Community Corner
Foundation Asks People To Remember Tyler Clementi On His Birthday
Clementi would have been 25 Monday. A victim of cyberbullying, Clementi killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — A nonprofit named after a village resident who committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying is asking people to remember the man and encourage others with a message of hope.
Tyler Clementi would have been 25 Monday. Clementi's parents, Joseph and Jane, created the Tyler Clementi Foundation in 2011. The foundation which helps promote acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teens and other people marginalized by society. It provides education against all forms of bullying and promotes research into the causes and prevention of teenage suicide.
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The foundation is asking people to post messages of remembrance and encouragement on its website. The foundation asks people to be "upstanders" against bullying in their community.
"Tyler, Your loss is felt each time we hear another story of someone who has been the victim of bullying, harassment and humiliation," one user named "Shane," posted on the message board. "I know many others share my wish that you could be with us today, having found comfort in a community and a world that embraced you for who you are."
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The foundation also wants people to pledge to help out victims of bullying.
"Every time I hear of Tyler's story, I am just caught without words," "Matthew" from New York City wrote on the board. "I would tell him that he is not alone. Definitely, he is not alone."
Clementi killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. His Rutgers University roommate, Dharun Ravi, posted videos online of Clementi and another man engaging in a sexual encounter in their dorm. Ravi was convicted on bias intimidation and served less than a month in prison. The conviction was overturned and, in a new trial, pleaded guilty to attempted invasion of privacy Oct. 27.
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Tyler Clementi — Tyler Clementi Foundation
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