after 18 years of the two convicted murderers of Stephen Lawrence, they have finally been bought too “justice”. After 18 years that they could’ve owned up, the two have been given life sentences. While I respect that the judge did all he could, I still don’t think that the fact that the two criminals of such evil and melancholic crimes have been able to avoid a justice sentence just because they were too young at the time. 

I remember my first hardcore show I went to. It was somewhere in 2008 at a show in Canterbury called CT Fest, and I was eager to see a band that I found through my girlfriend at the time. I admit, I did look somewhat of a wannabe going to that show (my friend was wearing an Aiden T-Shirt) but I was greeted with scornful remarks such as “English people only”. It saddened me for a very long time, because I felt that I was going into a scene where racism had no place; regardless of appearance, gender or ethnicity the music had united the people.

Thankfully, I don’t experience much of that now, bands like Cancer Bats, Trash Talk and Madball have brought these issues to light and managed to stamp it out, one trash at a time. I think the world today is a different one from 3 years ago, and I’ve only had the odd quip here an there because of colour, mostly in my school years. This kind of concludes to me that racism is something that the immature mind gathers out of boredom, if it doesn’t get seen to in the right way then it cultivates and will get worse an worse.  I would say most people I know now are more inclined to think twice about what they say about skin colour because of the many bands that have bought up this issue, and I’m grateful for that. 

I feel that the two thugs that murdered that poor boy 18 years ago should be rehabilitated, and if that doesn’t work, harsher punishment. There’s nothing I could forgive about taking a life because someone looks different, and even though it’s the worst kind of crime I can think of, it’s done, and all that’s left for the criminal to do is to repent and repent some more.