:01:02
When I first found out,
I just thought it was horribIe.
:01:07
Nobody deserves that.
:01:09
I don't care who you are.
:01:14
A college freshman was beaten...
:01:16
...tied to a fence, and left for dead
in Wyoming this weeK.
:01:23
You'd liKe to thinK
this was somebody from out of town.
:01:27
Somebody who comes through
and beats somebody up.
:01:32
But if we're talKing about somebody
who's been beaten repeatedly...
:01:36
...by somebody from our town,
that certainIy offends us.
:01:47
If you asked me before, I wouId have
toId you laramie is a beautifuI town.
:01:51
It's secIuded, you know, secIuded enough...
:01:54
...so you can have your own identity.
:01:57
Now, after Matthew...
:02:00
...we're a town defined
by an accident or a crime.
:02:05
We've become Waco or Jasper.
:02:08
We're a noun, or a definition, or a sign.
:02:23
-Do you mind if I tape this?
-No, I don't mind.
:02:27
Great. Thank you again for taking time
out of your rehearsaI to taIk to me.
:02:32
I must teII you, when I first heard
you were thinking of coming here...
:02:36
...when you first caIIed me...
:02:38
...I wanted to say:
:02:40
''You just kicked me in the stomach.
Why are you doing this to me?''
:02:44
And then I thought, ''WeII, that's stupid.
You're not doing this to me.''
:02:49
And more importantIy...
:02:52
...my students need to taIk.
:02:54
When this first happened,
they started to taIk about it.
:02:57
Then the media descended
and aII diaIogue stopped.