Police, members of an anti-bullying group and 275 students were to hold a rally at a high school in Boyle Heights Wednesday morning to kick off National Bullying Prevention Month.
The event at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of Talpa Catholic School will feature speakers from Speak Out Against Bullying Inc., which has partnered with the staff at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollenbeck Area Station to host the rally in support of “broader awareness initiatives.”
“It connects the school to a larger national movement, helping students recognize that they are part of a collective effort to end bullying,” according to an LAPD statement. “The rally serves as a vital platform to educate, empower and unite the school community, fostering a safer and more inclusive environment for all.”
Students will be given orange pom poms, the symbolic color of National Bullying Prevention Month.
Speakers were to include LAPD Deputy Chief German Hurtado, Operations Central Bureau; Executive Director Monica Harmon, Speak Out Against Bullying Inc.; Principal Diana Hanger, Our Lady of Talpa Catholic Elementary School; LAPD Detective Claudia Castruita, Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children; Blue Dog (Bluey) characters; as well as parents, other guests and volunteers.