The Waltonian

By: Jennie Brouse

On Jan. 7 of this year, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was stopped by five police officers after a reported traffic violation in Memphis, Tennessee.

After being pulled over, it is alleged that Nichols attempted to flee the officers on foot after being tasered and pepper-sprayed, only to be stopped again where the officers confronted him.

STATNews reported that the “Memphis police officers had tased him, pepper-sprayed him, punched him, kicked him in the head, and beaten him with a baton.”

According to AP, Nichols complained of “shortness of breath” and was taken to the hospital where he would eventually die from his sustained injuries on Jan. 10.

The five officers responsible for Nichols’ death have since been discharged from their roles in the city’s police department. They were charged on Jan. 26 with assorted felonies, including second-degree murder, as well as aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

One of the officers charged was also reported to have taken videos of Nichols after he was beaten, on his personal cell phone.

A sixth officer has also been identified as playing a role in Nichols’ death. It is alleged that this officer had fired off his taser at Nichols as he was running from the first scene.

“He was a human piñata for those police officers. Not only was it violent, it was savage,” Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer for the Nichols family said.

The five officers being charged are facing up to 60 years in prison and up to $50,000 in fines for the second-degree murder charge alone.

EMTs on the scene have also been temporarily suspended and stripped of their licenses because they did not carry out an effective emergency response to aid the injured Nichols. It was concluded that the EMTs did not treat Nichols for 19 minutes after arriving on the scene. Recently released surveillance footage shows EMTs merely standing around Nichols as he was laying on the ground.

Along with those listed, several other officers and personnel have been relieved of their duties in connection with Nichols’ death.

Since his death, protestors across the country have been standing against police brutality in honor of Nichols. Students in high schools and colleges across the country have been walking out of their classrooms as a “walk out.”

The protests began in Memphis on Jan. 27, near where Nichols had been beaten, after the footage of the incident was released. That night, Nichols’ family held a candlelight vigil in his honor at a local skatepark. The site of the incident has since been turned into a makeshift memorial site for Nichols.

Other protests took place in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Portland, as well as several other cities. Protestors held signs with Nichols’ name and demanded an end to police officers abusing citizens.

Nichols’ mother has requested that the protests remain peaceful, and most of them have been.

“We want peace. We do not want any type of uproar. We do not want any type of disturbance. We want peaceful protest,” Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells said.

Sources: AP, CNN, NPR, New York Times, STATnews, Wall Street Journal

By: Jennie Brouse

On February 9 and 10, Eastern University will be hosting Pastor Kevin Brown and Imam Idris Abdul-Zahir for a discussions on how to “Promote Multifaith Relationships on a Christian College Campus.” Pastor Kevin Brown and Imam Idris Abdul-Zahir will have a conversation about Christian-Muslim friendship in a polarized society on Thursday, Feb 9 at 7pm the Warner Library Atrium.

On Friday, Feb 10 at 10am, they will be Windows on the World speakers in McInnis Auditorium to discuss how Christians and Muslims can promote justice together. The events were organized by Chaplain Joseph Modica and Psychology Chair Tara Stoppa.

“Our hope is that students will be inspired by Kevin and Idris to pursue Christ-honoring relationships with Muslims during and after college, and to develop more confidence about what it means to be a faithful Christian in a religiously diverse society,” said Kevin Singer, the co-director of the Neighborly Faith Organization.

Neighborly Faith was started by Dr. Chris Stackaruk and Kevin Singer in 2015 “to address an issue they saw arising in the evangelical community: our inability or an un-willingness to engage with their religious neighbors in a way that is honest and builds trust.” They aim to bring people of different faiths together through conversations and events.

Neighborly Faith holds five core commitments of God, witness, scripture, salvation and sin. They believe in “Jesus is Everything,” “Friends, Not Fears,” and “Truth, in Love.” They have traveled to and spoken at several college campuses across the country, with Eastern being an upcoming stop.

“Not knowing our Muslim neighbors is a missed opportunity. To quote Jesus: we’re putting our lamp under a bush where nobody will see it.” (Neighborly Faith)

Neighborly Faith also recruited 4 Eastern students to assist in the events of their visit, as well as promotional duties.

Sociology and psychology Junior Tomi Alarape is excited to be a part of the team working the events. “I’m looking forward to being a moderator, and meeting with different pastors, both Christian and Muslim,” said Alarape.

Senior psychology and anthropology major Kaitlyn Arrow is also on the team of students recruited to assist with the panel. “I’m looking forward to being able to mediate and promote conversation about Islam, Christianity, and their similarities and differences, and overall creating a more accepting community” said Arrow.

Arrow describes the events as a way to “Allow people to understand how we as Christians can not only live in community with Muslims but also have meaningful relationships and build friendships and have good conversations and learn from each other.”

If you’re feeling on the fence about coming to the events, “Look at it as a learning experience, it’s not boring, but a beautiful conversation between two different religions that are not as different as you think. You may even a little about yourself as well,” says Alarape.

“It’s not a normal opportunity for anyone, especially not on a Christian campus,” said Arrow, encouraging others to step out of their comfort zone to attend the events.

“You’ll learn something about loving your neighbor. It’s in the name: Neighborly Faith,” said Chaplain Modica, also encouraging students to come to the events.

Neighborly Faith aims to take out the intimidation that may come with connecting with other religions, and bring conversations back to the bare bones, with a “common sense” approach. “All that it requires is a desire for genuine friendship, and the friendship takes care of the rest.”

“What is there to lose, because we’re getting an opportunity to hear a perspective we dont hear often,” says Arrow.

“Come and be with us! And love your neighbor more deeply” says Chaplain Modica

If you find yourself looking for something to do on February 9 at 7 pm or February 10 at 10 am, come to the events and get to know your neighbors.

Sources: Neighborly Faith

By: Jennie Brouse

A newer trend on TikTok is bringing sports fans and non-sports fans together in a mutual love of an underrated aspect of sports: sports spouses, and more specifically, Allison Kuch, wife of football player Isaac Rochell.

The rise of athletes’ spouses on social media platforms allows sports fans to dive deeply into a more personal aspect of what life is like in the world of professional sports.

Kuch gained popularity quickly on TikTok, eventually beginning a trend of her followers calling her NFL husband, Isaac Rochell, “Allison’s Husband.” The traffic surrounding her account quickly reached the eyes of social media teams of several sports companies, including the NFL and “Air Jordan,” earning Kuch swag packages that made her husband jealous.

Rochell has made several comments about his wife’s increasing fame, as even the Browns TikTok account, the team Rochell played for, has made content questioning him about his affiliation with Kuch. Rochell responded by holding up his jersey and pointing out that it was his name, not hers, and that he was putting in the work for his name, not hers.

The TikToks are all in good fun, and Kuch made a response video of her fixing their couch to be slept on with the caption “Mr. Kuch woke up on the wrong side of the bed so let me fix that.”

Rochell was a former defensive end for the Cleveland Browns. Kuch’s TikTok account opened her audience to the downside of a career in professional sports when she revealed on Nov. 13 that Rochell had been released from the Browns. Kuch shows that there is a downside to what many view as a luxurious lifestyle and that not everything is positive.

“You make connections, build friendships and even plan for the holidays, but at the end of the day, the NFL is a business,” Kuch said in her video announcing the release.

“What really matters is how you respond to situations like this,” Kuch said as she closed out the video. She mentions flying back to be with her husband while they work together to navigate the release.

In the days since Kuch’s initial video announcing the release, the couple made an announcement that Rochell will still be a member of the Browns, just on their practice squad. While this change will still leave him liable to be picked up or removed from the team, he will still be able to play with his team outside of official games. Kuch shared that their lives will be able to stay stationed in Ohio for the foreseeable future.

Kuch has taken the opportunity to use her platform to educate her audience on the ins and outs of the NFL, and with these new developments, has been sharing with her viewers intimate details of the professional sports world that not many people speak publicly about.

By: Jennie Brouse

The day I switched my major a weight that I didn’t even know existed immediately lifted off of my shoulders.

Coming into college, I had been so sure of my life, and what my plans for the future were. I had decided on my major since my freshman year of high school, so I came into college with almost four years of being sure of my life plan.

I had convinced myself that I would not be a part of the roughly 75% of college students who change their major after getting there.

Well, I was wrong, and I learned rather quickly that my initial major was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My passions lie elsewhere, and by making this change for my future, I have since become immensely happier.

Sometimes, when you’re in the wrong place, you just know. I knew after my first few classes in my former major that it was not where I was meant to be. But instead of switching out and taking classes in the major that I knew I was passionate about, I decided it would be better to tough it out and hope things got better. Spoiler alert, things did not get better. I continued taking those classes and continued to regret my decision for almost a full year longer than I really should have.

I had a lot of fears about changing my major. I was afraid of letting down the people that had helped me get to where I was. I was scared that the professors in my former major would be upset with me for leaving, or feel that it was their class that made me want to leave. But none of that happened, instead, I was filled with support from both my former and current/new major. They weren’t mad that I was leaving, but instead, they were happy for me that I was able to find my true passion.

Even if they had been mad at me, I needed to realize that I did not need to base my life on opinions that others had of me. While it may have felt sad at the moment of leaving, I was able to improve my mental health by switching to something I was truly passionate about, with material that came more naturally than what I studied before. My grades even improved with the switch.

In all honesty, being told we have to decide our life plan before we are even legally allowed to drink is a bit ridiculous. The reality is, most people, especially college and high school students, are completely clueless about their life plans. This is okay, and it is completely normal.

This is a conclusion that I still struggle with, even almost a year after switching majors. I wanted to feel like I had my life together and my future planned, but I still don’t. However, changing my major did and still does feel like it was a step in the right direction.

By: Jennie Brouse

On the evening of Oct. 29, tragedy struck Seoul, South Korea, as Halloween festivities got out of hand amongst people celebrating the holiday.

In the wake of a death toll that rose from 20 to 156 throughout the night, families scoured the streets looking for loved ones in the blur of a stampede.

The majority of the stampede took place in an alley off of the main road the celebration was taking place on. The alley was a heavily trafficked area for those who wanted to access the main strip of nightlife, also known as Itaewon in Seoul, which, being only 13 feet wide, filled up rather quickly the night of the events.

People gather for mass vigil for the victims/Source: South China Morning Post

According to CNN, “On weekends, the alley becomes a busy thoroughfare for people coming and going, giving it a convivial atmosphere where friends meet up and party.”

The night of the stampede was no exception to these practices, however, an estimated 100,000 were expected in the area that night, with no prior city preparation.

Seoul is known for its Halloween celebrations and traditions. While trick or treating is not common, young adult costume parties are, and people gather from all over the world to partake in the festivities.

According to CNN, “Halloween in Itaewon isn’t a single event held by an organizer – rather, it’s a popular place for young people, often dressed in elaborate costumes, to go bar hopping and clubbing.”

19 of the people killed in the events were foreigners to Seoul. The majority of the afflicted parties were teens and young adults in their 20s. Two of the people killed were American exchange students, Anne Gieske and Steven Blesi.

The lack of prior resources and planning by police agencies was quickly brought to media attention and earned an outcry from survivors and victims’ families.

On Monday, Nov. 7, South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, pledged to hold any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses accountable and to reform police and safety management systems.

Shortly after the tragedy, Yoon declared a week-long mourning period in the aftermath of the events.

Sources: AP, NBC, CNN, Reuters

By: Jennie Brouse and Katherine Seeley

It is not a shock that people are interested in true crime. Since the major serial killers in the 70s and 80s, people are fascinated to learn more of the horrors and torture people endured by these horrible men. In recent years, true crime viewers have skyrocketed. Netflix has put documentary after documentary out about “famous” serial killers and the true crime community is loving it. However, their love for it has grown into love for serial killers and that is not acceptable.

When “The Ted Bundy Tapes” came out on Netflix in 2019, girls were in love with Bundy. They would make jokes saying they would let him kidnap them and do whatever he wanted to them. Those comments escalated when the movie “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” came out. The man they casted to play Bundy was Zac Efron. If people were not in love with Bundy before, they were now. The amount of comments I would hear about how hot he was in the movie was incredible, and it made me sick.

People who believe serial killers are attractive and misunderstood are wrong. Since the tv show “Dahmer” came out on Netflix in September about Jeffery Dahmer, people on TikTok have praised the series and made jokes about the victims. Viewers flocked to Twitter to say they believe Dahmer is misunderstood and wanted to stop but could not. They believe he is a good person deep down. Here is a reality check. A good person would not rape, torture, murder and eat his victims. He killed 16 men, one of which was a minor. Dahmer even murdered a 13-year-old boy. Yet people believe he is misunderstood and wanted to change.

Dahmer did not want to change. He wanted to murder those men and he kept doing it over and over again. Praising serial killers takes away from the lasting impact the victim’s families have faced. There is nothing funny about the crimes Dahmer committed. There is nothing funny about the 30 young girls lives Bundy snuffed out. Serial killer culture is toxic and needs to be put to a stop. People should not be singing the praises of men who murdered innocent people.

Treatment of families is another major issue when it comes to true crime culture. It seems victims’ families get pushed aside frequently in favor of a more “juicy” story. A recent example can be in the aforementioned “Dahmer” series that came out earlier this year. Victim Errol Lindsay’s sister, Rita Isbell, has come out against the show, citing that just hearing about it has been retraumatizing. Especially a scene where Isbell herself is being depicted. “It was ‘here we go again,'” she said.

The victims themselves also tend to be pushed aside by the media. People don’t know them by name except as (insert infamous serial killers name here)’s victims. Acknowledging the victim before acknowledging the person who killed them is a great way to start disconnecting them from their killer and giving them the respect they deserve as people.

There was a letter allegedly written by the Zodiac Killer where he says he wants to “make (his) victims (his) slaves in the afterlife.” Reddit user @Dragon_Saints9 pointed out that in a metaphorical sense, he got his wish as “these victims are forever known as ‘victims of serial killer X.’” This person is absolutely correct, their victimization has become their legacy. The person that killed them got to define the way they were remembered.

I believe victims deserve more recognition than what they are given. I highly believe that the best way to look at true crime is to look at the victims. Listen to and read about their stories; learn who they are as a person. Give them the justice they deserve by not permanently associating and attaching them with the person who took their lives from them. Their victimization may be how you find their story, but do not let it be what defines their story. They deserve more and we can do better as a society by recognizing them.

Sources: www.houstonpublicmedia.org , Reddit

By: Jennie Brouse

On Sunday, Oct. 23, BBC aired what will soon be known as one of the most iconic and impactful scenes in “Doctor Who” history. The event came in the form of a special entitled “The Power of the Doctor.”

They reintroduced a former actor to reprise his role as the Doctor, for the first time ever. Actor David Tennant will be reprising his role as the Doctor for a three-episode special that will air in November 2023. The specials are to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the “Doctor Who” franchise.

The change comes as actress Jodie Whitaker leaves the show, ending her four-year run. These changes are not uncommon, as “Doctor Who” is known for switching up the cast list every few years, resulting in several reiterations of the same character through different actors and actresses.

Fans were shocked to see Tennant’s return to the “Doctor Who” franchise, as many were expecting the regeneration of the character to be portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa, who had been confirmed to take over the role.

“I had missed a lot of Jodie’s episodes, but I wanted to catch her last one,” said junior, Brian Lines. “I was excited for the introduction to Ncuti Gatwa in this episode, and I was shocked when it wasn’t him when the Doctor regenerated.”

The three-episode special will also include Catherine Tate, who was known as Tennant’s companion Donna, in the series a few years back, although the driving force behind her return has yet to be revealed.

Donna is not the only companion who has been revived in the show recently. “The Power of the Doctor” special featured appearances by several former companions as well as a few flashbacks to former Doctors, just not as regenerations such as Tennant’s role in the episode.

“I knew that he had been set to make an appearance, but by the end of the episode I had forgotten. Then he was just there, and my jaw dropped,” said Lines, who was not alone amongst fans that were surprised about the nature of Tennant’s return to the show. “David Tennant hung up the Doctor role in 2010. While he had made an appearance in the ‘Day of the Doctor’ 50th-anniversary special, I was certain he was done with the show,” Lines remarked.

Due to the unusual nature of the switch, Tennant will hold the title of being both the 10th Doctor as well as the 14th. His wife, Georgia Tennant paid tribute to this fact in an Instagram post that reads “Daughter of 5. Girlfriend of 10. Wife of 14. #powerofthedoctor.” The caption refers to her husband as well as her father, with her father, Peter Davison portraying the fifth version of the character. The “girlfriend of 10” refers to her time dating Tennant while he previously portrayed the character and the wife references his current stint as the character.

“While I was genuinely surprised at the return of Tennant, I think it is exactly what the show needed to do. The writing for “Doctor Who” has been lacking for most, if not all of Jodie Whittaker’s era… bringing back an old face, even just for a little bit, will make all the difference.” said Lines.

In even more breaking news, Disney+ also recently announced that “Doctor Who” will be added to their platform at some point in 2023. This arrangement breaks ties that “Doctor Who” had with ABC, who broadcasted the program for free in Australia. The news broke shortly after “The Power of the Doctor” episode aired.

Sources: CNN, The Guardian, EW.com, CBR, ScreenRant

By: Jennie Brouse

I feel like the title should go without saying, but it seems that as the days move forward I tend to see more and more people drooling over idols that have no idea who they are.

Celebrities (and politicians) put on a persona almost every time they leave the house; every performance, every meet and greet and every campaign speech is curated by dozens of people before being publicized. Behind closed doors, we have no idea how they actually behave, and frankly, it should not be any of our business.

We get so invested in celebrity lives that we tend to lose ourselves, becoming more enveloped in their lives than our own. Not even to mention the fact that their lives are once again, not at all like what we see on their social media posts and the movies they may star in.

The same can be applied to politicians, we do not know them as people, just as the persona they put on for the general public. Their entire existence is geared to the public liking them and they have a team of people working to help them maintain a positive public image.

Holding these public figures to higher standards may be easy with the several degrees of separation from fan to a public figure, but a lot of times it seems that we forget to even regard them as people.

Every scandal, every slip of the tongue and even every grocery store visit is watched and analyzed by the world looking at these public figures.

We do not need to be intimately involved in these people’s lives. But alas, the people of the internet tend to feel entitled to the intimacies of a person who already has a strong public existence.

Recent examples easily include the surplus of celebrities being outed to the world as cheating on their partners. Yes, they deserve the consequences of their actions from the person they have wronged and from people in their personal lives. It is fine to be upset with a public figure for doing such actions as well, but asking for personal apologies from a celebrity that has no idea who you are is weird and overstepping.

Commenting on the cheated party’s social media pages with reminders that their partner cheated on them is gross and overbearing. These people do not know you, they are clearly already going through struggles, and they do not currently need your input.

Obsessing over any person, especially when the person doing the obsessing does not personally know the one they are obsessing over is also just strange.

A lot of people also talk about celebrities, or even talk to celebrities, as if they have known them their whole lives when in reality, they only know their public persona.

People send direct messages to celebrities on social media, a lot of times sexually graphic or weird. In many cases, this would be considered sexual harassment. Just because they are famous or have a larger following does not mean harassing them is okay and they are not “asking for it” by being well-known. Nobody deserves to be harassed, regardless of celebrity status.

It is okay to be a fan, but being obsessed and being a fan are two very different things. I enjoy Adam Driver’s movies, but I do not need to know what he had for breakfast this morning. We are not “besties”, we do not know each other, it would be weird if I were to talk to him about his personal life out of nowhere.

By: Jennie Brouse

The poster of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Source: Mackintosh Ltd.

Broadway’s longest-running musical of all time, “The Phantom of the Opera”, announced recently that the iconic show would be leaving Broadway.

After 35 years of dazzling audiences, the show plans to display its last performance on Feb. 23 of next year.

The Phantom of the Opera follows the story of a disfigured, masked man who becomes infatuated with a young soprano, Christine Daaé in the theater where he dwells. The Phantom lives in the bowels of the Paris Opera House, the theater where the story takes place.

While the show will no longer be available as a Broadway production, “The Phantom of the Opera” will live on in theaters across the country and worldwide, famously residing in Her Majesty’s Theater. In 1986 the West End version opened and still runs the show to this day.

All hope is not lost, the production will still be performed across the world in various theaters, as well as potential traveling productions and community theater opportunities, the show will just no longer be on Broadway.

If you are unfamiliar with the workings of Broadway or how a production on Broadway is played out, the following may be helpful for you.

Broadway is a broad term that refers to a group of theaters located in New York City. There are 41 current theaters where Broadway productions can take place, all with hundreds of seats for large audiences.

The Phantom of the Opera took place in the Majestic Theatre, the same building the production called home for its entire 35-year run, having first opened in 1988 on Broadway. Little is known about what will be taking over the Majestic Theatre after the record-breaking show departs in February.

By the time the show closes, The Phantom of the Opera will have had a record-breaking 13,925 performances.

In its 35-year run, the Phantom of the Opera has won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Most Broadway productions tend to be musicals, but with enough prominence, plays can be seen taking place in Broadway theaters. A play is just a term used for non-musical stage productions, and many people use the term play for both. A musical can be a play but a play cannot always be a musical.

Broadway, alongside London’s West End, represents the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

The term off-broadway refers to theaters in the same vicinity as Broadway level theaters, just with less seating room, not necessarily referring to production value.

While Broadway theaters have been a New York City staple for a very long time now, many shows did not fare well after the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. While many shows found themselves bouncing back with ease after Broadway began to reopen its doors, The Phantom of the Opera found its ticket sales not so favorable. Lack of recent ticket sales are accredited as the main reason the show decided to close its doors.

Tickets can still be found on https://us.thephantomoftheopera.com/ for those looking to see the show before the final performance, but they will be limited.

True crime is a topic that sparks an interest in a lot of people. Regardless of fields of study, true crime has become a form of entertainment for a large portion of our population.

But should we be using these stories as entertainment? Should true crime podcasts, television shows and youtubers be using these cases to profit off of them?

Don’t get me wrong, I grew up listening to these podcasts and watching these true crime shows, but as I get older, I am starting to realize that glorifying these killers and their crimes is extremely disrespectful.

I have heard people say “oh, this is my favorite muder!” or “so and so is my favorite serial killer” more times than I can count, and honestly it is just really weird to say these things about people who have done so much harm to others. And don’t even get me started on the people that talk about having a crush on Ted Bundy. He was a serial killer, get over yourself.

The fascination and romantic obsession with killers is astonishing to me. A more recent example being the countless women who sent love letters to Chris Watts in prison after he murdered his family, being his pregnant wife and their two daughters under the age of five. I simply cannot fathom glorifying this man or claiming that he did nothing wrong despite his confession and even talking about his daughter’s last words before killing her. It’s sickening, and a prime example of how the documentary that came out of this case did more harm than good. To be fair to the documentary makers, the intention behind the documentary was not to glorify this man, and most podcasts and documentaries do not aim for this type of response, but they still run that risk of having this disgusting outcome.

Again, I listen to these podcasts and watch these documentaries too. I myself do find true crime interesting, but I also know better than to glorify murderers and to speak ill of their victims.

Imagine being in the situation of the victim and their families, imagine hearing people refer to the trauma you’ve gone through as ‘their favorite case.” I just can’t get over the amount of disrespect these statements have towards victims and their families.

This is not to say that all true crime podcasts/coverage is bad. It can be done and it can be done well and respectfully. It can be truly beneficial to a case to have the coverage of true crime, however, I feel like we are starting to lose touch with the respectful format and we have been slowly evolving into a more disrespectful form of telling people’s stories.

I fear we have gone too far from realizing that these people are real; their stories are not just stories, they actually happened, it’s not just a podcast or youtube video and they’re likely either gone or traumatized from the events that happened to them. These instances aren’t something to be gossiped about or glorified.

There are plenty of alternatives to these true crime money grabs as well. There are a plethora of TV shows and movies that depict similar crimes, or even events based on real instances that make an emphasis to not glorify the crime in itself and tend to show more respect towards crime victims. These shows can be found virtually anywhere. Most streaming services have at least one show or movie that can likely scratch the true crime itch without risking adding more harm to an existing victim.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the term victim extends to victims’ families too. Just because the victim was lost to their crime does not mean their family is not also suffering from their loss and hearing people talk about their lost loved ones making uncalled for assumptions about the events.

There are some podcasts and documentaries/docuseries that do an excellent job highlighting the victims of crime and show true compassion for said victims.

One of my favorite documentaries, The Witness, was actually made by the brother of the crime victim (Kitty Genovese). He was able to take an alternative side that differs from most true crime media. His alternative showed how his sister’s death left a lasting negative impact on his family, even decades after. In this documentary, he also talked about having to avoid the media for most of his life so they didn’t have to hear the harsh words from the general public.

This is a reality for many victims’ families who feel the need to avoid the media so they don’t have to hear people talking about their loved ones. It can be cruel to put a family through trauma over and over again. It’s perfectly fine to have an interest in true crime and to listen to/watch these programs, but please be considerate to victims and their families.