Ellen DeGeneres was so devastated by the suicide of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, an 18-year old Rutgers freshman who wound up being outed during a ruthless Internet prank, that she took a moment to speak about against the growing crisis of bullying in this country.
"He was outed as being gay on the Internet and he killed himself. Something must be done," says DeGeneres. "This needs to be a wakeup call to everyone that teenage bullying and teasing is an epidemic in this country and the death rate is climbing.
Ellen also mentions other teens lost -- Seth Walsh, Asher Brown and Billy Lucas.
"One life lost in this senseless way is tragic. Four lives lost is a crisis," she says
"My heart is breaking for their families, for their friends and for our society that continues to let this happen ... We can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life."
Ellen continues: "I want anyone out there who feels different and alone to know that I know how you feel. There is help out there. You can find support in your community. If you need someone to talk to or if you want to get involved, here are some organizations doing great work." Her Website lists the resources as well.
Rutgers freshmen students Dharun Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, N.J., and Molly Wei, 18, of Princeton, N.J., have been charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for using a camera to view and transmit a live image of Clementi on Sept. 19. Clementi, a resident of Ridgewood, N.J., was a freshman at the university and Ravi's roommate
Ravi has also been charged with two additional counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly attempting to use the camera to view and transmit another encounter involving Clementi (on the left in his Facebook photo) on Sept. 21.
Rutgers police said their probe began after they learned that a camera had been placed in a student's dorm room without his permission.
Clementi is believed to have jumped off the George Washington Bridge on Thursday. His wallet was found on the bridge and his car was located nearby.
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