A YouTube video showing a group of New York middle schoolers taunt an elderly bus monitor was nearing 4,000,000 views three days after it was posted on June 19.
The kids in the video use harsh language, at one point even telling the 68-year-old widow, "You don't have a family because they all killed themselves because they don't want to be near you."
As the YouTube hits have shot up so too have donations in support of Karen Klein, who, throughout the whole ordeal, did not show any emotion apart from holding back a few tears.
As of Friday morning, 22,000 funders had donated $472,000 to an online account with the description, "Lets give her something she will never forget, a vacation of a lifetime!"
Some of the comments left on the fundraising website:
- Norm: My contribution is my vote against bullying. A fine example of grace under pressure by Karen.
- Benjamin: Heart goes out to you. I wish I was on that bus, I’d have put them kids in their place.
- Lindsay: Kids can be cruel. Your story moved us in Kitchener, ON, Canada
Comments from your neighbors:
- The kids should have been kicked off the bus for the rest of next year and made to walk or have parents transport. They need t o learn respect. Does that monitor have any authority with her and the bus driver they should have been able to have the kids lose their ride. - Lynn Bernardini
- It was very hard for me to even watch the video - Danielle Mastriano
- Very disturbing to me. What scares me more is that if kids aren't respecting their elders, how badly are our children being bullied? - Jessica Pennell
- I couldn't watch this - absolutely disgusting. I sincerely hope that these children are punished appropriately. This is bullying and bullying is unacceptable no matter the age. My heart goes out to this woman as well as all those who deal with bullying whether in a school setting, home environment, work or elsewhere. - Cindy Knepler Sevell
- There are so many things disturbing about this video. It made me sick to my stomach.
First thing I wondered was if the bus driver was aware of this and if she/he could have pulled over and asked for assistance.
Second, (its not all parents) but what kind of children are these parents raising... Monsters.
They should have to find alternate transportation to school and if they think they are so smart to be video taped then they should not have their faces blocked. I think so many kids keep getting in trouble b/c their identity can be concealed. What happened to consequences and accountability?
This can be used as a learning tool. Instead of being kicked out of school they should have to watch the entire video on stage in front of their entire school. Yes, there are a lot of bullies out there, but there are a lot of good kids too! We should celebrate the great things kids do more, maybe bullying will be less of a thrill. It's a sad world out there. - Kellie McKaneHave you seen the footage or heard of Karen's story? What was your initial reaction?
- This video is just disturbing. Its bad enough for one kid to act this way but to have multiple kids join in is just disgusting. Not one person jumped in to stick up for this woman. I just dont understand. My generation wasnt perfect but we did have respect for our elders. Kids today just baffle me. So much bullying.I hope these kids are punished severly. This woman deserves a public apology from each kid & their parents. My heart goes out to this woman. God bless her. - Chris Hall Mekdeci
