DAVID'S PLACE:

  First time I remember getting bullied was standing in line at the entrance of Jones School when I was 7 years old. It was the first day of school. A kid named Larry who was my size and age asked me if I'd ever been kicked in the balls. I said "what are balls?" He pounded his foot into my scrotum and I keeled over in pain. He, and a few other people stood over me asking if I was ok. I recovered and whined "yes, I'm ok". Larry said nothing. Groaning, I asked him why he kicked me and he said that he felt like it and why don't you do something anything about it? I was scared to death he would kick me again.   I was standing up again. "Well" he challenged.  .What are you going to do? I said " Nothing. Just leave me alone ". I was in the same class as Larry and I stayed as far away from him as I could https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2819147375098537888/7688584191152785782?hl=en the whole semester. I was nervous all the time. When...

  I was just a little five year old boy waiting in line to be let into my first grade class. It was 1953 at a Chicago Elementary school named De-Witt Clinton located on the north side of the city where I grew up. It was the first day of the semester and I did not know many of the forty or so kids in line also waiting to go to their first day of class.   For no reason a boy I had never seen before walked in front of me and said "Hey kid, ever been kicked in the balls?" "No", I innocently answered.   He then kicked me squarely in my small crotch. I doubled over in pain, went down, and started to cry.   As I caught my breath and stood up the last thing on my mind was hitting or retaliating against him. I was too scared and ashamed.  The other kids standing around laughed at my misery. They taunted me mercilessly. "Fight, fight, fight," they screamed. I felt humiliated and victimized. I already knew what bullying was and had seen it done to othe...