15 year old Alopecian Ryan McDonald shot to death

http://news.google.com/news?q=ryan+mcdonald&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf...

The link above is to a list of Google news stories about Ryan McDonald's death. I'm in shock over reading about such a terrible tragedy...I understand what it's like to build up walls and a tough exterior to protect yourself and I'm appalled that another student chose to respond with such a violent reaction. What do you all think?

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Permalink Reply by Brittany on August 25, 2008 at 12:11pm
it's horrible what happen!!!after reading this story i feel really sad.....why would someone kill someone for having alopecia.....this is horrible..
Permalink Reply by Tony on August 25, 2008 at 12:15pm
The loss of anyone to violence is tragic. Very sad. The details are still vague but it appears that he stood his ground after being harassed. My prayers go out to both families as two young lives will be lost...
Permalink Reply by Carol on August 25, 2008 at 12:25pm
It's very sad to see what our youth are becoming! Even when I was in high school a girl was murdered for being "ugly" by a group of girls. I can only imagine, had I been as vocal as Ryan was, that I too could have been the brunt of such nastiness. I have a feeling (let me know if I'm wrong) that no one spoke to the school about alopecia and that Ryan probably never had the chance to educate his peers. This is what some of us are working very hard to prevent! For all those trigger happy folks out there: Real men use swords! Good luck getting that into school unnoticed. R.I.P. Ryan McDonald
Permalink Reply by Melissa Harris on August 25, 2008 at 4:17pm
I too read this story and was shocked! MY prayers are with the family too. This is why we need to create more awareness to the world about alopecia.
Melissa
Permalink Reply by traci on August 25, 2008 at 6:01pm
i know that NAAF has a statement on their website concerning the shooting, but i'm not sure about anything else.
Permalink Reply by carly on August 25, 2008 at 10:16pm
do you know if his death was because of his alopecia- or was it just because of something else?
Permalink Reply by traci on August 25, 2008 at 11:18pm
from what i've read, the shooter (jamal siler) and ryan had had an argument prior to the incident, and as a response, jamal siler pulled out a gun and shot ryan. i don't know what the argument was about though. other news reports have also stated that ryan was misunderstood a lot for being a "tough guy" because he did have a very tough exterior, which was built up because he was teased and ridiculed so much for his alopecia.
Permalink Reply by rj, Co-founder on August 26, 2008 at 12:01am
Carly's question regarding this matter is a critically important one, and Traci Lee's response and initial post point us in the right direction for answers.

At this point, there is no clear indication at all that Ryan was killed "because of his alopecia." However, it has been reported that he developed a tough-guy exterior partly because he was teased as an alopecian and even more so because he spent years living a rough life in a rough neighborhood.

Thus, the news stories about Ryan's death need not be interpreted as sending the message that people are literally losing their lives due to having alopecia, but as an immensely tragic story that serves to remind us that having alopecia does not make life easier for struggling young children and teens in a so-called pro-hair society.

Indeed, I am deeply saddened by Ryan's death, not merely because he was an alopecian, but because, like so many other young people trapped by "street life," he did not make it out.

Let us honor Ryan not by (unwittingly) perpetuating any distortion of the facts surrounding his murder, but by joining other individuals, groups, and organizations in taking a stand against hopelessness, poverty, illiteracy and violence while at the same time promoting alopecia awareness.
Permalink Reply by traci on August 26, 2008 at 12:53am
well said, rj. it's sad to hear about so much violence coming from the youth, and what's even sadder is that it happens so much in our world today.
Permalink Reply by rj, Co-founder on August 26, 2008 at 3:22am
Alas, Traci Lee, violence is an American tradition. See, for example, the classic HBO special titled "Violence: An American Tradition."
Permalink Reply by traci on August 26, 2008 at 3:36am
thanks for the YouTube link! i did my psychology research project on agression in America, though it seems like no matter how much i've studied it, everytime i hear something new it still shocks me.
Permalink Reply by Carol on August 26, 2008 at 7:08am
rj
You're quite right about joining other individuals and groups. I'm sure something like the kids helpline would be a great place to start. This occurence has deep meaning for me as some girls who teased me in high school also beat another girl to death for being "ugly", I very well could have been that girl! This needs to be stopped!

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