lil1

Puppylove

First off, let me start by saying that I am in no way condoning the actions of the people who may have been the final catalyst of the girl who killed herself.

However, as someone who was depressed and suicidal from about age 9-14, I feel as though I have a little knowledge about the type of person who would kill themselves.

Basically, there really isn't anyone to blame but the girl. If she was truly depressed, then it was up to the parents to take a more hands on approach to her mental health.

The fact that she killed herself because of this incident is simply a coincidence. Since it was apparent she was actually serious about killing herself, the fact that these people pushed her over the edge is nothing more than bad luck for the mother of the other teen.

As someone who had very seriously contemplated and had a very near successful attempt, I feel that it could have been anything that sent me over the edge.

I remember one day, completely losing it because the bus was delayed and I missed the beginning (not the entire episode) of Transformers. I felt that everything and everyone was against me. I felt that I was not capable of being happy and that any thing that I used to help settle me would eventually disappoint me and that day, not singing along to the opening tune was enough to get me really depressed.

Now kids are depressed for a variety of reason and only the parents are likely to know what the real reason was. As for me, it was because my mom like to work out the stress of her day on my arms, legs, and back.

It wasn't until I was 14 and grew nearly a foot and gained about 50 pounds and towered over my mother before she finally realized that it may not be a good idea to use me as a punching bag anymore.

Bascially, I'm saying, "Yeah the parents of the other girl are questionable from a moral standpoint, but not deserving of the vitrol that they are receiving here."

I would be more interested to learn more about the girl's depression, but unless the parents release that information willingly, I doubt we would ever know. But if the family continues to run with the idea that the girl had attempted suicide before, then this is something the girl's mother and father (Megan's parents) should have been aware of.

Also, the one phrase that makes me more mad than anything else is: "There oughta be a law". let me tell you. There oughtn't be. Laws that are made in the heat of the moment tend to be disasterous and only make the intended recipients into bigger victims.

Loki420

The mind reels.

CopyofBlueboy

Minervasfury

Mystie

Regardless, the world lost a precious child due to the reprehensible behavior of two ridiculous excuses of what are supposed to be grown adults. May we all learn from their stupidity.

God have mercy on us all.

Peace.

Sashaboo

sashaboo

TIDUSheartsYUNA

Lori Drew (Shreeves)
Big Shoal Elementary School, Kansas City, MO, 1964-1971
Linden West Elementary School, Kansas City, MO, 1965-1968
Winnetonka High School, Kansas City, MO, 1975-1977
Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 1977-1981

SchoolDaze

The woman who has been outed as the one who harassed Megan Meier of the MySpace suicide tragedy is Lori J. Drew. Her husband is Curt Drew. She owns an advertising/mailer business called 'The Drew Advantage' in O'Fallon, Missouri, on Highway K.

The businesses who do business with her are listed below. Her husband, Curt, is a real estate agent in O'Fallon ([www.cbgundaker.com]). Perhaps, if Lori lost some business, she'd decide to move and let the Meiers' grieve in peace without being sickened everytime they walk out the door.

The businesses below were posted on one of the blogs that outed them. The blog this was copied from is located here: [blog.wired.com]

LET THESE ADVERTISERS KNOW THAT IF THEY CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS WITH LORI DREW, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO GET BAD PUBLICITY. THESE BUSINESSES ARE HELPING LORI PAY FOR THE INTERNET SERVICE THAT WAS USED TO HARASS MEGAN MEIER TO DEATH!!!!

Imo's Pizza
2260 First Capitol Dr
Saint Charles, MO 63301
636-946-5040 or 636-281-4667

Slackers CD's & Games
1313 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-240-9237

Frank Leta Honda
500 Auto Mall Dr
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-336-5000

Tri-County Fence & Deck
1902 Service Rd
Wentzville, MO 63385
636-887-4030

McVicar the Trickster
(phone number only. This guy does kids birthday parties)
636-485-9803

Arcade Amusements Plus
11429 C Dorsett Rd
Bridgeton, MO 63044
314-401-9346

Kuhn's Sports Cards and Collectibles
322 Fort Zumwalt Sq
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-978-8665

TW Glass, LLC
(No physical address. Email only: trevorw6366@yahoo.com)
314-852-3056

Divine Nails
132 Mexico Rd
Flint Hill, MO 63346
636-281-2800

Gulliver's Travel
204B W Pitman St
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-379-2700

Michael-A's Hair Studio
7825 Mexico Rd
Saint Peters, MO 63376
636-279-1999

Star Stamps & Coins
500 S 5th Street
St. Charles, MO 63301
636-949-2203

Monticello Dental Care
4122 Keaton Crossing Blvd
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-300-4280

Curb Appeal
838 Midpoint Dr
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-978-7588

Playtime Party Center
1225 Wentzville Pkwy
Wentzville, MO 63385
636-887-4244

A Pocketful of Toys
9987 Winghaven Blvd
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-561-3222

Air Comfort Service, Inc.
(No address listed.)
St. Charles, MO
636-866-0248

St. Charles Fence & Deck Co.
8485 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-240-4935

Custom Cleaning
211 Hughes Ln
Saint Charles, MO 63301
636-447-2299

The Vacuum Shop
380 Mid Rivers Mall Dr
Saint Peters, MO 63376
636-397-1566

Kirk's Electric
1160 W Terra Ln
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-240-1661

Show Me Blinds & Shutters
2561 Abbydale Dr
Saint Charles, MO 63303
636-928-2872

Lawn Authority
1004 Donner Pass
St. Peters, MO 63376
636-928-5296

David Anslinger MD, Auriculo-Staple
199 Feise Rd
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-379-5934

Abilene's Restaurant
275 North Service Rd
Wright City, MO 63390
636-745-7445

St. Louis Decks & Home Improvement
Wentzville, MO 63385
[www.stlhomeimprovements.com]
636-359-0357

Patriot Sunrooms - St. Charles
1831 Scherer Pkwy
Saint Charles, MO 63303
636-916-1100

Curt Drew (Gundaker) (Lori Drew's husband)
2 Crossroads Plz
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-379-8500

Stefanina's Pizzeria
8645 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
OFallon, MO 63366
636-272-3499

Leave it to Weaver Home & Commercial Improvements
304 Tcw Ct, O Fallon, MO 63366
[www.leaveit2weaver.com]
636-561-8424

Surface Sealers
314-565-6144

El Patron Mexican Restaurant
8600 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-281-8226

Seamus McDaniel's
7434 Village Center Dr
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-561-8089

Philly Grill
2508 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63368-6625
636-379-8646

El Azteca Mexican Restaurant
4265 Keaton Crossing Blvd
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-300-1123

The Crooked Tree Coffee House
559 1 Capitol Dr
Saint Charles, MO 63301
636-669-5282

Max & Erma's
2024 Mid Rivers Mall
Saint Peters, MO 63376
636-970-1900

Stumpy's Barbeque
2924 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-978-6889 or 636-939-3555

Cecil Whittaker's Pizza
2968 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-978-0001

Angelino's Pizzeria
114 Triad Ctr W
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-272-3339

Great Wall Buffet and Grill
2867 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
Saint Charles, MO 63303
636-724-8555

Dairy Queen
2675 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-240-0014

Talayna's World Class Pizza
340 N Main St
Saint Charles, MO 63301
636-896-9447

JJ's Restaurant
200 Fort Zumwalt Sq
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-978-1737

Noll's Restaurant & Lounge
519 S Service Rd W
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-281-9228

Madison's Café
2974 Highway K
O'Fallon, MO 63368
636-978-7355

Richbuilt Basements
1805 Everest Ave
O'Fallon, MO 63366
636-978-3479

Corgans Cleaning
Saint Peters, MO 63376
corganscleaning@charter.net
636-940-8334

Justice4Megan

But, that does not mean "You can't punish them." - All it means is that we punish them for different reasons. I think we know what reasons they are, and we know that the adults are condemned to a life of agony.

" BRAAK said:

It always makes me very sad to hear about people like the Drews. Angry, first, then frustrated, then just deeply, deeply sad.

They're sociopaths. You can't punish them. You can't treat them. If you hound them for the rest of their lives, all they'll do is complain about how much they're being hounded. If you take them out in the woods and stab them up, they'll just complain about how everyone wants to stab them. If you take them into therapy, they'll complain about how they have to go to therapy. There's no way to make them see the *fault*.

After a little while of wanting to do terrible things, I just give up, and want to be rid of them."

Viennamon

Raquelita

jam07

melhed

I wish 13 y/o me & 13 y/o Megan could have hung out.

Moneepennee

Defiant

The fact that the MONSTERS responsible knew Megan well, had previously taken her on holiday etc. means they knew just how vulnerable she would be to attacks on her self esteem. A good lawyer would surely be able to sue their arses....

markososcotland

PandoraSpocks

Tar and feathers come to mind!

PandoraSpocks

lol, no I think she helped OUT (disclose the information) the drews. not helped out-the-drews.

medialady

@jam07: Also, wait. You HELPED the Drews??

hellodarling!

hellodarling!

mpluers

I was bullied terribly as an eight grader. Some girls decided to spread some untrue rumors. If the internet was around I have no doubt those girls would have done this. It still upsets me almost to tears that the teachers were well aware and did nothing. I need some justice in this case for Megan

medialady

AnnaWintwhore

jeweltones

SidheDragon

SarahW

PoisonPixie

cocoesq

SidheDragon

braak

Best advice my mom ever gave my bro and me: My bro came home from kindergarten crying about a 1st-grade bully (!) who would knock him down and take his snack every day. My mom, who had a touch of a British accent, bent down to my brother and said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Well, FLOOOR the little bah-stahd!" When my bro said "But I'll get in trouble!" my mom said, "Look, one day you're going to be a man, and that's what men do, figure out when to do the right thing even if it means you get into trouble." (I think she meant adults in gen.) So next day, the bully got "floored", the pudding got reclaimed, and that was the last time my brother was bullied by anyone. He just carried himself in a way (and threw the occasional punch in a way, like once every few years) that made him not a target.

Also: At my high school, white girls who walked down the hall during lunch were always groped by this double-line of black dudes. We all kinda took it in stride as just part of high school, I guess. Well one day my bio teacher came busting through the doors into the hall. She bolted up to her son, spun him around with one hand while zinging out his belt with the other, and WORE HIS ASS OUT. The whole time she was yelling, "I BET. YOU FEEL. REAL BIG NOW. IN FRONT OF. ALL YOUR BIG MAN FRIENDS." When he was practically crying, she turned to the others and said, "I know your mother, your mother, your sisters and mother and both your parents." She told the kid with both parents, "I've seen your daddy stick around through four kids and welfare, and you think he's gonna let his son grow up and treat a woman that way?" From that day on, there was no groping line.

I know some people are against all violence etc etc, and God bless your homeschooling selves, but sometimes a right ass-kicking is the most expedient way of handling things. A well-chosen battle that you (or your kid) know you can win can go a long way sometimes. Hell, even I wasn't picked on anymore (and I was one weird kid) after I put stitches in a girl's head.

Oh, and after middle school, I think it usually gets lots better. Whenever I'm around middle-schoolers, the words "I believe the children are our future" sound more like a threat than a promise.

jeweltones

She needs to be outed. wtf!!!

medialady

Lilsmidgens

I also helped out the Drews using local resources and like you I think the paper should have too. Some sites even have Lori's maiden name, height and weight out there along with the daughter's name.

jam07

crescentia07

Obituaries

Thursday, October 19, 2006 9:33 PM CDT

Megan T. Meier

Megan Taylor Meier, 13, of Dardenne Prairie died Oct. 17, 2006, at St. Louis Children's Hospital. She was born Nov. 6, 1992, to Ronald and Christina Meier in Lake Saint Louis.
[stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com]

buckety

The Drewscan be sued, as opposed to charged, with intentional infliction of emotional distres, in a civil action. Yes, I believe the elements of that tort are present.

I think that's the most appropriate legal remedy for the bad acts - rather than laws calling for new restrictions on the content of posts.

I can't understand why the parents will not sue. The civil courts are one place where the conscience of the community may work to keep order and punish wrongdoing even when there is no specific crime comitted.

SarahW

msbeer

And sorry if it's off topic, but for some quirk of the English language, humans are hanged, and they hang themselves, not hung.

weedie

Defiant

gordiva

Lori Drew
269 Waterford Crystal Drive
O'Fallon MO 63368

Also the business that the father runs:
Curt and Lori Drew
couponfeast.com
Coupon Magazine
owned by Drew Advantage

crescentia07

GodOfBiscuits

polypam

notbetty

Defiant

Small comfort - that area of town is a little bit rough, a little bit country, a little bit "Paris Hilton is the height of fashion". Their names are all over the internet, and I bet my life savings that those people are fearing for their lives tonight. Ain't no justice like a white trash vigilante...and I think they need it, because this woman is buddy-buddy with the prosecutor. It's a Lifetime movie script.

unpopular

@optical_allusion: no, however reality is look-ist as a hell.

doesn't matter if she was pretty or ugly - what was done to her was purest evil. the shambling filth that did it need to be executed immediately ( as tempting as country justice can be - especially involving filleting knives & salt) and their kid(s)given to actual human beings to raise before it's too late.

a_m_m_b_d

There used to be a judge in Texas who would make shoplifters wear sandwich signs that said "I was caught stealing from this store" and walk up and down in front of the place they stole from. It was all about shame being a bigger deterrent than punishment.

distractedbyshinyobjects

westvillagegirl (exhiled in chicago)

Sometimes when I thought she was getting to introspective and moody (little goth brat), I'd take her to the show and out to eat, just me and her which gave me the chance to talk about other things; So she wouldn't fixate on the 3 girls who teased her on the bus, or some rat-fink boy who called her a freak. It works for us so I'm lucky. And another thing about that, distracting her from the crap of life gets her to lighten up and realize that even though life is stressful and being teen can be horrible, there's still reason to laugh and plenty to enjoy. I'd say, "You spend a tiny fraction of your life in your teens. The rest of your life, you'll be old like me! Don't sweat it because later, you'll be all about Target and gardening."

@taylay: Hey Thanks!

triggerhappy

JNOV

JNOV

@goodcheapfun: YEAH! I'm ALL about the HUGS!

JNOV

The ironic part, of course, is that often I would write all the violent things I was thinking. If some of that stuff got picked up in a school post-Columbine, I would have been expelled pretty fast. It's tough to be a kid.

MegSpencer

JennaW

schmalerie

Just guessing, but that's what it looks like. All that legal stuff, FBI involvment, etc., must have taken a lot of time.

JennaW

This whole thing is just devastating -- Megan's misery, her poor parents and sister, those appalling people who tortured her...

Anyway, Moe -- awesome follow-up. Thanks.

JennaW

Curt D. & Jori J. Drew
269 Waterford Crystal Drive
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
(636) 272-2670

melhed

thatonegirlsays

the memorexe

ohgoodness

And notbetty, one of the most important things you can do is acknowledge how much the ostracism and meanness hurts your stepdaughter. As great as my parents were, it was only years later that my mom realized how hard school was for me for so long -- to the point that she said, "if I had realized how awful it was for you there, I would have pulled you out and put you in private school." I went to nerd camp instead, where I made a huge group of friends, many of whom I'm still in contact. Those friends probably saved my life during the 49 weeks of the year I wasn't at camp.

MissMollyKate

taylay

goodcheapfun

@jnov: I am writing your advice down and putting it into my arsenal. My eight year old daughter thankfully has escaped the bullying in her school thus far (psychological, and perpetuated by girls in every single case), but it's only a matter of time before it is her turn, I'm afraid.

If I can get her through it with a minimum of pain and without becoming a bully herself, I'll consider myself a successful parent.

yamish

goodcheapfun

How sad to lose such a beautiful soul. I have to believe she is somewhere where her beauty radiates. May-be she's hangin' with Jesus laughing at the home movies she's watching of their eternal damnation. May-be?

goodcheapfun

My daughter is 13. She has long straight brown hair. She has a mouthful of metal that comes off in a month. She is like a baby giraffe - all legs and arms and baby fat tripping over herself all the time.

She's considered "popular" at school, even though she's not a typical Type A girl. Still, she gets grief, they all do. The worst 2 instances: When she was 11, 4 boys started/spread a rumor that she had given another kid a BJ. She had no idea what a BJ was. She was crying so hard when she called that her friend had to get on the phone to tell me what was going on. My husband, not her Dad, went to the school and raised all hell - all 4 kids suspended, parents informed, etc.

The 2nd time was on MySpace. A girl that was a former friend (she vacationed with us) used her MySpace almost exclusively to write hateful things about my daughter. My favorite: "T$#@* J^$#@ is the biggest fat slut on earth. Whores like that shouldn't even live. I would pay a million dollars to watch that fat slut die". That one went to the school and the girl doing the writing couldn't technically be punished, but her father was called in so she could be referred to counseling. Oh - why did they fall out to begin with? Because my daughter was a "prep" and this girl became "goth". Nothing more. Goths hate preps, I guess.

My point is (I do have one), this is what I worry about more than drunk driving, drugs, smoking or pregnancy for my daughter. Long term emotional abuse. Feelings of inadequacy and fear in a school environment. HS is next year. I am scared to death.

Sorry so long...

brookidy

Jamie Sommers

Crazy Broad

Abogada

westvillagegirl (exhiled in chicago)

Mando323

Tulipsaki

bellethellama

[www.mailmtkg.com]

Wow, the Drews are such klassy people.

Nicolars

Tulipsaki

I'm guessing/hoping cocoesq was just illustrating how it is just as silly that LuckyMolly was able to write "The punchline is that they probably all go to a megachurch with accompanying stickers of crosses and Jesus logos on their SUVs.

Can't really deduce much about the couple except that they are pieces of shit whether they be Christians, atheists, wiccans, Jews, etc.

strangebrew

TipsyRussell

JNOV

jackimarie

triggerhappy

JNOV

But in all seriousness, this is fucking terrible. I just hope Megan is in a better place, and that karma kicks these two parents' asses rightly. And instead of a show like Law & Order taking this case on, I could really see South Park really lambaste these asses, and doing it well.

bellethellama

I hope Megan's parents or someone sets up a foundation to educate young adults on the dangers of online bullying. Or maybe some kind of thing can be set up where kids can report stuff like this. Think, if one kid who knew this was going on and reported it to authorities, this could have been prevented - they could call it Megan Alert - like the Amber Alert system.

Residentdrunkgirl

fabforever1

boss_lady

I think the thing is, you've got to take this shit seriously, especially if your kid is the one doing the bullying. Don't turn a blind eye to reports that your kid is messing up. I caught my son saying some effed up shit to another kid, and I went off on him. Talk, talk, talk to your kids. If they develop stomach aches or other issues routinely before school, see if something is going on there. Don't tell them to ignore these kids and what they say. Say, yes, what they are saying to you and what they are doing to you is wrong and mean and it would hurt me, too. Acknowledge how shitty they are feeling and how shitty the other kids are being. Remind them of how important they are. That they are loved.

If you see kids bullying someone, be like, "Hey! What's going on here? Do I need to talk to your parents?" Most people want to raise well-adjusted, kind, caring souls and will take you seriously and appreciate your intervention. If someone tells you that your kid is being a jerk, resist the impulse to shoot the messenger and think about it. Kids aren't evil incarnate, and they make tons of mistakes, and your kid will, too. My kid grabbed a friend's breast when he was thirteen. The friend's mother told me what he did. My first reaction (internally) was, "Not my kid!" Well, guess what - he did it, and there was hell to pay.

Being the subject of bullying should not be a rite of passage.

*steps off soapbox and apologizes for length*

JNOV

Xylo

But money talks, people.

As has been posted before, Curt and Lori Drew have a business called Drew Ad Vantage. I say we put them OUT of business. It's apparently a direct mail marketing business, which means they likely get clients from small busineses in the area and maybe all over the US.

Are there Jezzies out there in Missouri who can do some cybersleuthing to find out who there clients are? If so, we can let those businesses know that we will not patronize their business so long as they do business with the Drews.

Hit these dirtbags where it hurts most. Spread the word.

Jamie Sommers

lucyjae

triggerhappy

NefariousNewt

Whatever you do, your future stepdaughter is lucky to have you looking out for her.

optical_allusion

@Titania: I was a huge dork, and without the friends I made online, I don't know how I would have gotten through middle school. I was on a book forum though, not myspace or anything, but still. I was actively tormented in school, and being able to come home, turn on my computer, and talk to equally dorky kids about novels helped me get through it all. (I actually stayed in touch with a few of them and one of the girls I met years ago online. I ended up at the same college as one of them, and we're best friends in real life now.) So online social things can be a double edged sword for this age group. For ever horror story (as this one truly is) there are stories like mine.

mizzal

ihateyourescalade

Mind you, totally not easy to do. It takes a lot of guts to let the crap flow over you and walk on, but if you can do it, it will make you stronger. For some reason, girls are worse than boys when it comes to this kind of thing, but I think the process will work all the same.

NefariousNewt

layladylan

If someone raped or killed a member of my family I would not want them imprisoned or killed by lethal injection. I would want to personally torture them Spanish Inquisition-style until they begged for death.

BUT...when you have the privilege of living in a society governed (ostensibly, anyway) by the rule of law and rationality, you give up your right to blood vengeance and vigilantism. That's the deal. As much as it is emotionally difficult, it's for the best for all of our sakes. Without it, we're a bunch of bloodthirsty tribes whacking one another for any number of vendettas.

KLondike5

momof3wildkids

J.D.Regent

HOW CAN WE STOP THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN?

lele

I honestly think that these cruel adolescent cultures stem from the fact that we kinda shove kids into schools because the rest of society has no use for them yet, and they are left to create bizarre mini-societies in which useless things (like cheerleading) make the difference between someone being likable or not. Its always seemed to me a little similar to prison culture, in its arbitrariness.

Keeping her confined to a small town probably isn't going to make her feel great either. You should travel with her, show her the real world, and tell her that people who are genuinely smart, talented, and good hearted will always make out better than the popularity-obsessed bullies. And btw, bullying is not necessarily something every child grows up with in every culture. It really is one of those things that is almost uniquely American, or at least Western.

schmalerie

I.Can. Haz.Black.Editors?

MaMaMoose

Which is why I'm just far enough away from middle school to realize exactly how much harder it all would have been with the nasty, anonymous dimension of Internet hating. I don't intend to let any children I might one day have be involved with social networking sites of any kind until at least high school. It's hard enough at that age.

Titania

bess marvin, girl detective