Several media outlets have released a photo with two men who authorities think might be suspicious in relation to the Boston Marathon bombing. The thing is that we have no idea if these two men have anything at all to do with the bombing or are suspicious “looking” for another reason. We don’t know anything at this point and yet there are people on the internet calling for their heads.
These news organizations that have released the photos of these men should be ashamed of themselves. They very likely might get these guys killed. Despite the fact that there is a disclaimer in the news article that these men are not currently suspects, they should know that people will view them as such and mob violence may ensue.
We are a civilized country with laws and due process; we are not a mob with pitchforks and yet even within the greater community of reason, I have seen calls for violence against these two individuals who may not have had anything to do with it. One of the reasons for an impartial justice system is to make sure that we don’t have these kinds of mobs with pitchforks going after “suspected” people who may very well be innocent. This is why we have trials and demand evidence. We don’t and we shouldn’t convict people based on our emotions alone.
We all want to find the person or persons responsible for this crime, but we don’t want to convict the wrong people and allow the real criminals to escape justice. Justice isn’t swift and we should all support a call for patience so that authorities can best piece together the evidence and find those responsible with greater certainty. In the meantime, we need to help those we can. Support Atheists Giving Aid.
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- Humor and Tragedy (skepticink.com)
