In response to the editorial column “The music made them do it,” I believe it was wrong for the state of Arkansas to beleaguer three innocent teenage boys and accuse them of a crime simply because of their taste in music.
The mere thought of it is ludicrous, especially when the defendants were cleared, having no DNA linked to the crime. Luckily the boys, now men, were able to gain the support of the musicians who were considered a source of the trouble in the first place. It took a gruesome 18 years and 78 days for the “West Memphis Three” to finally be released.
To put further stereotypes to rest, the three proceeded to continue their lives in a positive way. Echols got married, Miskelley got engaged to his high school sweetheart and Baldwin has plans to go to college. I believe that society cannot advance as a whole until it stops judging people based on what music they listen to, what they do or what they look like.
Cesar Ruiz
Lower Lake High School
