'Bullied To Death' Denver 9-Year-Old's Grandmother Wants Justice

DENVER, CO – The grandmother of a 9-year-old Colorado boy who died by suicide after he was bullied at school has posted a crowdfunding account to pay for the boy's funeral expenses.

Jamal Myles, a Denver Public School fourth-grader, had told classmates he was gay, his mother Leia Pierce said. Jamal died by suicide Aug. 23 in his home in the 9000 block of East Girard Avenue, the Denver Medical Examiner confirmed Monday.

Already, Pierce said she was being bullied herself on Facebook by people who were accusing her of "bad parenting" and "saturating him with gay anal sex."

"[T]his is why im standing up cause im sick of the hatred in this world," Pierce posted.

Pierce told KDVR-TV Monday that her son had told her he was gay over the summer.

"[H]e looked so scared when he told me. He was like, 'Mom I'm gay.'And I thought he was playing, so I looked back because I was driving, and he was all curled up, so scared. And I said, I still love you," Pierce told the station.

Pierce said Jamal told his sisters that children at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School told him he should kill himself. Jamal had just started school the Monday before.

"I'm just sad he didn't come to me," Pierce said. " ... I'm so upset that he thought that was his option."

Jamal's grandmother, Jacque Miller, has posted a GoFundMe account to help raise money for funeral expenses. The fundraiser has already raised more than $3,000 as of Wednesday.

Miller posted the following message to supporters:

We are wanting to make sure, that Jamel is heard.

He chose to love others, He chose to treat everyone equal.

He chose to live life.

I want you to speak on treating each other with kindness and compassion, We want justice for Jamel, the only way to get that is to touch peoples hearts, and tell them if we love more it will be harder to hate. When you speak of Jamel speak with the same compassion he had. He wanted everyone to feel loved cause His mommy taught all her kids we are all the same and Jamel treated people as equals because he was taught love. Jamel is going to make this change happen, even though he is no longer with us.

The funds will be used to help the family in the coming months,with funeral cost, any money left over will go to a celebration of life for Jamel, that will be determined at a later date. We have future plans, but are unable to discuss at this time.

Thank you

Jamel's grandmother as been handling all of the detail to this point.

If you need to reach her please feel free, she said she would be willing to help out n any way she can.

Funeral arrangements have not been made public.

The Denver Public Schools and Shoemaker Principal Christine Fleming have sent multiple statements home to parents letting them know that crisis services are available for students. DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said the district was committed to protecting the "most vulnerable" students in DPS.

Boasberg said the district had a policy to support gay students and staff:

In DPS, we are deeply committed to ensuring that all members of our school community are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status. It is critical that our students receive all the supports they need to learn and thrive in a safe and welcoming environment. Our policies and practices reflect this commitment to ensuring that our LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer) students can pursue their education with dignity and joy — from training to prevent and stop bullying, to policies and guidance materials that fully respect gender identity (including use of preferred pronouns and restrooms).

"If your child has warning signs of depression or suicide, don't be afraid to ask if they have had thoughts about suicide," Boasberg said. "Raising the issue of suicide does not increase the risk. Instead, it decreases the risk by providing an opportunity for help. DPS has additional resources for families to help prevent student suicide available in this video."

Related: Letter to Denver School Parents From DPS Superintendent

DPS encourages parents and students to share hotline numbers for Safe2Tell (877-542-7233) and the National Suicide Hotline (800-273-8255).

Related: Bullied To Death: Denver Boy, 9, Kills Self After Coming Out

Image via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner.

THE BULLY MENACE SERIES

This year, Patch is looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments

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