They are soldiers. The emotional testimony came as the commission, for the first time since it began meeting in December, invited comment from the public, including relatives of the three dozen people killed and wounded by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. DeAngelis told the commission Aug. 24 that stories of a Columbine jock culture prone to bullying kids like Harris and Klebold was a myth, that there was no Trench Coat Mafia and that staff members didn't detect bullying or have any warning of what was to happen. Many of the 11 witnesses who testified Monday said bullying was a daily phenomenon and that school administrators, including DeAngelis, ignored it. Those allegations also are contained in the lawsuits now pending against the school district, sheriff's office and the parents of Harris and Klebold.
Authorities deny it.
I mentioned it at staff meetings. I didn't get any response. They kind of blew me off. Stevens also said members of the Trench Coat Mafia often hung out at the Southwest Plaza Mall, about a mile west of the school, and bullied people inside the shopping center, she said. Harris and Klebold were always there with their friends, she said.