View on The Laramie Project

         
The brutal murder of 21 year old Matthew Shepard was an astonishing event that spread throughout the world in the matter of hours. After finishing Act III of The Laramie Project  the main theme of the play was prejudice. Throughout the book the interviews Kaufman had where very judgmental in terms of whether or not Aaron and Russell were on Meth when the murder took place, whether it was a hate crime because Matthew was gay, or was it because they wanted to rob him because they knew he had money. Residents in Laramie would make up these rumors judging Aaron and Russell and accusing them for what didn't even occur. Without hearing the real stories of the action taken place people worldwide believed in lies from other people and not hearing the real facts of it all. "You don't forget that. Five fifty in dimes and quarters. That's a freakin' nightmare. Now Henderson and McKinney, they didn't seem intoxicated at all. They came in-- they just ordered a beer, took the pitcher with them back there into the pool room, and kept to themselves"(Kaufman 27-28). This quote is very important because Kaufman had interviewed the bartender, Matt Galloway that served Matthew, Aaron, and Russell when they were at the bar the night of the murder and was the person who thought it was suspicious from the beginning that Aaron and Russell paid for the pitcher of beer in dimes and quarters just for themselves. Matt being a believable suspect wouldn't be stupid enough to lie about a thing that was so skeptical. "Blacked out. My fist. My pistol. The butt of the gun. Wondering what happened to me. I had a few beers and I don't know. It's like I could see what was going on but I don't know but I don't know, it was like somebody else was doing it"(Kaufman 88-89). When Aaron had said this he seemed very uncertain about that night like he was intoxicated or on some drug. It's like Aaron was trying to cover something up and didn't want to seem like he was himself that night. All through the book there was rumors going around and being judgmental towards not just Aaron and Russell but towards people that disliked gays. "You and the straight people of Laramie and Wyoming are guilty of the beating of Matthew Shepard just as the Germans who looked the other way are guilty of the deaths of the Jews, the Gypsies, and the homosexuals. you have taught your straight children to hate their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters..."(Kaufman 53) An email was sent to Philip Dubois after he wrote the Denver Post Story on the Matthew Shepard story criticizing innocent people that hadn't be involved in the Matthew Shepard murder at all. People started accusing straight people for the murder of Matt because they were straight and told their kids that they should hate the gays as well. The prejudice in The Laramie Project was a constant struggle for people in Laramie and everywhere else because people didn't know what to think. They didn't know what actually happened causing a more dramatic issue to the bigger problem.

          When people first heard about the murder of Matthew Shepard and the fact that he was gay everyone thought it was a hate crime. From the interviews from The Laramie Project written by Moisés Kaufman, he interviewed not just the main people that were part of Matthew's life and the people involved in it but got other people's perspectives and opinions on whether it actually was a hate crime or something else. Based off of the reading of The Laramie Project it sounded like it was a hate crime because it targeted to that specific fact and how Aaron and Matthew had sexual interactions with each other. When the ABC 20/20 special on the murder of Matthew Shepard was released it took the problem into more depth revealing that it wasn't a hate crime at all. Interviewing Aaron and Russell about the murder was very fascinating seeing why they did it in the first place. Mentioned in the clip Aaron said that he had been doing drugs everyday and hadn't had slept for two weeks. The main reason why Aaron struck Matthew was because Aaron had no control over himself because of the use of Meth that he took earlier that day. He stated in the The Laramie Project he wasn't himself when he murdered Matthew and something or someone was controlling him making him more violent than he actually was. All three of them had been in the drug scene, selling Meth to each other and Aaron said that Matthew had owed a lot of money to Aaron. Most people would say that the murder of Matthew Shepard was a hate crime but others would say that it was because of the use of drugs but the real question that puts everything into perspective is the fact that Aaron stated that he would of done it to anyone. The fact that Matthew intended to be gay was a coincidence and people were mistaken for it being a hate crime.


         

Quotes from The Laramie Project

Act I

“So I—I went up to the top of Cactus Canyon, and I’m not super familiar with that area, so on my way back down, I didn’t know where I was going, I was just sort of picking the way to go, which now… it just makes me think that God wanted me to find him because there’s no way that I was going to go that way”(Kaufman 33).

Act II

“Now, as for the victim, I know that that lifestyle is legal, but I will tell you one thing: I hope that Matthew Shepard as he was tied to the fence that he had time to reflect on a moment when someone had spoken the word of the Lord to him—and that before he slipped into a coma he had a chance to reflect on his lifestyle”(Kaufman 66).

Act III

“And in the distance I could see the sparkling lights of Laramie, Wyoming”(Kaufman 98).

Media featuring Matthew Shepard

Aaron McKinney interviewing with Elizabeth Vargars on 20/20

The video clips and interviews that are shown on television about certain actions taken place throughout the world there will always be different stories that people say about it that ends up questioning the critics into whether a story is true or not. In this past week watching the 20/20 on the murder of Matthew Shepard was similar to what has been said about Matthew and The Laramie Project. When watching the video go back and forth through Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson asking questioning stating the murder of Matthew. As many media says that Aaron and Russell murdered Matthew because of him being gay was not the truth. When 20/20 aired with Elizabeth Vargas she interviewed them individually asking them the same question they've been answering since the day he was found. When it came time to interview Aaron it was a different story than people were expecting. He stated that he was a sociopath and was drained from emotion that he didn’t think anything of it anymore. Elizabeth stated in the 20/20 clip "Money and drugs motivated their actions that night, not hatred gays." As with any drug including meth in which Aaron and Russell were fused with can lead to things that typically don't occur on a regular bases in a day to day life. Before the murder had occurred, Aaron and Russell had been smoking meth and had been up for two weeks with not just three to four hours of sleep but no sleep at all. The side effect of taking the meth was not only getting no sleep but the loss of control over both of them when this took place. Aaron’s childhood was why he got into this stuff in the first place having a father who was never around and a mother who died when he was sixteen years old. He had no one to look up to and started getting into bad stuff. Russell on the other hand grew up with a mother who was an alcoholic and always had alcohol and drugs surrounding him. It’s not their faults that Aaron and Russell have these effects of addiction but they grew up around it, which meant that it was okay to do. During the end of the video Russell Henderson had apologized to all of the people of there and especially the Shepard family for what he did and said that he deserves his time in jail for what he did. 

Many other video clips had been being made from the tragic hate crime of Matthew Shepard including the HBO movie, which was a react of The Laramie Project. From the scenes that were shown from the viewing of the HBO movie itself, there were several things that were changed when comparing the original piece to the HBO movie. For example in the scene from when officer Reggie got the phone call saying she might have had HIV from Matthew was different from what the original play intended it to be. HBO decided that it would be a good idea to add to the fact that Officer Reggie had a life outside of her just being an officer. The movie made her look relatable to a typical independent mother who puts food on the table for her two kids and lived a normal life like everyone else in Laramie Wyoming. Also reading parts of The Book of Matt written by Stephen Jimenez there were many things that added on to the list of why this all occurred in the first place. While The Book of Matt is not all about why Matthew was murdered but the events leading up to the crime. Matthew was a methamphetamine dealer and eventually stealing meth which led up to his murder. He sold to people including Aaron and Russell making exchanges in drugs but when Aaron and Russell found out Matthew was stealing methamphetamine that's when everything went downhill.  Stephen quoted Cal Rerucha on his opinion on Aaron saying "[Aaron] was a different individual... From the time that he was in school... he was violent. Physically violent. Almost a person without a conscience"(Rerucha). Even when Aaron wasn't on drugs he still was a violent kid. Growing up in an environment like Aaron's he was used to violence. After looking into deeper detail about the murder of Matthew it concludes that Matthew was addicted to methamphetamine and had a relationship with Aaron and Russell from the exchanging of drugs with each other. Yes, the murder of Matthew was unnecessary and wrong on so many levels, but in the end Matthew shouldn't have been in the drug business because that eventually led up to this crime happening.  

Murderers of Matthew Shepard

          This past week reading The Laramie Project has been very depressing yet skeptical. As dearly as Matthew was he always found a way to put people before himself and to be happy with what he had unlike his murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. When growing up Aaron was the kid who just wanted to fit it and have people like him. "Aaron was a good kid, I liked Aaron a lot, that's why I was shocked when I heard this…he just wanted to fit in you know acting tough, acting cool, but you know, you could get in his face about it and he would back down…"(Kaufman 31) Aaron McKinney was a typical young man who cared a lot about money, how he looked, and acted around people. He wore designer clothes, lived with his girlfriend, having a kid as a young adult, and needed money to keep paying for his trailer house. Dr. Cantway, the doctor that helped Matthew when he came in several hours after the crime had occurred also helped and cared for Aaron the same time of day. "Now, the strange thing is, twenty minutes before Matthew came in, Aaron McKinney was brought by his girlfriend... Now at this point I don't know that there's a connection--at all. So I tell Aaron to wait  and I go and treat Matthew. So there's Aaron in one room of the ER and Matthew in another room two doors down"(Kaufman 36). This quote is very important because why would Aaron be in the ER knowing that Matthew would have been found and sent to the same hospital at the same time? After Dr. Cantway made the connection that Aaron had murdered Matthew he got very suspicious, questioning why Aaron would be in the same hospital at the same time as Matthew was. While the crime was taking place, Russell Henderson was the "helper" for Aaron, tying Matthew up but not the one that did the physical beating, he left Aaron to do the dirty work. "Russell was just so sweet. He was the one who was the Eagle Scout… now I just want to shake him, you know, what were you thinking? What the hell were you thinking?"(Kaufman 31, 32) Russell's coworker, family, and friends were used to having a sweet kid that they also knew but never knew Russell would ever do such a thing. They were shocked to see him become a murderer because yet once they believed he was just an innocent young kind man enjoying his life being an Eagle Scout. Although Russell Henderson wasn't the direct murderer in this hate crime, he is still has the reputation of being a murder because he didn't stop Aaron from beating up Matthew Shepard. Russell did confirm that he did drive Matthew to the remote area outside of Laramie and tied Matthew up to fence. He said he tried to stop Aaron from doing anymore damage to Matthew but Aaron hit Russell across the cheek so eventually Russell shut up and let Aaron finish his work.

          Matthew came from a wealthy family growing up in his short period of life, but didn't care much about it. "Money meant nothing to Matthew, because he came from a lot of it. And he would hand over his wallet in two seconds--because money meant nothing. His--shoes--might have meant something" (Kaufman 28). If Aaron and Russell wanted to rob Matthew so badly, why wouldn't they just do it an easier way than to beat him up? When thinking through this situation, it's confusing to think that to be able to rob someone, one needs to literally kill oneself. When Aaron and Russell came into the bar, the mysterious part of it all was that they sat down right next to Matthew and ordered pitcher of beer just for themselves. "And I remember thinking to myself that I'm not gonna ask them if they want another one, because obviously they just paid for a pitcher with dimes and quarters, I have a real good feel in they don't have any more money"(Kaufman 28). When the bartender quoted this statement from the book he knew something was going on after hearing about the crime later on that week. As one can tell from this quote, Aaron and Russell didn't have much money and needed more than what they already had. Kaufman interviewed Aaron's girlfriend after the crime had happened and told him a totally different story than what he had already heard from several others in Laramie. "… He said that is when he and Russell went to the bathroom and decided to pretend they were gay and get him in the truck and rob him. They wanted to teach him a lesson not to come on to straight people"(Kaufman 28). Evidence from the bartender and other people that were in the bar that night said Aaron and Russell came up to Matthew and started talking to him. On the other hand, Kristin Price (Aaron's girlfriend) said they pretended which was a lie and never happened. The fact that Aaron's girlfriend is trying to cover for Aaron and Russell but failing is very strange and leaves a mystery to whether or not she is lying which in this case she was. There are many stories out there today that gives the wrong evidence out to the world and certain people believing different stories based on what they had been hearing. She was trying to cover up the crime by saying something that was not as bad as the reasoning behind it all. To some people money means everything and brings happiness to oneself, but to others, money is just a thing and the money given to whether it's a gift, will make oneself happy for the giving of that gift.  

Hate Crimes

In a small town known as Laramie, Wyoming a kid was victimized by two boys the same age because of money issues and the stealing of drugs. It wasn't a typical day for 21 year old Matthew Shepard, the victim of the hate crime that happened the night of October 6, 1998. After reading the first few pages of Moisés Kaufman's book, The Laramie Project, it was surprising to see that after a tragic event that eventually killed Matthew had become major news making it an international news report around the world. Laramie wasn't known to be the small unknown town anymore but the town known to have hate crimes happen there. "If you would have asked me before, I would have told you Laramie is a beautiful town, secluded enough that you can have your own identity… Now, after Matthew, I would say that Laramie is a town defined by an accident, a crime. We've become Waco, we've become Jasper"(Kaufman 7). Laramie is a well known town because of the crime that happened and now Laramie has this reputation of a town that commits crimes. Everyone knew each other in Laramie and when Matthew first moved to Laramie he was shy and in the process of finding his identity until he met Romaine Peterson. They were very close before the incident happened. "I did hear from Matthew about forty-eight hours before his attack. And he told me that he had joined the gay and lesbian group on campus, and he said he was enjoying it, you know, he was getting ready for the Pride Week and whatnot"(Kaufman 18). Before Matthew's attack, he was living a life in which he enjoyed, having fun even though he was being made fun of his homosexuality. It has been said that Matthew Shepard wasn't tied up to a fence and brutally beaten because he was gay but because of money issues, stealing of drugs, and a disorder he had, but who knows the truth. Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, the murderers of Matthew Shepard both said that they have not remorse in the murder of Matthew. This world has become a crime scene whether it's a hate crime or another crime. People don't think twice about the hate crimes whether it's a murder or a beating that go on around them but instead just see it as a regular day to day thing.

       
  On June 7, 1998 an African-American known to be James Byrd was also murdered from a hate crime because of the color of his skin. When gotten offered a ride from three men to a church in Jasper, Texas, that James was suppose to attend that morning, they surely didn't take him there but instead to a remote road out of town. He was ultimately chained up behind a pick up truck by the ankles and was dragged the road for three miles leaving blood and body parts throughout the miles. "…His body gradually tearing into pieces before his head and right shoulder were severed from his torso by a roadside culvert"(The New York Times, Scott Veale). This punishment that occurred to James was brutal and horrific. The hate from the three men towards James was significantly cruel and had no reasoning behind the crime itself. The city of Jasper wanted to have some memorial that resembles James Byrd and his presence he brought to the city. What the town eventually did after the crime was build a memorial park after his name so people could remember him. This example shows the importance of James Byrd a how he made such an impact on not just the city of Jasper itself but all throughout the world. The main reason why Shawn Berry(Truck Driver), Lawrence Brewer, and John King killed James was because of his skin color. The remaining of James's body was thrown in front of an African-American cemetery. This reflected on people so much, they wanted to help and make a difference in the world. From the murder of James Byrd and Matthew Shepard this led to a hate crime law called the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act.

The Life of Violence

Throughout the week of memoir presentations, the main theme that kept reoccurring was the life growing up around gangs, violence, and drugs. One of which memoir that stood out was My Bloody Life written by Reymundo Sanchez which tells a story about a young teenager himself becoming a member of a street gang, the Latin Kings, and growing up in a family with an abusive mother and step-father. "The asshole had take off his leather belt and hit me with so much force that the skin in the places where he struck me was either black and blue or gone altogether"(Sanchez 20). This quote describes the violence life that would happen on the daily basis for Reymundo and his family. All through Reymundo's childhood he dealt with a lot of violence which led him to do violent stuff himself. After realizing he didn't fit in with any of the kids and got kicked out by his mother he eventually found the Latin Kings, a gang that was known to be the worst violence street gang in Chicago. Hanging around those certain type of people, Reymundo learned that it was fine to fight or kill people and that's actually he did at the age of fourteen. After several years of having a home and calling the members family, Reymundo separated from the Latin Kings and instead getting a college education. Although Reymundo grew up in a rough and poor community, he wanted to change his life around and stop the violence in his life. The violence that   occurred in his past changed the way he looked at life. Despite his childhood of violence from his mother and step-father he knew that this wasn't what he wanted for himself. He knew it wasn't right and doesn't want to hurt people like he has once been. 

           The Pursuit of Happyness written by Chris Gardner was another memoir that was a depressing yet impressive story. Watching his step-father abuse his mother in his late childhood was very devastating and reflects his life every day. With raising his son, Christopher, in San Francisco he struggles finding a job and eventually becoming homeless throughout the year. "Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period" (Gardner). This quote is very strong because Chris is telling his readers that people can't give up on their dreams, they need to pursue them. Chris had a dream, even though he went through problems finding jobs, he believed in himself that he could accomplish what he needed to be accomplished. Christopher and Chris had a good relationship throughout the misery. When Chris was younger he didn't know his father until later in his life and doesn't want that to happen to his son. I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. I made up my mind that when I had children, my children were going to know who their father was"(Gardner). He knew his father had made a mistake in not building a relationship with his son and Chris learned that he didn't want that to happen with him and Christopher. The setting Chris had mentioned in the book about how he slept in a bathroom with his son was very meaningful because it was a time where he felt hopeless and discouraged in himself that he would live like this forever. Towards the end of the book Chris didn't give up on his dream and got a job that changed him and  Christopher's lives forever. Chris Gardner wants to teach of his readers that your dream will come if they patiently wait until the time is right. story  

Faith is the Key to Happiness

          Everyone has a time in their lives that devastation occurs. Sometimes ones' are worse than others but those who choose to write about their struggles in life express their feelings throughout their tragic adventure. The memoir A Stolen Life written by Jaycee Lee Dugard is a book where Jaycee was kidnapped at the age of eleven and was held captive for eighteen years, giving birth to two children. “We live in a world where we rarely speak out and when someone does, often nobody is there to listen"(Dugard). People who go through such mortifying events in their lives tend to carry faith and hope that they will get saved and believe that there is always going to be a positive outcome after the disastrous is over. This important quote really strikes me because if one just has faith in themselves it will have a better outcome than one who is hopeless. Another example in this horrific story is the strength that Jaycee had develop through her captivity. Some women in this world couldn't have gone through what she had gone through. Jaycee had to grow mental toughness and especially hope through this all because without those strategies she would have lost it and eventually would kill herself. As shown in the presentation a major symbol that remained throughout the book was a pinecone Jaycee had grabbed right before the kidnapper grabbed her. The pinecone to her reminds her that she is free because that was the last free thing she got ahold of before the torture begun. Today and days ahead Jaycee collects pinecones and represents a sign that she is a free woman.  

          Another book that really stood out to me was Two Kisses for Maddy written by Matthew Logelin. It all starts with a couple who gets pregnant and after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Matthew's wife, Liz, dies. Matthew struggles raising his daughter without having his wife around to help. "One kiss from me, and one from your mother. One for what could have been, and one for what will be"(Logelin). The quote and the title of the book itself relates to each other very well. As Matthew kisses to fingers and touches them  to Maddy's forehead it tells her that her mom, Liz is spiritually with her wherever she goes. From those two kisses Maddy should have gained hope everyday that her mother is not physically  but emotionally and mentally by her side whether it's joy or hardships occurring. Although some hardships seem a lifetime, the ending will overtake all the evil and bring out faith and happiness. A big theme in this book would probably be love and loss. Loss was and still is present in Maddy's life because of her mother dying and how every daughter needs a mother to set an example for, a mother that will be there for her daughter in times of trouble, to be a lifelong best friend, and even a person to turn to and talk to when they need to talk. It's safe to say that mothers are the ones that bring the family together. Love is the key to living an enjoyable life. Although Maddy never met her mother, never talked to her, she knows that she is loved and she loves her mother because of what she did for her.