Clementi Friend Speaks at N.J. Forum

During a town hall meeting in New Jersey on Thursday evening, a high school friend of Tyler Clementi spoke about the Rutgers University freshman and violinist who committed suicide last month after his roommate secretly live streamed his intimate encounter with another man on the Internet.

According to The New York Times, attendees at the forum in Clementi's hometown of Ridgewood included politicians and some of his classmates from Ridgewood High School. One friend spoke about her personal grief.

"The friend, Nikomeh Anderson, a freshman at New York University and an aspiring actress, talked about the young man who had sat near her in a high school class, as well as her shock upon learning of his death -- without knowing the circumstances that led to it," reported the Times.

"They outed him on the Internet, doing something that's very private and very personal," said Anderson, according to the Times. "No one deserves to have their private life made public. Imagine how violated, embarrassed, angry and ashamed he must have been."

"Our love of art really drew us together, made us more cultured, more mature people, yet somehow always with a spark of craziness and fun," she said. "Tyler was a part of this family and a part of the Ridgewood High School community, and I just couldn't wrap my head around why such a talented, generous person would jump off the G. W. Bridge."

The forum in Ridgewood was the second of two held this week. During a forum Wednesday evening at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Sen. Frank Lautenberg announced his plan to introduce legislation next month that would require colleges and universities receiving federal money to adopt a code of conduct that prohibits harassment, including cyberbullying. The bill would also allow for colleges to compete on a competitive basis for grants to establish programs that protect students from bullying.