Robert will help to raise money for the defense of the West Memphis Three

[dsanchez]

From the antimusic.com website:

"Robert Smith of The Cure will be auctioning a new remastered double vinyl set of "Disintegration" autographed to raise money for the defense fund of the West Memphis Three. The West Memphis Three—Damien Echols (who is on death row), Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr—were convicted for murdering three elementary school children in 1994. The auction will last for 17 days—from September 20th to October 7th—one day for each year the West Memphis Three have spent behind bars. June 3, 2010 marked the 17th year anniversary that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. have been behind bars for a crime they did not commit"

More info about the auction:
http://www.antimusic.com/news/10/sep/17Robert_Smith_of_The_Cure_Helping_The_West_Memphis_Three.shtml

[danny999911]

Good on Robert for helping, but this is America we're talking about... not some sort of third world country. This kind of thing shouldn't be needed.

[Whiskers]

Good on Robert for helping, but this is America we're talking about... not some sort of third world country. This kind of thing shouldn't be needed.

I'm a follower of the case, and trust me, those three need as much help as they can get. The court system in Arkansas repeatedly denies a retrial, so any money that's raised for their defense can help get these three innocent men out of jail.

[danny999911]

Yes I agree with you, they do need all the help they can get, but i'm just saying that in such a supposedly fair, democratic and developed country like the USA, you'd think people would get fair trials and not have to wait on death row for years in fear of being killed.

[scatcat]

Good on Robert for helping, but this is America we're talking about... not some sort of third world country. This kind of thing shouldn't be needed.

I'm a follower of the case, and trust me, those three need as much help as they can get. The court system in Arkansas repeatedly denies a retrial, so any money that's raised for their defense can help get these three innocent men out of jail.

Robert auctioned off a personally signed Schecter guitar.. a while ago to create awareness and money for this cause,,.( David , you might be able to help me with the links to the Memphis3..)

maybe these can be referred to, as far as our members' opinions..   

.. BTW.. I DiD bid to get the ax... considering I already had a RS Schecter!!   

[Whiskers]

Anyone who wants to become (somewhat) familiar with the case can go to these links:

http://www.wm3.org/CaseIntroduction/Page/BRIEF-OVERVIEW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three

[dsanchez]

Current bid: US$1550, 8 days remaining.

Bid here:

http://www.skeletonkeyauctions.com/auctiondetails.php?itemname=Robert-Smith-of-The-Cure-Donates-Autographed-Vinyl&id=1527

[ofthedeepgreensea]

i'm not particularly well educated about the case other than say, wikipedia.  but personally, i think the money could be put to better use, say to help the starving or children impacted by warfare, etc. rather than things like this.  of course, it might be true that they're innocent, but it also might be true that they're not.  it's a sensitive issue.. i don't think you can rush into freeing people who are convicted of brutally killing children - you need to be very careful about it.

although of course, as i said, i am probably not as well-informed as i could be.  i just feel that if it were me, i would contribute toward a different charity.

of course, it's robert's right to contribute to whichever cause he desires.

[scottm]

Hi ofthedeepgreensea! Long time!

I think I agree with you but really I don't think the point here is to raise much money.

Even if the record sells for $5000 or $10,000 it really won't make much of a difference in the legal fees.

I think Robert already got what he wanted in the attention he's generated for these folks and innocent or guilty, I don't think the extra attention will hurt.

DNA is tricky. Most folks think it's irrefutable but problems come because scientists traditionally use very small sample sizes. So they might say that a hair folicle found, for example, matches only 0.2% of society. But that's based on a very small sample size of something like 400 or 500 people. I think it serves better to exonerate than to identify. I mean, it's easier to use DNA to say someone DIDN'T do something rather than try to use it to prove someone DID do something.

[Ulrich]

i'm not particularly well educated about the case other than say, wikipedia.  but personally, i think the money could be put to better use, say to help the starving or children impacted by warfare, etc. rather than things like this.  ...
of course, it's robert's right to contribute to whichever cause he desires.

Yeah, of course. And as I remember The Cure have done some things for other organisations too. The name MENCAP springs to mind. I think money from "Paris" and the remix EP went to the Red Cross?

If we consider other issues more important, we maybe should start our own auctions, whatever.

[Underneath the Stars]

why do i have a feeling that Robert might post on the official site when this is over???

[dsanchez]

The bid is closed. The higher bid was US$ 2250