A viral social media video involving a Chillicothe girl with autism harassed by other teens is bringing bullying into the spotlight.
The video shows a group of teenagers mocking and hitting MaKenna Batson. Seven teenagers now face charges in connection with the incident.
"It brings up a plethora of emotions. It makes you sad, it makes you disgusted, it makes you angry. It can even make you confused as to why people would act this way," said Chillicothe Police Chief Scott Mettille.
Metille said it's a teachable moment for parents.
"It brings up the topic of bullying. It brings up the topic of how we treat others and everything else. And what I would encourage parents to do is take this opportunity to talk to your kids on both sides of it," he said.
He said it's not only important to talk to their kids if they're the victim of bullying about how to address it, but to discourage the behavior if a parent believes their child is a bully themselves.
A Facebook group to support the girl,"Kindness for Makenna," now has more than 5,000 members. An event to drive by her house and honk vehicle horns in support of her is scheduled for Saturday.
Letters for MaKenna can be mailed via Stems by Allison, 915 2nd St. in Chillicothe.
"The community of Chillicothe is unbelievable," said Mettille. "The overwhelming show of support the family is receiving is truly unbelievable."
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