‘This girl was failed’: Public outcry after teen’s assault goes viral

More than 100 people rallied in Red Deer in support of a teen girl who was violently assaulted earlier this week. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa reports.

The violent attack of Rylin Brinston in central Alberta, which went viral online, has since generated both public outcry and an outpouring of support from those in her community.

More than 100 supporters adorned themselves in blue ribbons – the 14-year-old’s favourite colour – outside Red Deer City Hall Friday afternoon, cheering on passing cars that honked in support.

Brinston, who was among the crowd with her mother, is recovering from two black eyes, internal eye bleeding and a concussion after an assault at a field in the Lancaster Meadows area on Monday afternoon.

“It’s been really stressful. Not everything’s right anymore. But we’re managing,” Brinston said.

Her mom, Stephanie Rempel, says they’ve received countless messages offering glasses replacements and other gifts to support Brinston’s recovery in the aftermath of the assault.

“From the moment I saw her on the ground, to the hospital visit, to the eye doctor specialist this morning, the whole experience has been very traumatic … It’s mentally exhausting,” she told reporters.

Brinston will likely finish the rest of this school year and the next at home.

Still, surrounded by cheering sign-holders touting messages from anti-bullying remarks to calls for school action, both mom and daughter say they never expected such wraparound support.

“A few days ago, she thought she had nobody in the world, so for everyone to come together … We’re extremely grateful for all the love and support that we’ve been receiving,” Rempel said.

Calls for action

RCMP arrested two 14-year-old girls on Wednesday in connection with the altercation, charging one with assault by choking and both with assault causing bodily harm.

The arrests came after a video made the rounds online where a girl on top of Brinston can be seen repeatedly punching her in the head and slamming her head into the ground. Several other people were seen in the video observing the fight.

Both teens were released with conditions and are to appear in court on June 25.

The same day Mounties announced the arrests, police were in the same area as the assault responding to a bomb and shooting threat at Hunting Hills High School.

RCMP say they haven’t connected the assault with the threat that initiated a hold and secure at Hunting Hill, Notre Dame Secondary School and the Collicutt Centre. It was later determined that there was no active threat or risk to the public.

One concerned parent, whose daughter goes to the same school as Brinston, told CTV News Edmonton the events of the last week have affected the whole school.

“The audacity to do it in the first place, and then to see just how proud they seem to be doing it, and to see the crowds just watching and not doing anything. On so many levels, this girl was failed, from the school to her peers to now the legal system,” she said.

Parents in a Facebook group dedicated to the planning of Friday’s rally wrote that they fear sending their children to school and were calling for better security measures.

Red Deer Public Schools officials said the division’s focus is supporting students and staff who are feeling upset or anxious due to the incident.

Extra RCMP officers, the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre and a therapy dog are now in place at Hunting Hills, the board said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton.

“We want to assure the community that our schools are safe for students and staff. Our students continue to come to school to learn in safe and supportive environments,” it said.

Board spokesperson Erin Black confirmed the two teens who were charged were facing expulsion.

“These things take time to go through and there is a process to follow … We are currently responding accordingly using the maximum disciplinary measures under the Education Act and the Division procedures,” she said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa