UNION COUNTY, NJ — What would you do if you saw a kid being bullied?
Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded was recently dining with her own children at Manny’s Diner in Clark. At a table across from her, she noticed a child being picked on by two other children.
“I think you two should stop,” said Palmieri-Mouded, addressing the bullies.
When they wouldn’t let up, Palmieri-Mouded invited the victim to sit with her and her family. “This is our new friend,” she said to her own children. “He’s going to join us for dinner.”
The bullies continued snickering and Palmieri-Mouded said sternly, “Would you guys like to join us too?”
“I’m OK,” said one of the bullies.
What Palmieri-Mouded didn’t know was that all the children were professional actors. She was being filmed for ABC’s hit show “What Would You Do?”
“It’s an interesting thing,” said Palmieri-Mouded. “It was just like kismet I wound up being there.”
Palmieri-Mouded said she has a passion for the topic of bullying. “When I was in college, I did a thesis on the impact on bullying in the criminal justice system,” she said. “When I saw it all taking place, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I saw these kids laughing at the other kid. It was almost immediately when we sat down. I immediately noticed these kids pointing. To me it was so distracting to see that. I was so appalled.”
Continuing, she said, “For a moment I thought, ‘This is so crazy. Who behaves like this?’ But once you’re in the middle, I kept running on emotion. I couldn’t control it.”
In the video, an actor playing the father is seen encouraging his child to defend himself. “It was one of those situations where I couldn’t help myself in getting involved,” said Palmieri-Mouded.
Palmieri-Mouded said the boy who was being bullied was very sweet. “He thanked us for letting him sit with us,” she said. “He was quiet. I got the impression he was embarrassed. I wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible. It’s something nobody should experience.”
When Palmieri-Mouded also invited the bullies to join them, she thought that maybe they were doing something to show off. She said, “I thought maybe they need some comfort and friendship as well. Maybe they’ll have a change of heart.”
Palmieri-Mouded encourages her five children to treat other people with kindness. She feels the experience was a good lesson for her children. “You never know what others are going through,” she said. “It’s not a good habit to make people feel less than what they are. Be conscious to be kind. Kindness means everything.”
When the show aired, it was overwhelming for Palmieri-Mouded. “I didn’t know when the episode was going to air,” she said. “I got a few text messages: ‘We just saw you on TV.’ It’s a very humbling experience.”
Nevertheless, she feels most of the people she knows would do the same thing in that situation.
To view the episode of “What Would You Do?” which features Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY3cNa3PvlA. She is in the last segment of the video.
Photo Courtesy of Office of Communication and Public Information County of Union