Community Corner
Yankees Players Stand Up For Bullied Girl After Viral Video
"Got your back!" the baseball stars tell 10-year-old Cassidy Warner in their own video message.
NEW YORK, NY — Facebook was the only place 10-year-old Cassidy Warner had to turn to share her story of being bullied at her Pennsylvania elementary school. Her viral video describing her cruel treatment at the hands of other kids reached hundreds of thousands of people — including the New York Yankees.
The Bronx Bombers responded to Cassidy's cry for help with a simple message: "Got your back!"
Cassidy's mom, Jenn Slater, shared a video on Facebook of her daughter holding up pieces of paper on which she'd written about how other kids kick her, push her, spit on her and pull her hair.
Find out what's happening in New York Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The fourth-grader at John Adams Elementary School in Scranton, Pennsylvania said she's been bullied since first grade. One group of kids regularly tries to fight her at recess and once spit on her purse after taking it from a teacher, she said.
"Kids don’t even want to go near me. Whenever I sit at a lunch table, the kids get up," Cassidy wrote on one sheet.
Find out what's happening in New York Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"They threaten to kill me and they tell me to kill myself."
SEE ALSO: Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words
Cassidy first posted the video on her own Facebook page, but Slater wrote that it was removed because she's too young to be on the website. The video has been viewed 261,000 times and shared 9,500 times since Slater posted it herself about two weeks ago.
The Yankees shared their own video Wednesday on Facebook and Twitter with 24 players and manager Aaron Boone holding up written words of encouragement for Cassidy. They even said they're saving a seat for her to have lunch in the Yankees clubhouse.
"My teammates and I wanted you to know that we care about you," says one sheet held by star pitcher C.C. Sabathia.
"You are not alone! Count the New York Yankees among your friends!" Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge says.
Several players hold up sheets saying "Got your back" and the Spanish translation of the phrase, "Te respaldamos." The video concludes Boone holding up a message to Cassidy: "See you soon."
Cassidy's father, James Warner, told ABC News that he met with school officials in Scranton earlier this month to discuss Cassidy's video and how to make her more comfortable at school.
"I never once tried to put the blame on the school," Warner told ABC. "The whole purpose was to let everybody see that these kids are not supposed to be feeling like this."
Watch the Yankees' video below.
THE MENACE OF BULLIES: PATCH SERIES
Over the coming year, Patch will look at the roles society plays in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes that we might offer solutions that save lives.
Do you have a story to tell? Email us at [email protected].
EARLIER IN THIS SERIES
- Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words
- The Bully Menace: What Patch Readers Said
- Teen Tells Bullies In Video: 'Every Day, I Wear Your Words'
(Lead image: Screenshot from YouTube)
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.