Middle Schooler Sees Boy Getting Bullied, Gets Fed Up And Takes An Unpredictable Approach

Melvin Anderson and Romello “Mello” Early are very close friends at Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School. But despite their tight bond, Melvin found himself on the receiving end of some cruel bullying from his middle school classmates. It was pretty relentless, and Mello eventually picked up on the issue. But Mello wasn't one to ignore an issue like bullying. He knew he had to do something drastic to make it stop.

An odd couple

Residents of Buffalo, New York, Mello and Melvin are a real life odd couple. Their personalities and demeanors couldn’t be more different! Melvin is a very reserved young man, boasting a calm, gentle voice. As for his seventh-grade classmate, Mello is a huge extrovert — he’s as affable as they come at the school. Regardless of those differences, though, the pair get along famously.

The bullies’ focus...

So, that brings us to October 2022. During that period, Mello saw that his pal was getting taunted by some of the other students at Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School. Specifically, the bullies were focusing on Melvin’s choice of footwear. His sneakers weren’t in the greatest condition. Not only were they covered in muck, but the shoes were pretty worn out, too.

“Weren’t up to par”

To shed a bit more light on that, the dean of culture at the school spoke to FOX in November 2022. Bryant Brown Jr. said, “His shoes weren’t up to par. Melvin likes to run in the mud and get his shoes dirty.” Nothing wrong with that, right? Kids and mud go together like peanut butter and jelly! In this case, though, the bullies used it as ammunition against Mello’s pal.

A widespread issue

And unfortunately, Melvin isn’t the only kid who’s had to deal with bullying at an American school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website reported 20 percent of students at high schools across the country have come forward to say they’ve been bullied. Talk about an eye-opening statistic! A whole 20 percent of students live in fear of bullying every day.