Essay about The Laramie Project

A key factor in the case of Walter McMillian was that he was an African American man who at one point was respected by his community. However, an extramarital affair with a white woman is what crossed the line. Affairs were not out of the norm in the Monroeville community, but given the fact that McMillian was black dramatically changed what was perceived as socially acceptable behavior. The significant questioning of McMillian’s character came into play when a young woman, Ronda Morrison was murdered. The profound change in the community’s view toward McMillian was an incentive to point to him as the mastermind behind the murder. The police were unable to produce any viable suspects which led to pressure from the community to find and convict a killer – even if the person accused was innocent. The interrogation tactics used during the questioning of suspects and witnesses produced false allegations. Tactics such as intimidation and bargaining. These practices encompassed covert operations that allowed the law enforcement – police, district attorneys, judges – to navigate the case. Several people were instrumental in concocting the false story placing McMillian at the center of the crime. After his initial lie, Ralph Myers’s was pushed by police to produce additional information which although false, was used by police to arrest McMillian. As the story gained traction in the town,

After the murder of John W. Stephens, State Senator from Caswell, one of the most famous carpetbaggers drafted a letter to the New York Tribune about the Ku Klux Klan. Albion Tourgee wrote in his letter that, “...[He] [had] very little doubt that [he] shall be on of the next victims. (Doc A, letter)” The specter of being killed by the KKK himself indicates that the people involved in the murder of Stephens had gotten away with their crime and not punished by the North, thus it allowed Reconstruction to be followed with looser terms. Due to times like these where the North did not step in to counter the South’s violent actions, the South began to get away with more and more of these crimes. As a result, more Southern resistance began pouring in, making it harder for the North to continue on with their aim for

It was a time in the city’s history to get the perpetrators of the crime committed and to be recognized as solving the greatest crime of time. Media and public presence played a huge role in pressuring law enforcement to figure out this awful incident. The demand from the public was pushing from all sides of this story to get answers.

April 20, 1999, is a day of remembrance for many people. The Columbine massacre had an effect not only on the Littleton, Colorado community but also on the entire country. In the book Columbine by Dave Cullen, the author tells the story of the tragedy that started with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book begins with an introduction into both Eric and Dylan's thoughts, actions, and reasoning behind their plan to attack their high school. Throughout the book the author points out how the media gave a different view for the motives of the attack which caused false accusations towards the killers. This book tells the truth told from survivors and evidence, but the honest truth behind the attack went to the grave with Eric and

John Williams was recently incarcerated for the violent murder of three young women. Prior to his arrest, police were on edge because the small town in Arkansas had never experienced anything like that before. Each girl was taken within a week from each other, all while they were out after dark taking a short cut home. Sadly they were all found buried deep in the woods after weeks of searching. The town went into shock; citizens were exhibiting both fear and rage for the loss of the precious girls from their community.

Life is an amazing, wonderful, beautiful adventure that we are blessed with every day. But, we are greeted many times throughout those days with choices we have to make. Most of those choices we make are built by the structure and beliefs that our parents and loved ones have passed onto us. Looking into how we were brought up can we really say what’s right or wrong? Can we positively determine that everyone thinks the same? While watching “The Laramie Project” you see and hear two-hundred different opinions towards the Matthew Shepard’s case. Two-hundred … that’s two-hundred people from Laramie, friends of the victim and attackers, and loved ones fighting for what they believe is right. This case not only caught the whole town’s attention but was recognized on a national level. Labeled as a hate crime you learn so much more about the people’s identity like Matthew Shepard as a homosexual, the tragedy of a man/son/friend that struck a town, and how people see Laramie, Wyoming as their home built by a community.

Moses Kaufman is the producer of the successful play “The Laramie Project” after a horrific incident that occurred in Laramie. Members of the artistic group of Kaufman 's, traveled to Laramie to find out more about the horrific incidence. The main aim of the whole project was to find the emotions, reactions, and reflections that the people of Laramie manifested concerning the beating and subsequent death of a twenty-three-year-old college student (Gale, 2016). A lot of questions were raised concerning the death as people had different point of views. Some thought it was a hate crime, others thought it was just a brutal assault or a form of robbery. Four hundred interviews were conducted so as to come up with the reasons behind the brutal murder straight from the town folks. The main issue was how homosexuality was defined in the crime. The Laramie Project, questioned the rights of the LGBT+ group. For example, why were Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders discriminated by the community and the society as a whole even though their rights were constitutional?

Their attacks were in surprising places, places where people felt safe living by the status quo. In the case of McVeigh, violence was expected in the big cities of either coast, not in calm, mid-western Oklahoma (Linethal 15). In the case of John Brown, violence was understood to be a major deal out in the west in areas where lawlessness could not easily be deterred, not in a sleepy town in the firmly established slave state of Virginia. Because of this, both of these incidents resulted in massively increased anxieties for many (in McVeigh’s case in the US as a whole; in John Brown’s case largely amongst southern slave owners) over whether they too could end up becoming a victim. The apparent uniqueness of these events also fascinated people in a more general sense, and they expressed this newfound fascination in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most long-lasting of these ways was the development of a tourist-like curiosity of the places where these events had occurred. Harpers Ferry ended up ultimately becoming a national park, but prior to this, the armory which John Brown had captured on that fateful day had become a source of intrigue for people across the country, which resulted in it being moved out from the Ferry for a period of time. In the case of McVeigh, Oklahoma City became a place where people went to watch and observe the aftermath of tragedy (Linenthal

In Moises Kaufman's, The Laramie Project the under lying theme of the novel is people are afraid of change. This can be proved from the novel with the character Cathy Connolly and the struggle that homosexuals have to live in there own society. The juxtaposition of anti-gay demonstrations sparked by religion at a homosexual's funeral, and even the physical setting is related to why people are afraid of change. Whether it is start by homophobia, religion, or opression, people are not just afraid of change in general but change for a free society where homosexuals can express and just be themselves.

The Laramie Project is a play written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project by interviewing the residents of Laramie Wyoming about the murder of a gay student, Matthew Shepard. The play raises controversy revolving around homosexuality, hate crimes and acceptance. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie Community at the time of Shepard death. The three main perspectives towards homosexuality were hatred, tolerance and acceptance. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Shepard’s death.

In “The Laramie Project,” written by members of the Tectonic theatre company, aims to examine the Matthew Shepard murder through the use of theatre. Within the play, there are several insights and moments that prove to be surprising, puzzling, useful, new, and interesting.

On January 31, 2013, while walking to the courthouse in Kaufman County, Texas, Mark Hasse was shot and killed. Two months later, on the Saturday before Easter 2013, Mike and Cynthia McLelland were murdered in their home. Medical examiners testified that Mike and Cynthia were each shot numerous times (“Eric Williams Murder Trial Begins in Rockwall”). Prosecutors said the couple died in a “torrent of lead” (“Eric Williams Found Guilty in Kaufman Co. Murder Trial”).

After reading “The Laramie Project” your left with so many questions, ideas and emotions. The play is a series of interviews (reenacted exactly as they happened) to give the audience facts and true statements so that they can form there own opinion. The play takes place in Laramie Wyoming, after the “hate crime” that left 21 year old Matthew Shepard fighting for his life that ended soon after all because the fact that he was gay. Hate is a feeling and hate crime is acting on that hatred, but what exactly is a “hate crime”? What makes it so different from any other crime? Isn't all crime hate crime?

They were then taken to a hospital where one surviving victim, who died later, said they weren’t the killers. John and Rubin are released and were “never suspects”.

Yes, I am surprised that they went along with it. I am surprised because I think that they knew it was wrong and still went with it. If they knew that it was wrong that someone should have made a stand and said that it was wrong to hurt people for no reason. I also think that it is surprising because they went along with it even though they did not know the history behind it and why they were doing it. I think that in the last couple paragraphs Mrs. Hutchinson only realized then that what they were doing was wrong because she said “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.” I think that the townspeople are influenced by the people around them because in the story in paragraph 2 after Bobby Martin picked up his stones the other boys started to pick up