One teen has been arrested after an Oneida boy was bullied walking home from school. Misty Church says her son Ben was punched and needed stiches for "walking on the wrong side of the street."

Oneida police handed out an appearance ticket to the juvenile and his parents. They are not releasing any name but say if the teen was an adult he'd be facing 3rd degree assault charges.

Church says her son Ben came home bleeding last week saying he was bullied by 3 kids. “One of them punched him in the face, then they stood and watched him bleed and cry before walking away. All because Ben would not walk on the other side of the road.”

Misty says this behavior is unacceptable and her family is doing what they can to stomp out bullying. "I admit I wanted to raise mischief with the parents but the best way to handle this is to raise awareness and try and put an end to bullying.”

Big Vinny
Big Vinny
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Misty's message is catching on with 'Go Blue For Ben.' Everyone is being asked to wear blue on Monday, October 3rd for National Bullying Prevention & Awareness month and many are already on board including Big Vinny of Trailer Choir.

Oneida Mayor Leo Matzke says despite the bullying and recent homicide, the city is still a great place to call home. "That's not what makes us a city. Regretfully we can't be immune. It's a tragic sign of the times. But it should not dictate what we do. We always need to move forward. We can't let these things set up back."

Rather than focusing on the negative, Mayor Matzke says everyone needs to band together. "We as a community have always responded to people when they are down. That's our trademark. We don't need people deserting the city. Yes we have a lot of things we need to correct. We need to look for ways to bring the community together."

One way is to stomp out bullying or at least raise awareness by going #BlueForBen.

 


MORE: Oneida Boy Speaks Out After Being Bullied

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