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ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Clown Arrested for Rape; MTV Star Charged with Assault

Aired March 28, 2011 - 19:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


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JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, childhood icon or demented monster? Cops say a professional clown raped a 12-year-old girl while dressed in his clown makeup and costume. Even more disturbing, he`s been using his colorful act to win over kids and their parents at birthday parties for almost a decade. Tonight we ask, are there more innocent victims?

And reality star turned violent thug. One of MTV`s teen moms arrested for brutally beating up another girl, and it`s all caught on tape. Cops say the cat fight started over a boy, and now that dreamboat is in trouble, too, arrested on a cocaine charge. We`ll show you the entire fight from start to finish.

Also, fighting back against teen bullying. A 13-year-old YouTube sensation offers the world a unique and astounding response to the abuse she says she endures every day at school. I`ll show you her emotional heartbreaking plea: "Words do hurt. Please, don`t be a killer."

Plus, Botox for babies? A mother allegedly injects her 8-year-old with Botox and takes her for full body waxes to make her a superstar, even though the little girl reportedly says the pain makes her cry. And it doesn`t end there. Public outrage tonight over a push-up bikini bra for 7- year-olds? What the hell are we trying to turn our little girls into? I`m taking your calls.

ISSUES starts now.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Woo!

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ghoulish breaking news tonight. Shock and horror as a popular professional clown who worked for almost a decade entertaining at children`s birthday parties is arrested on rape charges. This alleged monster, 41-year-old Jose Jimenez, goes by the name El Tin Larin, a popular Spanish rhyme.

Cops say this clown`s victim`s a 12-year-old girl he abducted from a Fullerton, California, school and sexually assaulted back in 2002. Cops say he was in full clown makeup when he raped the girl in his car in the school parking lot and again in his car outside a hotel. The victim managed to escape when the clown went inside to talk to a desk clerk.

So why did it take almost a decade to find this guy? Cops say the young girl could not identify her attacker, other than to say he was a clown. So they collected the mystery assailant`s DNA, and they filed it away.

Then this past November, cops got a big break in the case when this Jimenez character was busted for alleged physical child abuse in a totally unrelated case. Again, they collected the DNA, and guess what? The DNA was a match to the cold rape case from 2002.

Horrified parents in a panic tonight because prosecutors say there could be more victims.

This is the ultimate betrayal. Look at this guy, befriending the parents and making them dance around with the kids right there. Everybody thinking they`re having a good time. Well, who knows what`s on his mind?

Straight out to reporter Pete Demetriou from KFWB News Radio in Los Angeles. Pete, what is the latest on this nauseating story?

PETE DEMETRIOU, KFWB NEWS RADIO: The latest they have on it is that the man has been charged and booked with rape. And again this goes back to 2002.

The reason it took so long to get him is because there was no other reference point to go after him to get him for. Bottom line is the DNA match is one thing, but you don`t have anything else in the DNA database, you can`t arrest him.

It wasn`t until nine years later when they got him, and California law had changed that they were mainly to finally get a DNA swab from this man. They put it into the CODIS database. At that point they then proceed to run, and eventually a cold hit happened, and on this one they now have this guy.

The question is how many other cases are out there? Fullerton police apparently have had a half a dozen calls from people and police agencies, asking them to look at this guy or look at their case to see if they`re going to match. Right now they just have one solid case at this point.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And look at this, entertaining with a puppet. This is something that kids are bound to love. It`s going to attract children. And it just makes me sick to my stomach that this guy was exposed to so many children out there. This alleged child predator clowning around, as you can see, entertaining at parties for children for nine years after the rape occurred.

ISSUES reached out to his attorney in the most recent case. We did not hear back before air. They`re invited on any time. But check this guy out, working the birthday party circuit. You see him here. The families, these are wholesome families that are hiring this guy, thinking that, oh, they`re doing something wonderful for their little children. And this guy has access to kids as part of these parties. And he blows up balloons; he uses a puppet, the whole nine yards.

We`re going straight out to Sergeant Andrew Goodrich from the Fullerton Police Department.

What are you doing tonight to find out, sir whether there are other victims out there? Are you talking to parents who hired this guy to perform at their children`s parties?

SGT. ANDREW GOODRICH, FULLERTON POLICE DEPARTMENT (via phone): Well, we`ve been reaching out through the media and through every other avenue we have available to try to get parents or anybody who thinks they might be a victim or know victims in this case to contact us, even if it didn`t happen in Fullerton. This guy operated throughout Southern California, so there`s a good chance that, if there are any victims out there, they could be anywhere and not necessarily in Fullerton.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Pete Demetriou said that half a dozen calls have come in. What do you know, Sergeant?

GOODRICH: Well, yes, we received about a half a dozen calls, some of it from regular citizens and some from law enforcement agencies, asking us to take a look at what they have available and consult with us to see if perhaps Mr. Jimenez is responsible for the incident they`re concerned about. A lot of them involve abducted children. So we`re going to be looking at that and try to see if we can, you know, bring it to a conclusion.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This creepy professional clown was in business for about a decade, and he appeared to gain the trust of a lot of unsuspecting parents. Watch and listen to this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uno, dos, tres. (SPEAKING SPANISH)

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stacey Honowitz, here`s my big issue. Is this guy a textbook predator? He was able to infiltrate groups of kids by ingratiating himself with the parents, well-meaning parents just wanting to have fun entertainment for their children at a birthday party. Is this the ultimate betrayal?

STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: Well, absolutely, Jane. I mean, this is what pedophiles do. They are master manipulators. They try to befriend children. And what`s a better way to befriend a child than to be a clown at a party?

And this is what makes me so mad. You know, I try to tell people all the time that sex crimes happen when things like this take place, when you have people that come to the house that want to be friendly with the kids, and people don`t want to listen.

I told you, I`ve written two books, "My Privates are Private," Genius with a Penis, Don`t Touch." I get out into schools. People don`t want to listen to it. I`m met -- I am met with such resistance, because people can`t believe that clowns or someone that comes to the house or entertainers or the janitor at the school or someone that appears to be so nice...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How are they supposed to figure it out? They`ve got to have entertainment for their children. I mean, they`re trying to do the right thing. What are they supposed to do?

HONOWITZ: I understand that, Jane. But the bottom line is you have to educate these kids. Just because a clown`s coming to your house to entertain, you must educate your children to know that, just because he appears to be funny and nice and a clown, this could be the guy, that if anyone touches you or makes you uncomfortable, you must tell.

And if this guy was touching kids, and these kids didn`t come forward, this is nine years of us not knowing what goes on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we are going to investigate all of it.

And Pete, I am sure that you`re going to run into parents who want to know what the heck is going on? We`re going to stay on top of this story and have you back for an update. Let`s hope that -- well, I hope there are no other children that are inflict -- that are afflicted by this.

DEMETRIOU: You can hope, Jane, that the one thing that can change it realistically would be if they change the laws on DNA gathering of suspects so that you get them when people are arrested for misdemeanor violations, not just for felonies. That`s the next step we have to go here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, yes, but his arrest that triggered all this was not a misdemeanor. So...

DEMETRIOU: The arrest that triggered all of this was a felony.

(CROSSTALK)

DEMETRIOU: But we can change the law.

HONOWITZ: Abduction is usually the last thing that happens. It`s touching and uncomfortable touches to lead up to eventually raping and abducting. So you need to talk to these kids about that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s good information. Uncomfortable, weird touches. If you see that, parents, watch out!

Coming up, Botox for babies. I`m going to tell you about one mom who apparently, allegedly, injects her own little girl with Botox. What on earth are we trying to turn our little girls into?

We`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Also, MTV teen mom star arrested for savagely beating up another girl. I`m going to show you the entire fight from start to finish. That`s just a taste of it. I want to know what you think about this kind of violence, all over a guy. You won`t believe it. Call me with your thoughts.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my God! What the heck was going on there?

A vicious brawl between two teenage girls made even more horrifying by the fact that one of them is -- well, should we say infamous mother? That was video of 19-year-old Jenelle Evans, a cast member from MTV`s "Teen Mom." Police moved in after footage of the fight went viral.

Being a teen mom on TV made Jenelle infamous. Criminal charges have now made her more infamous. This young mother is accused of assault, plus drug possession, and breaking and entering in a separate incident. What a wonderful example for her young son. Not. Good thing the child`s grandmother has custody of the little boy.

This nasty brawl was reportedly all over this guy, Kieffer, Jenelle`s ex. Really? This guy worth all of that? Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes! Yes! Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get up!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let her go! Let her go!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let her go! Get up!

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, in just a moment I`m going to show you how the fight started and why Jenelle`s attorney says she was set up. Really? Weren`t those her fists flying at that other girl`s face?

Straight out to Mike Walters, my good buddy and assignment manager for TMZ.com.

Mike, what is the story behind this vicious beat-down?

MIKE WALTERS, ASSIGNMENT MANAGER, TMZ: Well, this video is unbelievable, first of all, Jane. You guys just saw it.

The story behind it, apparently, is that these two girls are fighting over that guy you just showed, this Kieffer dude, who obviously is not the best catch in the world, but apparently, that the one girl was flirting with Jenelle Evans` -- who`s on "Teen Mom" -- boyfriend Kieffer. They found out about it, and they show up to each other`s home here that you see in the video. And all of a sudden, they`re beating each other up.

Now, the worst part of this video is all the people standing around, egging them on, taping it. And also, Jane, one of the other girls is also a teen mom. This is two teen mothers who have children, and they`re fighting in the front yard.

And like you said, Jenelle doesn`t even have custody of her child. This is not going to help. And this is not the first criminal charge against Jenelle. This is going to be a huge problem, trying to get her, you know, child back custody from her mother. Huge problem and a really horrible videotape.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well -- this is a shining example of why we should - -absolutely discourage teenage moms from having children, because they are not at the emotional maturity level to handle children. Look at how they`re resolving this argument over a dude. They`re getting into a fist fight.

What kind of messages are these teen moms going to send their own children about how to handle problems? Or are they going to be angry at their kids? And put their kids in harm`s way?

WALTERS: And Jane, the icing on the cake on this one is they go to pick up Jenelle Evans to arrest her for this civil assault, and they arrest Kieffer, her boyfriend, who`s also at the house, for a cocaine charge that he`s had a warrant for, for a few weeks. It`s like, could it get any worse for this girl? She needs to stay out of the limelight, stay off this show, and get her life together.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, she also has a drug charge in her recent past. So I think drugs may have something to do with all of this behavior.

WALTERS: Absolutely.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, no comment from MTV on this incident. Jenelle`s attorney said his client was, quote, "set up." Was he perhaps referring to all the "bystanders" who were encouraging Jenelle to fight? Or maybe let`s check out the young woman who pushed Jenelle in her tookus, sort of encouraging her to get into this fight. Look at that. See? You see that? There was a little shove, showing Jenelle being shoved.

And then shortly thereafter, Jenelle decides to give a punch. There, boom. See? And then after that, she punches, and soon they`re off to the races. So what do you make of that? That -- wasn`t that girl also arrested?

WALTERS: Yes, you know, the girl who pushed Jenelle was also arrested. All three of those girls have also been charged with the crime.

You know, the bottom line is I don`t know if I agree with Jenelle`s attorney that she was set up, but it is kind of weird that she calls her, apparently, to come over to fight. Everybody`s there. They`ve all got video cameras out.

The one girl pushes her into Britany so that they start fighting. And it`s almost like she didn`t want to fight, but they`re encouraging it. And all of a sudden, the pictures of the injuries, the video, everything`s been sold to a paparazzi company. It does kind of seem as if they wanted these two girls to fight, they knew they were going to fight, and they`ve been encouraging it. So I`m not sure this is a defense in court, but...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And they conveniently had the camera rolling when the fight starts.

WALTERS: Jane, multiple cameras. There`s tree videotape that came out of this. So yes, I don`t know if this is a defense in court, but we`ll see what happens.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s the point. Now we`re encouraging -- follow the money with this one, that`s what I say.

Sheba, Illinois, your question or thought, man.

CALLER: Hey, Jane, I watch you every night, darling.

My comment or question is didn`t there mother and dad ever teach them she ain`t worth it or he ain`t worth it? And what happened to, you know, chores around the house?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what happened to, like, dignified behavior? I mean, are we just catching this because we have cameras today? Or has this always gone on?

Here`s my -- here`s my really big issue. Do shows like this Teen Mom 2", glorify hideous behavior? Jenelle is just the latest in a slew of reality TV stars to go totally haywire and violent.

Another "Teen Mom" star, Amber Portwood, was charged with felony domestic battery after MTV aired this disturbing altercation with her baby daddy. Check this one out.

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AMBER PORTWOOD, REALITY TV STAR: You want to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) me?

GARY SHIRLEY, AMBER`S FORMER FIANCE: Amber, get off me. Amber.

PORTWOOD: No, I swear to God I wish I was burying you alive.

SHIRLEY: One more hit. Not one hit.

PORTWOOD: What? You want to hit me?

SHIRLEY: No.

PORTWOOD: I am at the edge. Do you (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?

SHIRLEY: You want to hit me?

PORTWOOD: Don`t you ever (EXPLETIVE DELETED) come here again, you fat piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

SHIRLEY: I`m going.

PORTWOOD: You stay the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of my damn house.

SHIRLEY: I am.

PORTWOOD: You are trash.

SHIRLEY: OK.

PORTWOOD: You are so (EXPLETIVE DELETED) lucky. You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) back.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Inez Whitlow, chicks in crisis. Does this really glorify hideous behavior and violent choices?

INEZ WHITLOW: It sure does. These girls think it is funny to act that stupid in front of a camera. They think they`re getting something out of it and they`re going to make money.

And the problem is that, when you have that kind a mentality, how can you be a mom? How can you be an effective mom? And this goes back generation, generation, generation.

And again these young girls, they`ll contact me wanting to know if I have contact with the "Teen Mom" program, because their life`s out of control. They`re pregnant, and they think they`d make good show.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes, there are -- there are allegedly girls getting pregnant so they can try to audition for "Teen Mom." How horrifying! Oh, my gosh. We`re just getting started. More...

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(SCREAMING)

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: "Teen Mom 2" star Jenelle Evans arrested after punching out this other girl. You`re looking at the evidence on tape.

Now, Jenelle voluntarily signed over custody of her son, Jace, to her mom last year. They say they`re working together to raise him. Here`s one of the countless arguments between mother and daughter on "Teen Mom 2." Check this out.

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BARBARA EVANS, MOTHER OF JENELLE: You could have come here and helped me a little bit before showing up like you always do.

JENELLE EVANS, REALITY TV STAR: Kieffer did not want to come over here to argue.

B. EVANS: I don`t care about Kieffer.

J. EVANS: Oh, my God.

B. EVANS: This is between me and you.

J. EVANS: OK, whatever, mom.

You always like to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) argue.

B. EVANS: I`m not arguing, Jenelle. This is not a joke.

J. EVANS: OK, Mom, I understand that. Damn!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh! All the interactions are just people shouting at each other. Imagine the psychological impact on that child.

Now Stacey Honowitz, if Jenelle ever tries to regain custody of her son, I hope the judge looks at that fight at includes that in his criteria.

HONOWITZ: Watching these tapes it is so difficult, because I see the cycle every day in my office. I see mothers -- well, teens that become mothers. And then eventually there`s a lot of cases where there`s a neglect charge because they neglected the babies, because they`re not mature enough. Most of them are not mature enough to handle this type of thing. And I think we can say that they are technically called a mother, but they`re not acting like a mother would act.

And so yes, you would hope that, if there`s any evidence to look at, if a judge has to look at certain things to determine whether or not this person should get custody, he needs to take into consideration everything, including a tape just like this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. This is...

HONOWITZ: Because eventually what happens is the child ends up in a house, a neglectful house. And then the child -- then we`re on the show three weeks later, talking about a child that`s been abused.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

Jenelle`s videotaped brawl, unfortunately no fluke. It seems more and more like a new TV trend. Check out this clip from Oxygen`s "Bad Girls Club."

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(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A play by play for what Lauren (ph) and Courtney (ph) are doing is really like chicken fighting. I don`t know who`s really getting best of who. I think everyone`s pulling each other...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gosh. We talk about the war on women on this show. It seems like women now are being pitted against other women as some kind of new TV genre. Inez Whitlow, outrage. This is all about making money.

WHITLOW: It`s all about making money. It`s all about who can outdo who. And the sad part is her mom encourages it. She`s learning her behavior from her mom. And if you look at her mom, I`m sure she learned that behavior from her mom.

They`re immature. They don`t need to be raising babies. This is what 16-year-olds do, is fight and argue but do it without a baby involved. And the fact they`re fighting over a loser guy is a joke.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t agree this is a 16-year-old -- I mean, I was -- I don`t know. I think this is getting worse. I think our violence in our society is increasing.

Hey, Kathy, Pennsylvania, you`ve got about 20 seconds to give us a comment.

CALLER: Yes. I just think that show (ph) should be taken off the air, because it`s just letting teens think that they can get on shows to become on television.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what? Nobody`s going to take these shows off the air, because they`re ratings grabbers. The only people who can take it off the air are the viewers by not watching it. If you think that this is despicable, you`ve got to vote with your remote. I like that phrase. Vote with your remote.

Thank you, wonderful panel.

On the other side of the break, fight the back against teen bullying. An amazing video. You`ll see.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fighting back against teen bullying. A 13-year-old YouTube sensation offers the world a unique and astounding response to the abuse she says she endures every day at school. I`ll show you her emotional heartbreaking plea. Words do hurt. Please don`t be a killer.

Plus, botox for babies? A mother allegedly injects her 8-year-old with botox and takes her for full body waxes to make her a superstar. Even though the little girl reportedly says the pain makes her cry.

And it doesn`t end there. Public outrage tonight over a push-up bikini bra for 7-year-olds? What the hell are we trying to turn our little girls into? I`m taking your calls.

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CASEY HEYNES, BULLY VICTIM: You have good days, keep your chin up and school isn`t going to last forever.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: After what he called years of taunting and teasing, that young victim of bullying turned the tables on his bullies. See it right here in this deadspin.com video. Slam. But tonight an eighth-grader lashes out in her own un-violent non-violent way by releasing an emotionally-charged video on YouTube.

What makes this video remarkable: she, the girl who says she`s been bullied, never says a word. She just holds up cards begging for the bullying to stop. A warning though, she uses some tough words. Watch this.

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(ALYE POLLACK`S VIDEO)

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Alye Pollack is 13. She says she`s attends Bedford Middle School in Westport, Connecticut. Her signs say she has been bullied since sixth grade and that she only has three or four friends. She says she spends more time in therapy, guidance than class.

We reached out her school to find out more about Alye and if she has reported the alleged bullying to school officials. The "Westport News" reports the school is investigating a recent case of cyber bullying so could it be Alye`s case? We don`t know. There is a lot we don`t know about the story.

What`s wrong though with a society where a 13-year-old girl feels reduced to posting a video like this pleading for help? Shouldn`t the adults in her life have prevented this from getting this far. Did Alye think this was the only way to get help for her predicament?

What is your reaction to this video? Give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to actor Christopher Rivera; Christopher, you were bullied as a young boy, and then you say you turned the tables and became a bully yourself in high school and now fighting bullying is your cause. You star in the anti-bullying movie "Fat Boy Chronicles".

What do you think when you watch this young girl`s rather amazing video where she just holds up these signs saying, "Help me, I`m being bullied"?

CHRISTOPHER RIVERA, "FAT BOY CHRONICLES": It`s -- I`m really glad that she`s sticking up for herself. And I just think it is really sad that it comes down to this, that there`s kids bullying her every day and they use those sick words. And, you know, it is just so sad.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. It`s very sad. One thing that really worries me about this girl`s message is her mention of cutting and she says she doesn`t cut but that she`s close. She`s in therapy more than class, she claims. And she says she likes her school but not the kids in the school. She asked if the bullying will get worse in high school. Then she simply asks for help.

I want to go to Rosalind Wiseman, who`s the author of "Queen Bees and Wannabes". Her book inspired the movie "Mean Girls"; we all remember that movie about some really mean girls.

Rosalind, what strikes me about this Alye girl who has posted this video is she doesn`t seem to be your typical bullying target. They say -- she says they call her the b word, fat, freak, ugly, weird. She seems to me attractive in good shape, assertive, smart. Why would they pick on her?

ROSALIND WISEMAN, AUTHOR, "QUEEN BEES AND WANNABES": There`s all different kinds of reasons why kids pick on other kids and it`s not just one reason usually. All different kinds of kids have this experience.

But think this is actually an example of teens really showing the positive use of technology in their lives; that they are using it to express things that are meaningful to them. And I really want to use this as an example of there`s lots of young people in this country who are reaching out through technology in positive ways and saying this is my life experience, listen to me about it.

There`s college kids right down the street from her at Fairfield, Connecticut who are having a rally on Sunday, April 10th about this very same issue. So there`s lots of young people who are really reaching out and trying to make this really a lot better.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And again, we have more questions than answers. We really don`t know who Alye is. We tried to reach out to Alye`s school but we haven`t gotten an answer back.

We got this comment from a woman who says she`s her mother. Quote, "we love you very much, we`re so proud of the movement that will come out of this," which brings me to my big issue. Is this young woman taking her power back?

Alye writes on her signs: "Sticks and stones? Words do hurt. Think. This could be you." So I really feel that she is taking the power back in this situation. All the media in the world has reached out, trying to interview her. She`s probably going to get her own TV show out of this.

So, all those kids who are bullying her, if what she`s saying is true, you lose because she showed that she`s more clever and more creative. And she probably has a future in advertising or in some creative field because this is a very creative unique ingenious video. And I found it absolutely fascinating. I couldn`t stop watching it.

Cindy, Texas, your question or thought, ma`am. Hey, Cindy.

CINDY, TEXAS (via telephone): Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cindy. Hey Cindy, your question or thought ma`am.

CINDY: Well, my thought is, Jane, I myself, growing up was bullied. My mother was a single mom back in early `50s, which was real no-no back then. And we moved every two months because she changed jobs trying to better our situation. But I was in a new school every two months and I ended up 6-foot tall; I was always at least a head taller than everyone in my class.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That should give you an advantage, you`d think. But it doesn`t. That`s the thing.

We never know, sometimes it`s the smartest and the strongest kids who are bullied. Look at that kid who finally took the power back and slammed the other boy down which is not something I would recommend. I don`t believe in a violent response but sometimes people who are -- have all the good qualities are bullied for it.

What`s interesting, Brenda Wade, psychologist is that she also says on her sign that she was called two ugly words for being gay. Now, we tried to reach out to her. We don`t know what her sexual orientation is or if she really knows that at the age of 13, but that is a common theme of taunting, unfortunately.

(CROSSTALK)

BRENDA WADE, PSYCHOLOGIST: It is very common, Jane. And one of the things we know is that one out of four children are bullied, and one out of five says that they have been a bully. That`s how common it is. Alye isn`t alone, whatever is going on with her.

And for teens who are gay or lesbian teens who haven`t come out who are struggling with that identity, they have the highest suicide rate and they are bullied more. There`s actually a book that just came out -- I want to recommend for those kids --called "It Gets Better". So, if there is any teen watching or parents watching, get that book for your child.

But, Jane, bullying is a huge problem because 85 percent of bullying incidents have no intervention. Nobody tries to stop it. So those kids end up feeling helpless. They feel hopeless. Now the minute I say helpless and hopeless, your next thought has to be depressed because helpless, hopeless feelings lead to depression and that`s why it is such a dangerous thing. Because we know that kids` brains aren`t finished until they`re 24 years old. So they start thinking there`s no way out because they can`t figure it out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And you know what? I think sometimes it`s the smartest kids who are bullied because they threaten the other kids --

WADE: That`s right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- because sometimes they`re thinking adult thoughts, they`re thinking about politics or they`re thinking about issues that the other kids aren`t thinking about. So in a way they`re threatened by the other kids.

(CROSSTALK)

WADE: That`s right. That`s right. The other thing to remember is that those kids who are doing the bullying, a huge percentage of them are themselves being abused at home or they are in situations at home, there are no bad kids. I think there are just parents who need more training.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let me go back to Christopher Rivera. You just heard the psychologist, Brenda Wade say that if you are a bully, you`ve got a problem at home. I would agree with that. You say you went from a being bullied to being a bully. What are your thoughts? Did you have problems at home?

RIVERA: Well, growing up, you know, in sixth grade I was bullied a lot. And in turn when I got to ninth grade I felt that I had a void that I had to fill because I was bullied for so long. Then when I read the "Fat Boy Chronicles" the book and got to be in the movie, it really opened something up in me mo and I realized just how horrible it is and how bullying is such an unnecessary issue that we need to get rid of quickly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How old are you?

RIVERA: I`m 16.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you did go through your bullying phase. How did you get out of that? How did you realize that was a bad thing to do? That`s not the response to being bullied is to become a bully yourself.

RIVERA: Well, I realized, you know, being associated with the "Fat Boy Chronicles", it really -- it showed the life after kid being bullied and it showed all the horrible things. It just shows how sad it is and how it shouldn`t be going on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, absolutely. It should not be going on. Alye, we would love to follow your story. I hope that something really good comes out of your amazing video.

If you`re watching, I think you`re cool and I think you`re smart and you`re fabulous and don`t let them get you down. You took the power back and you do have a future in media because that was brilliant. Thank you, fantastic panel.

Coming up next, the next generation of girls, speeding right past training bras and straight into padded bras and botox? I`m going to tell you why one mom says she actually injects her 8-year-old girl with botox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets young girls to think about themselves in sexual ways before it`s developmentally appropriate. It sends out really bad signals to adult men about young girls being appropriate sexual objects and objects of sexual desire for young men.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TINA GRANDE, MOTHER OF PAGEANT TODDLER: She was two years old when she wore it. Had she been a little bit older like 10 or something, yes, I might think it is a little inappropriate but it was really just meant to be funny. In fact, I`ve seen weird costumes on Halloween. It is just because my daughter`s in pageants that it seems to be such a big issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. That was a pageant mom on HLN`s prime news trying to explain this clip of her daughter from TLC`s "Toddlers and Tiaras". Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CLIP FROM TLC`S "TODDLERS AND TIARAS")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, she`s got the cones a la Madonna or Lady Gaga. I don`t know if you saw that. If you think that`s bad, wait until you here this.

A 34-year-old mother tells "The Sun" newspaper that she injects her 8- year-old daughter with botox. That`s not her 8-year-old daughter, by the way. We`re just showing you some demonstration video. But this mom reportedly buys the fillers online and pumps botox into her little girl`s face every three months. Why, you ask? Because she allegedly thinks it will make her a superstar some day.

She says, quote, "If I want Britney to be successful I have to be realistic. She has to start as early as possible," end quote. Realistic? Making this worse mommy also says she gives her daughter virgin waxes monthly. That`s what she calls a full body wax to prevent hair from growing in a certain area -- I think we all know what we`re talking about - - on her 8-year-old?

I`m actually speechless. What on earth is this woman thinking? I want to go straight out to Dr. Anthony Yuen, plastic surgeon. Now we looked up botox -- tox, tox, we found out tox stands for toxin.

I want to know what are the medical dangers if this mother is in fact injecting her 8-year-old daughter with botox in her face.

DR. ANTHONY YUEN, PLASTIC SURGEON: Well, botulinum toxin is one of the most dangerous toxins in the entire world. When we inject it in patients it is a tiny minute amount to remove wrinkles.

The problem is you it on the black market, you buy it through mail order it is probably not made in the United States. It is against the law to do that. You don`t know what is in. And even small amounts of Botulinum toxin laboratory grade could immediately kill somebody. It can cause paralysis and even death.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my god. And by the way, the little girl we were showing there as we were talking, that`s not the girl -- we don`t know the 8-year-old child. We tried to reach the mother, we tried to get in touch, but we do not have any video of this mother or this child so this is just generic video you are seeing there.

It seems like some parents are -- I don`t know -- what can you say about why anybody would do this to their child? Living vicariously through their daughter? Take a look at this, however, from TLC`s "Toddlers and Tiaras".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t tear it. Don`t tear it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s all done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t tear it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look how pretty it looks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That wasn`t bad, was it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes it was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lay back down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh. I`m sorry, but this to me my personal humble opinion, this is child abuse. Some of these kids are being forced to endure physical pain.

Ok. I want to go to pageant mom Mickie Wood (ph). You were featured on "Toddlers and Tiaras".

MICKIE WOOD, PAGEANT MOM: Yes, ma`am.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to give you an opportunity to explain. I don`t buy it. I don`t think this is good, I don`t think it is necessary. What do you say Mickie?

WOOD: I totally agree with you. I think we do things that we do as a parent or an individual in society, we have to use some people skills, some parenting skills. It is not something that I would do to my daughter -- waxing. Heck, it hurts me. Why would I do it to her?

And as far as this lady with the botox, I mean can we say, "Munchausen by proxy", come on. What kind of drugs is she on? That`s ridiculous, waxing your child`s private areas so she won`t have pubic hair? I mean I don`t know any other way to say it. It is -- that`s her words. It`s crazy.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s awful. And again, I have to mention -- let me jump in, Mickie and just say that the children we`re seeing here are not this mom and child who was giving the child botox or waxing her. These are just children in pageants. I want to make that very clear.

Mickie, what would you say to this mom? I want you to think about that because we`re going to get your answer on the other side of the break.

And we`ve got calls lining up, stacking up like planes over LaGuardia. Everybody stay right where you are. We`re going to have more on this botox for babies story. It`s hard to believe. Right after the break.

Is it an addiction? Well, maybe. Maybe if so, that mom should check out my new book "Addict Nation". It`s available on amazon.com.

If somebody you know is suffering from addictive behavior, get them a copy. It will help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don`t think that there is a reason for 7- year-old girls worrying about having their body look good and stuff while she is playing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have something else tonight to add to the sexualization of young children going on. Abercrombie & Fitch has this new bathing suit. Check this out from NBC`s "Today".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

It is a padded bikini top. It is a bathing suit with the shape of a small breast.

HODA, NBC HOST, "TODAY": This is for a kid who is seven.

KATHY LEE GIFFORD, NBC HOST, "TODAY": Yes.

HODA: And before she has hopefully started to develop breasts on her own. Although these days.

They changed the words. No, this is called the push-up triangle instead of whatever it is.

GIFFORD: No, they took out the word "push-up". It is now a striped triangle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, the padded bikini top originally targeted for girls as young as seven. But after outrage today the store said it was more appropriate for 12 and older.

As they said, it is supposed to make your chest look big. These are children. Their breasts are not even growing yet. Why are we trying to sexualize children who are not in puberty yet? That`s what I`d like to know.

And I`ll give Brenda Wade a chance to think about that. let`s go to a caller first. Donna Lynn, North Carolina, your thought or question, Donna Lynn.

DONNA LYNN, NORTH CAROLINE (via telephone): Well, number one, if you are putting children into those bikinis, you are telling that child to look this way is great. That also, when a pedophile comes up to that child and mentions their appearance and says it`s great, that child is going to go with that pedophile.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brenda Wade.

(CROSSTALK)

DONNA LYNN: A child who`s developing should have something froufrou on their body so nothing can be seen.

VELEZ-MITCHELL; Brenda Wade, what strikes me is that if you are fixing the child by waxing the child and giving the child botox, you are sending a message to the child that there is something wrong with you -- Brenda.

WADE: Absolutely. Jane, parents are teachers. That is the number one role of being a parent is to teach your child about themselves, about life. Now, I don`t fault parents who do these weird things because you know why? I think most of them have parents that did not treat them as if they were people. So they turn around and treat their children as objects.

We can change that. There are parenting classes. There are parenting books. I even have a free parenting download for viewers on my Web site, Jane. But we must take seriously what it is we are teaching our children.

We just looked at teen moms. We looked bullying. We looked at a little girl getting botoxed and being waxed. And the message is, "You`re not a person. You`re feelings don`t matter."

And unless parents teach children that --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are an object. You are a toy. Kids are not toys. They are human beings.

WADE: That`s right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: They are little, tiny human beings who deserve to be treated with all respect that adults are.

And I want to go to Mickie Wood because we are showing all these pageant footage. And we don`t want to imply that the parents at this pageant are doing anything wrong nor the children. Why the pageants, Mickie?

WOOD: Well, for us it was something that just happened. I have been involved in theater, taught theater and choir for 24 years. Had Eden at 40 years old and somebody said she is such a cute child, why don`t you do a little pageant? It`s just something that happened with us. It was more of a theatrical thing for us and we`re moving on now.

I think I totally agree with the psychologist or the doctor that you have on.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang on. We`re going to get more of your thoughts on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We are talking about this trend that seems to encourage the sexualization of children who are too young. They haven`t even hit puberty.

And I`m talking with Mickie Wood. She`s a pageant mom and she is featured on TLC`s "Toddlers and Tiaras". Now, Mickie, the pageant moms that we saw in the video that we play, they are not doing this botox and they`re not necessarily encouraging anything inappropriate, but where do you draw the line? How do you stop the mothers from going overboard?

WOOD: Well, I guess that is what the doctor said. You have to be a parent. If you are not teaching your child why you are doing this -- you have to teach them values and what is important to them. It is not so much about beauty as it is performing and something that we love to do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly. Keep the moderation. These are kids.

Nancy Grace up next.

END