Chesapeake actor aims to stop bullying

No one would think of bullying the Blue Power Ranger. Would they?

Don’t be so sure.

Michael Copon, Chesapeake-born Filipino actor and producer, starred as the superhero in the “Power Rangers: Time Force” television series. He has made a career fighting the bad guys. Now he has a new mission: stopping bullying.

“I was bullied when I was young,” Copon said. “I was bullied for looking chubby and bigger than anyone else.”

Copon’s story matches the latest statistics. The National Education Association and the National School Safety Center report that each day, 160,000 students miss school for fear of bullying. One of seven grade-school students is either a bully or victim of bullies. About 2.7 million students are bullied each year.

In this age of gun violence at school, strong connections between bullying crimes and school-age homicides and suicides are becoming more evident.

Copon was 12 when his stepfather committed suicide. “I was a victim of bullying and of the suicide of my stepdad. I know what it feels like to be alone and to be scared.”

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