200 march in Laguna Beach against bullying

More than 200 students, children and adults marched along South Coast Highway near Main Beach in Laguna Beach on Saturday for the fifth annual People’s March Against Bullying.

Several visitors grabbed signs and joined marchers as motorists honked their horns in support, said Anna Mendez, who along with husband Danny started the nonprofit National Assn. of People Against Bullying.

The Mendezes believe repeated bullying led their son Daniel, 16, to commit suicide in 2009.

The organization, headquartered in San Clemente, advocates for victims of bullying and helps schools across the country begin anti-bullying clubs, according to a news release. There are 22 chapters across the country and another in Nicaragua.

“Our message is simple,” Kelsey Murphy, president of San Clemente High School’s Cool 2 Be Kind Club, said in the news release. “It is not OK to harass, make fun of, spread rumors about or persecute a student in any way. Simply by speaking up and saying, ‘Hey, that’s not cool’ or ‘Stop’ can be a powerful way to help intervene in a bullying situation.”

For more information about the association, visit napab.org.