Central Texas mother fighting back against bullies

A Central Texas mother is fighting back against bullies after her son was bullied and assaulted in 2017.

“Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, it hurt me to see my son go through what he went through. And there was a point in our lives where I felt hopeless. I didn’t know who to turn to, who to talk to, and I found people who supported me. And now I want to be that support for other people," said mother Elisa Rodriguez. 

To be “that support” Rodriguez founded the Anti-bully and Suicide Awareness Foundation.

Saturday, the organization hosted a benefit in East Austin, selling Telosico turkey legs. The group held up signs saying “honk if you’re against bullies.” 

The honks seemed constant. “It just means that, that many people are being affected by bullying,” Rodriguez said. 

RELATED: Bastrop ISD parent protesting regarding bullying incident

A reminder that students like Tadeo Ramirez, who attended the event are not alone, “It makes me feel happy because people actually want to stop bullying,” the sixth-grader said.

Ramirez has dealt with bullies since elementary school. “I want people to know that bullying, it’s not a good thing, and it hurts people emotionally,” he said. 

Recently, the Hernandez Middle school student decided to take a stand. “I made these t-shirts when I started getting bullied and we talked to the school about this and the school let us have our own club about the anti-bullying thing,” he explained. 

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