Videos showing her daughter being punched repeatedly in the head by two girls makes Andrea Langfeld cry.
“It’s awful, especially when it’s your own daughter being beaten and she literally sat there and just let them do it.”
The videos, supposedly taken by Julia’s friend, her daughter, show two girls taking turns punching Julia while she attempts to cover her face. In another video, she is standing facing away from the camera while one of the girls pours a liquid in her hair.
That liquid, according to Julia, contained three tablets of chlorine diluted into a water bottle. She said they made her take off her sweater while they poured the bleach on her hair trying to make it go green.
Julia, who spoke to Doppler with her mother Andrea present, said the incident began in the Huntsville High School parking lot while she was on break. The girls approached her friend group and began shouting at them accusing them of saying something about them. At some point, Julia was singled out. She said she tried to run back into the school but she was cornered and forced into a vehicle where eventually other youth piled in and they drove to Camp Kitchen. The two girls who would later pour bleach on her hair and punch Julia also headed to Camp Kitchen in a truck.
Julia said she thinks one of them was drunk. Their names cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act as one is 15 and the other is 17 years old.
The victim said they took her phone so she couldn’t call anyone. Eventually, the beating stopped. “I was really scared,” she said. Julia said she managed to grab her phone from the truck and ran back to the school where her friends helped her wash the chlorine out of her hair.
She said her father went to pick her up from the school and they went into the principal’s office to report the incident. He also contacted police and took her to the hospital. She suffered a minor concussion and bruises to her face and ribs.
“I was pretty upset. I was more concerned for her safety, ” said Julia’s father, Steve. “They poured pool chlorine, but it was in a concentrate, on her head. If she got that in her eyes she could’ve gone blind. If they made her drink it… it could have gone way worse,” he said. “I just really hope they throw the book at [them], make an example [of them], deter this from happening again for anybody. It’s just unacceptable. I hope the school takes this seriously too, which I think they will.”
The incident began circulating on social media and people reacted with indignation. The videos were shared among parents, and many came forward with their own stories about how their sons or daughters had been bullied at the school.
Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock said she had been informed of the incident. She noted that the Town had hired security at the Canada Summit Centre because some of the staff had been threatened and there were generally concerns regarding safety. She said the incident at Camp Kitchen is still under investigation.
“It’s shocking when you hear stuff like this,” she said. “Clearly, nobody wants their kids to feel unsafe.” She suggested that the municipality could partner with the school board and the OPP to come up with a strategy to address the issue. She said she would be bringing the conversation to the rest of council.
Similar incidents are happening in other places noted Huntsville Councillor Scott Morrison. He said one of the biggest issues he has is kids just watching and filming while others are being bullied. “Put your camera down and help this girl out or help this guy out, I have a real problem with that.”
He said kids are bullied at school and then they go home and they’re bullied on social media and they don’t get a break. “There’s no safe place anymore. There’s a reason we’re in a mental health crisis and that’s a big part of it… we’ve got to all do what we can to help these kids because they’re our future… if they don’t feel comfortable, they’re not being the best version of themselves…”
Morrison also had this to say: “The saying hurt people hurt people is true. These kids are damaged. The ones that are doing the hurting are hurting themselves…something has gotten them there…that doesn’t justify their behaviour at all but that’s part of the problem too. Hopefully, we can find a solution.”
The Huntsville OPP issued a press release on Friday about the incident and noted that two females, ages 15 and 17, had been charged with assault, assault with a weapon, theft under $5,000 and forcible confinement. You can find the release, HERE.
Via email correspondence, Trillium Lakelands District School Board stated that they are aware of the incident at Camp Kitchen and are working collaboratively with the police to investigate the situation.
“As this is an active investigation involving the police, we cannot offer any further details. The police have shared the charges laid with the media. There will also be school-based consequences as per the TLDSB Code of Conduct.
Administration at Huntsville High School and the Huntsville Adult and Alternate Education Centre have been working with students on:
- Self-regulation and social skills
- Restorative practices to help students learn how to have conversations with one another to overcome misunderstandings and/or misperceptions
- Speaking directly with classes and student leadership about seeking and seeing the value in reaching out to an adult to intervene and provide support
- Working together to resolve and speak up against conflict taking place
- The importance of not being a bystander
If a student or parent/guardian is aware of a bullying situation taking place at the school, please contact the school office immediately. Additionally, the Safe@School online form can be filled out any time.”
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It’s sad to think that young people are afraid to attend school. And it’s completely unacceptable. Authorities, adults in charge and peers…..you all need to do better!
My Daughter refuses to go back to School this year, I personally saw and heard some comments left on her phone, she is mixed race. She has ever right to be afraid. Do you know how many, ” visible minorities”, where attacked last year? I saw the video’s myself, but there’s no mention of this poor Boys violent attack, after this incident. So Mayor, maybe put some guards/cameras, on HHS property? Or activate a real, ” zero policy”.
Your post about criminal defence law is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn more about this topic. You’ve covered all the important aspects of criminal defence law, and your insights are truly valuable.
For a more comprehensive understanding of criminal defence law, I recommend checking out the post “assault charges for a minor Canada.”
This makes me feel almost sick to my stomach.
Too much of this has been happening for years..Names of EVERYONE involved should be published.
Though I am not commenting on this particular situation, we seem to forget that these sort of bullying incidents are nothing new. This is not a situation we can blame on some new phenomena. This sort of behaviour has gone on since the beginning of time.
Perhaps we should be asking why we haven’t included self-defence as part of the curriculum. Not everyone can afford to join a karate dojo, but all can benefit from its practice.
Self defense and defense of another is not a defense for assault in Canada.
Maybe that needs to change in order to get people off of their phones and helping.
To Jess C.
I think, overall, most of “…our younger generation…” do respect others, are kind, and responsible. Unfortunately, we don’t usually hear about them in social media.
The bullies and the bullied. They are easy to identify and lots of opinions about what to do for them. However, my take is that the bystanders are more of the problem. If you are a bystander, then step up and say something!
This is so sad it hurts my heart to see this happening and I pray for the ones that inflicted the pain on this young person and the person that had to endure the pain please let’s get back to the most important things in life that I was taught as a young child treat people with respect and kindness we are loosing our younger generation to drugs and guns let’s stop the violence and hatred and give prayer and teach our childrens how to Love and Respect 🙏🙏
The girl’s name should be known for all to see. This is beyond words.
Making her remover an article of her clothing……pretty sure that’s against the law too!
I am speechless, saddened, sickened, and worried.
Clearly, the perpetrators and victims need help; that’s an understatement. This is a mental health issue and probably way beyond that.
I’m so darned thankful that our children are grown up!
BTW: Please, please, don’t blame the teachers.
If these young people use criminal tactics against others, their names should be made known to the public for their actions!
Shame on these kids and shame on there parents. When the kids are found out the parents should be made to come to the school and babysit there kids all day everyday. I fully agree with the group on facebook. Yes ,there is a page made to discuss this problem, the high school and the town council need to get a move on with this problem or i can see lawsuits ahead.
Bullying has been going on many years. It isn’t the first or last I know I had experienced it on the bus going home to such levels as thought of quitting school. I was instigated by one person who put others up to it. Finally I got angry and let one of the people being put up to it have it for old and new and it ended mostly due to ones being put up to it didn’t want to get beaten for the one putting them up to it. Laws should be in place to try minors in adult court for these offences and maybe it wouldn’t be so cool to get treated as an adult . Laws protect them and it should not as crime is crime if you are old enough to do the crime you are old enough to take the price of doing it.
I am so sad to read this article. It makes me sick to think of how scared the poor girl was. Where are the friends to have your back.? If everyone is afraid to help someone in serious need then we have a bigger problem here. If the Summit Center has to hire security due to high school kids, why isn’t there security where the problem lies. We have experienced bullying in our family this year that ended in a fight. We sure don’t condone fighting but we also don’t want our child to be bullied and have given him our definite ok to step in if someone else is in trouble too.. It is getting to be an unsafe environment and something needs to be done. Kids should not have to stay under camera for their safety. I will have no trouble getting police involved if it keeps happening for us. I’m sure it isn’t an easy fix with having to be so concerned with everyone’s “right” but I’m also sure that there could be a better answer than ‘ let’s talk about it” .All theses kids involved should be held accountable, not just the girls who were charged. This is a time when kids should be building great memories not traumatic and awful ones..
The school is only taking this seriously now !
These girls and a brother to one of them have been running crazy for over a year. My family has made 8 separate trip to the School & OPP. During the course of the school year. It saddens me that it was allowed to escalate to this before any action was taken .
These kids need mental health care. The School board should be offering counselling to every victim .
I hope every parent with a child that was a victim files a civil lawsuit.