Hi my name is Cyon Williams, here’s a little bit about me and a lot about my bullying story. Well first of all some things that you should know about me is, I’m a really fun person that loves to learn new things and make new friends. I’m a self-taught graphic designer and I have a loving family especially my Mom, Grandma, and Sister. I love them all so much! I’m also an excellent swimmer and have a love for marine biology and the water in general. Lastly I’m a pretty good coder/hacker I love coding and hacking because I get to change the games that I play it sort of feels like I am the game. Bullying part: Basically it all started when I was told I was no longer welcomed in my old school’s community (their words) which is a whole other story. I was then forced to go to my zoned public school. I.S. 61. When I used to go to I.S. 61 it was terrible it honestly felt like a living hell! Every single day I was there I would have to cough and spit on my food so other kids wouldn’t steal it from me. I had to be quiet and try to not talk because if I started answering questions the teachers asked I would be seen as a smart kid and the bullies would beat me or pick on me more, unfortunately my brains over powered my will and it didn't work. I was still picked on and the same kid wanted to fight me 4 times. I would tell him repeatedly, “ I don’t want to fight you, just leave me alone” I just couldn't take it anymore, and some of the teachers were just as bad as the students considering that one of them said she would throw a chair at one of the students. I just didn't understand why they were doing this and why it was happening to me? I was hit, kicked and punched on a daily basis. Kids would steal my supplies, cell phone, call me stupid, gay, say I wasn’t black enough, made fun of the way I sat, the way I dressed, one time a kid pulled my hood over my head, I couldn’t see or breathe, they would tell me I sounded white, run through the halls and hit and push me while moving from class to class, call me the N word, bounce basket balls during class, dance and bang on the desks while the teacher is trying to teach, curse, yell and spit at the teachers, rude teachers, unreliable staff, kids asking me to take off my gym shorts and give it to them because they forget their gym clothes at home, talk about popping mollies and getting drunk and fighting on the lunch line. I felt like I was in jail. They were driving me insane. I started biting off my nails to the point where the tips of my fingers hurt and the skin is peeling o ff. I also started suffering with headaches from grinding my teeth and extreme stomach pain, it felt like my stomach was on fire. I had to have an upper GI endoscopy to see what was going on inside my stomach. When the doctor put the medicine in my veins I remember screaming because it felt like fire, it burned so much I thought I was going to die after that, my mom said I passed out. I just wanted everything to end! I know that life is very precious so I would never do anything to hurt myself or anyone else but when you are being bullied every day and no one is helping you, you wish that life would just end. At first I was scared to speak out because when the kid took my phone he said snitches get stitches basically saying tell anyone and my friends and I will beat you up. That’s why I was so scared but I was so fed up with getting bullied and seeing other kids getting beat up and kids stealing my food so I finally told my mom everything. The principal and assistant principal were terrible they were unresponsive and treating the matter as a joke so my mom and I decided to go to the media and here we are today. All I want is to go to a good school and get a good education. If you are being bullied SPEAK UP! It’s not supposed to hurt to go to school.