CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Out on the front lines of a march and rally Saturday morning in Crystal Springs, you find Shawanda Allen, President of the Mayor's Youth Council.
"We had a great success today, we had people come out, support us. I believe we got our point across," she tells us with a smile.
Allen hopes school age children and teens will take the summer to think long and hard about why they bully others. She hopes they take a walk in the shoes of a victim, like Jonathan Bingham.
"I was bullied some years ago," Bingham says, adding that he was the new kid: an easy target for bullying. He says if fellow students had come to his aid, it would have made a big difference.
"The bully likes to be the class clown. If you have everyone with you, the bully has no one to support him," Bingham says.
Members of the Mayor's Youth Council teamed up with council members of Crystal Springs High School to demonstrate in the center of town. City officials joined them, including Mayor Sally Garland.
"Bullying is not new. It's just that now our young people have decided to take a stand against it," Mayor Garland says. "We are so proud of our young people for coming together, saying we're not gonna stand for this any more."
The students realize their voice is small compared to the enormity of the bullying problem. But if one bully decides to change his or her ways, students say, their efforts have been a success.
"We need to take whatever action we can to conclude that it won't happen. We need to make communities across America, Mississippi, and Crystal Springs make sure they know what's going on," says student Gage Pinson.
The Police Chief of Crystal Springs also took part in the rally.
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