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The bully and Little Bill |
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October 2, 2017 |
By Sergeant Foster Mayo
Boundary County Sheriff’s Reserve
Our story this week takes place in a small town
in Middle America. “Little Bill” lived there
with his mom and siblings. As single parent
families go, their existence was adequate but
there are few luxuries in their life. Little
Bill didn’t have “things” like new school
clothes, his own phone, access to a computer or
even a television.
He did have his own “RV,” a bicycle that was
both his recreation and his transportation.
Little Bill received only adequate grades in
school -- he was passing but not close to his
potential. He also had behavioral issues at
school. He did not like going to school, mostly
because he was afraid to go to school.
The school grounds and Little Bill’s route to
and from school was under the control of two
bullies. They particularly enjoyed picking on
Little Bill.
The bullies were brothers, one in high school
and one in Little Bill’s grade. They
supplemented their income by robbing their
classmates and taking their lunch money, a new
coat or some other article of clothing that had
struck their fancy.
Robbery is the stealing another’s property
against their will by the use of force or fear.
Using force and creating fear is the bully’s
special talent. It worked very effectively on
Little Bill.
One of the “luxuries” that Little Bill’s family
could not afford was breakfast. Little Bill and
Little Bill’s growing body counted on the
school’s cafeteria lunch program for the
majority of his daily calorie and nutrition
intake.
However, by stealing his money, the bullies
usually took that away from him.
It seems difficult to believe that not eating
breakfast or lunch would cause behavioral and
discipline problems for Little Bill at school,
but it did. The teachers and principal did not
understand that by the middle of the afternoon,
some 20 hours after Little Bill’s last concept
of a meal, he was not able to concentrate in
class or respond to complex questions.
He was telling the truth when he said that he
was trying to stay awake in class but could not.
The teachers and principal disciplined Little
Bill at school and his mother disciplined him
again when he got home.
Mom was not big into the delivery of corporal
punishment; she was more into guilt and sending
Little Bill to bed without dinner. You can see
how helpful that would be for Little Bill.
As his punishments continued for some behavior
or other situation that was beyond his control,
Little Bill became angrier. The time bomb had
begun ticking but no one was listening.
The precursor for the impending explosion was
when the bullies set their sights on Little
Bill’s bicycle. The bicycle wasn’t just some
old, cheap, rusted bicycle to them, it was the
symbol of their power and their reassurance that
they had control over the little people.
The bullies needed a LOT of reassurance about
their power, because they too were the victims
of a bully. There was an even bigger and more
effective purveyor of fear and intimidation at
their house: their father.
The bicycle wasn’t just some old, cheap, rusted
bicycle to Little Bill: it was everything to
him. It was his recreation, his escape, his
total accumulated worldly wealth and it was his
last straw.
So we have introduced the characters in our
drama, we have created the antagonists and we
have set the conflict in motion.
How will it end?
In a Shakespearian drama the central character
would have chosen either suicide or the death of
his rivals. The same options were available to
Little Bill.
If there is a worse nightmare for parents,
principals or police than the Columbine High
School incident, I cannot imagine what it is.
All of us have to plan, practice and be prepared
for this possibility.
There are undoubtedly bullies and “Little Bills”
in Boundary County.
Parenting in 2017 is extremely complicated.
There are a myriad of new issues and conflicts
confronting our children today. We, as parents,
have to learn how to communicate with them about
all of them, especially alcohol, drugs and
violence.
Some of us have to become better role models so
that we do not teach our kids how to victimize
others or abuse drugs or alcohol.
Sitting down with our kids and talking about
such serious things can be painfully difficult.
Failing to do so can be worse.
If you need help, please know that there are
trained people in counseling positions in our
community, the schools and in probation.
Our children must be our priority.
Foster Mayo has been a career law enforcement
officer having served with Salt Lake Police
Department and retiring at the Bonners Ferry
Police Department as deputy police chief. He
continues to serve Boundary County as a reserve
sheriff's deputy and writes crime prevention and
safety articles to help the public. |
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