INDIANAPOLIS — Inside Olivet Missionary Baptist Church, families were given a chance to ask questions and share experiences during a town hall Tuesday evening focused on bullying.
The Baptist Minister's Alliance and Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis hosted the event. The two groups are hoping to tap into the issues plaguing their communities.
“We just used to pick on each other. It wasn’t classified as bullying, but it has become so severe now,” said Dr. Wayne Moore, president of the Baptist Minister's Alliance.
Experts at the town hall agreed that bullying is getting worse, especially on social media.
“It is almost like there is no safe spot for our young people to have,” said Dr. Samantha Franklin, a clinical assistant professor at IUPUI's School of Education.
According to school district numbers that Franklin provided, many bullying incidents go unreported.
“How do we make (schools) accountable for what’s happening to our students, to our children if they are not going to acknowledge what is happening?” Franklin said.
Police say bullying is also leading to more gun violence, with many shootings starting with a dispute online. It’s something the prosecutor’s office is also seeing in his office.
“We are seeing more and more of these online social media disputes resulting in more and more serious violence,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
Mears said, in some cases, a student’s conduct can become criminal and if it’s necessary, police and the prosecutor’s office will get involved. But at the same time, he said current laws aren’t keeping up with changing technology.
“One of the things that we are trying to work on is how can we make sure those laws are flexible so they can work with modern-day technology and modern-day circumstances and make sure we are in a position to hopefully interrupt these situations before they turn violent,” Mears said.
Franklin said parents also play a big role in helping their children when it comes to bullying.
“Close mouth, open ears. That way, when they talk, we are not jumping in and interrupting them, but we are listening and taking in all that they are saying so we can help and support them,” she said.
Organizers plan to hold more town halls this year, focused on different topics affecting Indianapolis.