any of this coming? Not one single teacher these girls had thought anything was amiss?
Teachers are required to report to authorities "suspected child abuse". Maybe they should be required to report "the possibility of physically harming oneself" as well. I can't help but think one of more of these lives could have been saved, if someone had the b***s to get involved.
8:49 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Here you are Irene
http://www.ssristories.com
9:23 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Wow! What a powerful article! Kudos to the writer! But what a twisted world we live in when this is what kids have to deal with and go through daily. No wonder kids do not want to go to school! I personally place A LOT of the blame on the failing Schenectady School District. It is single handily ruining Schenectady. We live near the Mt Pleasant schools, but send our kids to private schools and keep them as far away from the students that walk by our house everyday. Students that swear, smoke, fight, block traffic, steal things from people's yards, shoot up and toss the needles in our yards. They are a disgrace and things will only get worse if something drastic is not done by the schools & parents of all these children. If children do not feel loved, they do succeed! Love your children, they are our 1st priority!
10:14 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I really can't understand why blame seems to be directed at the school system. The criminal, gang culture didn't start there but they are expected to solve the problem AND provide formal education.
We need to be constructive and focus on the long term. The children being born today will need role models and must be provided with opportunities to be involved in constructive activities, sports, arts,etc.
You have to contain a flood buy building the levees before the water level rises.
For the young people already caught up in this tragedy we have to show, as a community, compassion and support.
To all of you who are suffering and feeling trapped, look up at the clear blue sky. It is beautiful and it is as much yours as anyone elses. Be strong in your hearts, get through this. Don't give up. There are brighter days ahead and you WILL have your place in the sun.
11:10 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
This is not the streets and world I grew up in. I went to Linton and walked the streets with my friends for many years growing up in Schenectady. If you saw a fight it was with fists, not knives and guns. Today, I really don't think there is one answer. I do know that we need to face the facts and help all these kids. We did not have the internet, phones, access to guns and knives and gangs like they do. Did we spoil our kids with all these "advanced" tools? Is it our fault? Did we not talk to them enough? We would just hand them an electronic toy and say go play. Then work work work, and no time for you at the end of my tired day?
I would love to join a community group where kids can come and just spill out how they feel and talk to the adults and tell us.. Will we listen? That's a big one. Listening to them. I have to really work hard on this myself. Sometimes I don't want to listen to them. I just want them to listen to me.
To all the families and friends who have lost anyone in this horrific time, please know that there are people who are praying for healing for you and for a better world. I to have a yound granddaughter who will need peers to look up to. Hopefully, we can really get involved and try to figure out what can be done to help EVERYONE (parents, kids, teacher etc)
12:25 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Teachers do report to the school social workers if a student expresses depressive comments, eating issues- all that. NOTHING GETS DONE!! Parents can not be ordered to take a child to the doctor or psychologist. Nurses routinely call parents but can not force the issue.
Harvard guy tells us how to help inner city kids???
MIDDLE SCHOOL bullies- principal hit by girls in a fight, marijuana found in a locker, knife in a locker,
teachers are routinely told to 'go to H', and your little ones will be coming there.
The parents are themselves ill equipped to deal with life.
How about the boys who partied and had underage sex?- prosecute.
12:53 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I know it's not the schools responsibilty when fights occur afterschool but they need to seriously consider throwing out all these kids that are bullies. Children deserve to go to school in a safe environment and they deserve to get home afterschool in one piece!! I have had it with all the fighting and jumping that takes place after school- enough is enough parents can't always control what their children do so you can't always blame the parents and the schools have soooo many laws forbidding them from taking certain actions so it's a never ending problem. i say we start having a no tolerance approach... you beat up someone at school or after school or you disrespect a teacher you get kicked out of school point blank!! get rid of the trouble makers and help them, people who bully others have issues themselves they need help too! I know people years ago who took their children out of a Rotterdam school because too much focus was on the bad students! Parents are at the wits end dealing with working full time jobs and worrying about their children's safety and lets face it some of these kids parents should be in jail also!!
3 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
All the problems of society has to fall upon the lack of a stable home life, where the family unit is fractured by not having both parents in the home everyday interacting with their kids, not instilling good morals, pride, self esteem. These kids are going school angry at very young ages 5 and 6 yr old, I see this everyday and it is very disheartening to see. Some of the problems could be attributed to a psychological or chemical imbalance that the kids are suffering from but their parent/guardian refuses to accept that, because lets face it no-one wants to have their child labeled as someone who is "Special Ed or learning disabled" because than it casts doubt upon that parent on why or what they did or could have done that could have changed the way their child behaves and acts.
The home life situation of a lot of this kids contain families where there are siblings who don't all share the same fathers for one reason or another and the current father figure that might be in the home presently isn't one that probably is responsible enough to be a father to begin with, but that is not saying that any father figure that is present is doing a bad job or no job at raising kids but has a tough job trying to raise someone else kid.
It does not help matters that the young boys and girls are having sex, unprotected sex which are resulting in childhood pregnancies which continue to fuel the cycle of the fractured home life, because the boy refuses to take responsibility for the child and has nothing to do with the mother and the child.
The absence of a father figure in the home is also attributing to the hostility and dis-respectfulness actions that these young kids are lashing out towards anyone of authority either it be a principal, teacher or just some random person that they may come across while on the street. You see it everyday in Schenectady all you need to do is drive your car down a street and see how many times you are challenged by someone standing/walking in the road vs. the sidewalk and refuses to let you by. You see it with the amount of litter in the streets and along our sidewalks these kids young and older throw on the ground as they move about. It doesn't help when you have to keep thinking in the back of your head that if I say something about it to them it could become a hostile situation and wind up turning a blind eye.
Do I think religion or lack of it within the home could be an attributing factor, that is uncertain but if you look at religion in a whole with what is going on as far as the violence, disrespect, and everything else I mentioned and then compare it to the churches that have declined in membership or closed over the years which to me started in the late 60's when people started moving out of the cities more and more, it does seem to go hand in hand.
3:24 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. — Plato (c.427-347 BC)
"When the leash is cut, the chattels run awry" (isme, 2009)
Compulsory government brainwashing (mislabeled "public education") is prolonged servitude for dubious economic benefit. Self-selected peer cliques (gangs) are liberating! When they no longer protect, they self-destruct.
6:06 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
half of that is misconcepted
yes kuanna had a lot of peoples back but dont make it seem like it was just life
kuanna had love for a lot of people
maybe cherelle and mary got bullied but they held their own
especially mary
she was tough
people werent mean to her from what i see and if they were she brushed it off
like when she thought i didnt like her cuz i rolled my eyes at her she cam and asked me
and we been cool
i didnt realy know cherelle but she took my bus
kuanna was like everyones big sister
even if she was younger than you
she carried a lot of weight
and so did the other girls
jalissa tried suicide before kuanna died and cherelle has been dealing with that her whole life
idk about mary but cinsidering her situaion
it was just becaise she was "bullied" as yall say
it might have been because she was pregnant and didnt know and answer to her problem
dont get it twisted
i got love for 4 block. it turned frlom just the name of a couple of people to now a gang
4 block dont mess with nobody unless someone messes with them.
rip kuanna. i love you
rip cherelle, mary, & jalissa
6:11 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
by the way,. kuanna was NOT the leader of 4block. she was the 1st and official girl in it.
7:51 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
NONE of you reporters or whatever have any idea what you're talking about. None of this is Kuanna's fault it's not like she put the rope around their necks. They all made their own desicions. Nobody knows what they were going through & Jalissa never got "attacked" on any occasion by "4-block". everything in this is a LIE except for the incident between Mary and the boys mother. You got Kuanna twisted. Yeah she was the first lady of 4-block but she was still a great friend and the only time she would mess with some one is if some one messed with her. get your facts straight before you try and blame her for the things others were going through. your not in none of our positions so mind your business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8:09 p.m.
8:27 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Um , excuse me , but i would just like to say Kuanna was like a sister to me &_+ Jalissa was my best friend . I didn't really appreciate anything said in this article . These girls are dead &_+ gone , they don't deserve to sit here && be talked about , they are resting in peace okay , especially if half of what is said about them isn't even true . None of this was Kuanna's fault , like Tarah said , all of these girls had their own reasons && made their own decisions . You Gazette people have the story all wrong &_+ twisted . I really don't appreciate any of this , its not fair to these girls && the ones who love them who had to read it . Get your facts straight before you start talking about people .
8:58 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Okay, let me start off by saying that I wasnt close to any of the girls who commited suicide this year, but I have family members and best friends who were very close to them. First off, why are you blaming Kuanna for all of this? From what I understand, she was a person that everyone could go to, but that didnt mean that the following suicides were her fault! And where are you people getting most of these facts? I go to Schenectady High School and I never heard half of this stuff in this article. If you adults really want to prevent suicides, stop acting like you know everything and listen to what the kids have to say for once. And I agree with both Tarah and Sheonna, you guys dont know what you're talking about. I'm going to quote you guys here "When she led them to the group that called itself the 4 Block gang, she was there to protect them. For a while, it was fun. Boys had sex with them, they got invited to the cool parties where alcohol flowed freely and marijuana made them feel better than they’d ever felt before." Kuanna was the first lady of 4block not the starter. Boys had sex with them? People who are in 4block dont just have sex all the time, get it straight. This article is a bunch of bull, and pretty much everyone on "Myspace" right now, is outraged.
11:25 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Its everyone's fault. Parents, teachers, friends, enemies, TV shows, news, the internet. ALL SOCIETY is to blame. This world is selfish and unkind. No one thinks about other people. Its all about "me". This world breeds hate and violence. These girls don't stand a chance. Very few people are born mean. Its something that's learned. Everyone needs to take a lesson from all of this. Stop blaming and start helping. Keep your mouth shut unless its to help. If everyone spent as much time trying to fix the situation as they do trying to blame and retaliate maybe some of these girls could have been helped. Maybe the next one could be helped before she becomes the next one.
12:54 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Excellent news story, Kathleen, and informative comment thread.
1:45 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
why are yall talking about something you have no idea about. you dont know anything about anybodys personal life. you're making it seem like kuanna was a bad person and that wasnt the case at all. you're making it seem like all these girls killed themselves because of "4-block" your facts are all wrong. you guys are just trying to find someone to blame for all of this. kuanna was one of the best people in this world and your just mad because you didnt no her! these girls had there own personal problems and didnt think there was anybody who could help or understand. and kathleen you need to write another story and apologize to "4-block" for all these lies you are telling because that aint right. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT
3:55 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
i am the mother of a schenectady high school girl and i know all too well how the school system thinks and i know about the bullying. first of all my heart goes out to kuanna,mary,jalissa and cherelle's family. my daughter comes home every day and complains about kids bothering and threatening her all the time and like cherelle she won't tell anyone about it in fear that things will only get worse. schenectady is very small and there aren't too many places a child can go for help. it's amazing how people can so easily assume that the parents are automatically blamed when children start having serious issues at school. the bullying started at the high so why is the parent being blamed. in february students went to staff members at the school and warned them that a child at the school was contemplating suicide and the school said it was the parent's responsibilty to look into it, i can't help but to wonder why that child's parents weren't informed. any time my daughter tries to talk to her teachers about a problem they write it off as her being disruptive and disrespectful and kick her out of class. if children are bullied they tend to act like bullies themselves. i monitor my children's internet usage, i read their myspace messages and all and still i can't help but to feel helpless. all the girls that died had close relationships with their mothers and were loved by many but the issues that they were having at school was far more overwhelming and carried on after school. the school is as responsible as the parents if they sat back and did nothing at all. i once called my daughter's guidance counselor and tried to tell her my daughter was being threatened by a group of girls and the guidance counselor told me my child wasn't a priority. this was back in middle school, i complained about her but she's still at the middle school. the point is that if our children aren't being heard how can we help them. when children feel they can't talk to their parents because they're afraid their parents won't understand they look for another adult who can be objective and open minded and neutral. there is lack of communication between school staff and parents and race plays a little role. had all or any of the girls been white would issues at home be an issue? i don't really think we should be pointing fingers at each other at all, because there are so many factors involved. i do think we need to put our differences aside and help the children. i read jalissa and kuanna's comments every day and i worry about these kids. how can we help them? how can we make them feel safe? all the love we give them can't help them when they go to school or out with their friends. and the police can do but so much to help them. how can we talk to school officials without worrying about being threatened?
4:44 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I also grew up in Schenectady and went to Linton High School in the 70's. I was threatened and harassed by two girls who had been assigned to my locker and were stealing my belongings out of the locker. I went to the Principal and one of the girls was eventually expelled, but I still lived in fear for my life everytime I left school. When you're a teenager you don't think you can survive such fear and anxiety. You can only see the immediate trauma unfolding in your life. I really feel for these girls. I'm amazed at the adults I speak with who just can't fathom that these children would consider suicide. I've been there...it's real. It wasn't necessarily the school or the parents at fault. But I wish someone had taken the time to teach compassion to the girls who are so mean to their classmates. I made sure to teach my kids to consider the feelings of the people they belittle. "How would you feel". I had to remind them often, but I hope they remember my voice when they think about being mean or teasing other kids. Not everyone is as strong as they might think.
My heart goes out to the parents and the friends of those girls. I hope their deaths make the bullies take a good look at their actions and helps to change their attitudes. That's where the blame lies.
6:15 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I swear the media makes everything so much worse.Im a student of schenectady high. I struggle with depression. If i had not spoken up and gotten help i woould not be here right now. You dont know what's its like if you've never lived through it. You cant blame one girl for all of the other deaths. As far as i know Kuanna didnt jump out of her grave and tell them to take their lives. And you cant place all of the blame on the gang. Yea we have gangs what school doesn't?! They chose where they wanted to be and didnt want to be. No one was forced. You have no idea what went on in their lives. Depression is here. Its always been here. Get with the program. You have no idea what their lives were like and what goes on in their daily lives. So before you go placing the blame on all of this crap get your facts straight. THERE IS NO BLAME TO BE PLACED. I bet you if Kuanna had never taken her life who's to say that these girls or any other girls or that matter would have taken their lives. All of this is a load of crap. And there is no blame to place. Your making it so much worse by writing about all of this. The whole world doesnt need to know about their personal lives. Stay out of it. You dont know what was going through their minds. You cant blame it on anything. No a gang, or a bully, or friends at school. If anything they just made a contribute to their lives. But thats not the complete reason why. No one knows except them. So think about that before you go writing about this bull.
10:16 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
This Some Bull ! You Daily Gazette People need to get it straight , UGh! KUANNA was a good friend and not only because she was in a gang made her a bad person , i no there not saying that but she was a beautiful good yungg ladie im not saying she was the best . They were all beautiful and they had some issues everyone does . Every one goes through hard & sad &+_ horrible times . It will always get bad before it get's better . They had alot of thing to attend in life . But there gone & we cant do anything about it . You gazette's got it twisted . i knew Cherelle From cheerleading and staying at her house for sleepover's & Kuanna From Evey where . i Miss you guys and love you ! I am gonna go with what Mercades &+_ Tarah &+_ Sheonna Said ; iloveyou Guys to .& 4Block Didnt only have sex & All that Crap Some of them are doing great in School . The bullies were not in 4block they were other friends of Kuanna'S they just like to bullie people i guess ; kuanna never said F*** that b**** up or some crap like that ; Kuanna loved lots of people and they loved her back . You gazette's dont know there life story or whats running through there poor little brains &+_ minds UGh! Everything happen's for a reason & the reasons Make Lots of since . These girls know why They did it . Kuanna Knows why she did it . Jalissa know why she did it . Mary knows why she did it . Cherelle knows why she did it . Them & GOD Knows why they did this to there self . Dont talk bad about them and make up lie about there life , now that there gone let them r.i.p . They wont us yunggens and adults to live are life &+_ live it up . Everything people is doing now like having sex & Drinking & Bulling at this yung age is already done ; no one can change that ; it cant stop unless they stop it Them self . i Said my peace , Now R.i.P Kuanna , Jalissa , Mary &+_ Cherelle <333 iloveyou Kuanna &+_ Cherelle .
10:21 p.m.
3:41 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
You children from 4 Block, if you really are from that "gang" must reread the article. No one put blame on Kuanna, in fact it was stated she was the protector.
Why the need for gangs anyways? Can't there just be friendships, and working hard at school and trying to care for all people?
These suicides are a tragedy. Four beautiful young ladies since November.
Fingers cannot be pointed at anyone for these deaths.
BUT, if there was bullying which it sounds like there was, then the ones doing the bullying MUST be held accoutable for their actions.
There are many fights at the high school and on the streets of Hamilton Hill. And when there's a fight on the street a large crowd appears out of no where. And many times its not one on one its four or more on one.
These gang members and bullies must realize that there lives will go nowhere's unless they reach out for help. Go to Carver on Craig St. for couseling, go to your pastor, talk to your parents if they are available or another adult who you can confide in.
Violence is never the answer. You are not only hurting the one you are beating, you are hurting yourself. For oneday you will end up in jail.
These kids have to start taking responsibility for their own actions. It is very tough growing up in these times, more tough on these kids that don't have that parent to turn to, more tough if they feel they cannot get help for fear of retribution. And sadly many of these kids grow up with violence/drugs in their own home and think that is the norm.
Please if you are being bullied, feel anxious and sad, talk to someone. There are people who really care and life will get better.
1:42 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I also am a Schenectady High student. I think that the writer got everything twisted on this article. I find it to be a load of BS. How can you put the blame on one student for the deaths of the rest? Let them rest in peace already! You may not have said "It was kuanna's fault" but thats what we take it as because of the way you wrote it. I also find it wrong that you took a screen shot of a comment that a student left on her page. If you are going to do that don't let the girls picture show. Be real! I knew every single one of the girls that passed away and you don't know what was going on in their minds. All we are ever going to question is why but truth is we will never know why. The Gazette needs to have a reality check because no it wasn't Kuanna's fault that all these beautiful young ladies did this. Every school without a doubt has at least 1 gang in it. Just because she was the so called leader of the group ,what makes her responsible for the deaths of the rest. It could be family related or for whatever reason. This article is a load of BS. Take it as you must but who is really to say why they did this. Only they would know and thats it. There have been other suicides that have happened in past years but you don't put the blame on one of them now do you? Yea it is kinda awkward how it just happens one by one like the Dominoe Affect is taking us over but it's time for change. Don't put blame on 1 person. It is just wrong. We all cared about them and yes it gets harder every time I'm not going to lie but it's time we start making a difference. It's time for us to say that we can make it in life. Life gets worse before it gets better and you know what this is just another obsticle in life that we will have to get through. R.i.p. Kuanna,Jalissa,Mary, and Cherelle. I miss you my angels. Spread your wings. I'm living life for you 4. I'm trying to put an end to this . I love you with everything I have. Meet you with the lord when it's my time <3333
1:46 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Let's get something straight 1.) You can not just blame the school system, because the school does not raise a child. The parent/guardian is the responsibility, IT’S YOUR CHILD! GET TO KNOW YOUR CHILD TAKE TIME OUT OF THE DAY TO KNOW YOUR CHILD! 2.) You can not just blame Kuanna for everyone's down falls, because as you can see Kuanna's best friend is still alive and moving on with her life. Kuanna didn’t tell them girls to kill them selves. As you can see them girls were dealing with different issues did not have anyone to run to, did not know the answer so they took the easy way out. And you can’t place all of the blame on the gang. The world gang is not described as a “bad” thing in the dictionary.3.) You can not judge some one and say this and say that about them you do not know there lives, and how far they came along and what they been through, Because they live on Hamilton Hill you guys think all they do is smoke, drink, sex and party, sell drugs, fight, and shoot people WELL YOUR WRONG!. Let me tell you I came from Hamilton Hill Born and Raised seen drug dealers, weapons, gangs, I been through some shoot outs, but you know what I did not let that stop me from being the person I am today. I made a way, and I been through something. My mother is HIV positive, my father is ruthless, my family is separated, and I been on my own since I was 14 years old. But that motivated me even more to be someone, because I did not want to be like them. Like I said I am 20 years old. I have a family, a career, and many awards to prove that I am some one and a role model to this community. It was the REAL WORLD; you can not protect your kid from that forever 4.) There are not activities and programs that teens are interested in now and days. I am 20 years old and the things that were around in my day are boring to kids now and days so why doesn’t the mayor help us fund programs that interest kids keep them off the streets, instead of fixing up downtown where no one goes. 5.) It takes a village to raise a child, even if you are not a parent you should care about the next child. Parents do not listen now and days they are too worried about doing there own things, or got to many kids, or they a single parents trying to provide for there family. It is very tough growing up in these times, tougher on these kids that don't have that parent to turn to, tougher if they feel they cannot get help for fear of vengeance. And sadly many of these kids grow up with violence/drugs in their own home and think that is the normal for this to happen.
3:53 p.m.
4:37 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
oSoGB-First sorry to hear of your Mom's health problem, saying a prayer for her.
Very well spoken how you can live on the hill and still make a good life for yourself.
All three of my kids raised on the hill, my daughter put herself through college and has a good job.
But in reality it is hell living here : (
Have seen so many children neglected, just breaks my heart. Have gotten help for those I could.
I know your Mom must be very proud of you.
God Bless
1:04 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
yu took off mha comment cus i spoked the truth? uqhhh ;; ily kuanna & imu. end of storyy
11:17 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
7:02 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Interesting that out of all the HS students who posted here, only one seems to have a command of the written language.
If only half of what is posted here is true, the Schenectady School District has some serious issues, and it certainly seems like they aren't dealing with them. That magic broom school districts sometimes use never works.
10:11 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
The schenectady school district does have many unresolved issues and as a Schenectady parent with children in the district it's frustrating. I don't disagree that parents play a major role in their children's lives, but so does our school systems. I send my children to school every day and I should be able to rest assured that they are safe. I love my children and have a close bond with all of them, but sometimes peer pressure can be powerful. I've seen good kids with good homes and loving parents go downhill because of problems at school. I've tried my hardest to get help from the school district time and time again and was put on the back burner. Where do we find other options for our children? How can I help my children through all this nonsense when my options are limited? Something has to give.
1:56 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Uhm i just wanted to say i go to schenectady high;; let me correct tht WENT to schenctady high
and its ghetto as hell now becuase of thoses STUPID!hill girls aka {4blockgirls].people are taking their kids out of tht school because of them.They bully girls and everything.thts all they worry about is who fighting who,,,,who they gonna jump this weekend.who got jumped at last weeks party.when wanna died they all talked tht RAH RAH stuff about not fighting over NOTHIN anymore and how life is too short.......BUT LOOK AT EM'.back at it again.they not gonna get NO WHERE IN LIFE AT ALL!inna couple years its gonna be irevelent about who got beat up cause in the REAL world tht DNT FLY!!they get madd when somebody supposedly "jumps"their friend.but its ok when they jump somebody and break their ribs because they didnt "like" the girl.WELFARE AINT GONNA LAST FOREVER SO GET WIT IT OR BEAT IT.cause HEYY YOU THINK YAHH BOSS GONNA CARE ABOUT THIS "GANG" 4block???HELL NAHH!!!the check is what pay the bills not dramma so make a choice welfare,homeless,shelter; OR KITTY??i know my answer bby.GROW UPP!GO TO SCHOOL FOR A FREAKING EDUACATION.DNT WANT ONE???! THEN DROP THE HELL OUT!!!DNT MAKE IT HARD ON THE REST CAUSE YOU DNT WANT TO DO BETTA!