Henry Rollins has put together a benefit concert to aid the West Memphis Three. The concert will be on March 8th at theTroubadour in Hollywood. Scheduled to appear Rollins Band, Wayne Kramer's Ship of Fools, and Exene Cervenka's Original Sinners. Tickets are $15 and proceeds will to the West Memphis Three, the three young men who were convicted for the murder of three children in West Memphis, Arkansas.  The case drew international attention when HBO aired the documentary about the trial, “Paradise Lost” which left doubts in many peoples minds after watching the interviews and the trial footage that the three young men convicted of the crime actually did it. Various artists have taken part in efforts to raise money to aid in the West Memphis Three’s conviction appeals because many believe that West Memphis authorities singled out the three accused because they listened to heavy metal and wore black clothing, while the real killer roams free. 

Below is a statement from Henry Rollins:

After watching the two documentaries, (Paradise Lost and Revelations: Paradise Lost 2) which detail what happened to the victims (both dead and alive) my reaction was a mixture of sadness and anger:
“Sadness at the death of the little boys and the unimaginable sense of hopelessness, heartbreak and frustration that fills their relatives on a regular basis. Then anger at what appears to be a made-for-television worst case scenario breakdown in the American justice system.

What the West Memphis Three have been put through, and are going through, is an American nightmare of the highest order.

I wanted to get involved. 

If this kind of insanity is allowed to happen in America, then no American is really safe. To do nothing is to submit to this horrific slander of truth and basically join in with the perpetrators. 

It's simple for me. I don't know who killed those three little boys. I just know it's not the West Memphis Three. So, what can I do? Raise some money and hopefully some awareness. I don't know what else I can do, if someone has an idea, let me know. 

Damien Echols faces lethal injection for a crime he didn't commit. Jason and Jesse face life in prison. It might as well be you or me. After the benefit on March 8th, I will get in my car and drive to my house. That, in itself, is kind of obscene seeing what these three are dealing with.

I am in awe of the people who have worked so hard on the behalf of the West Memphis Three; that someone saw something they knew was wrong and stood up and went to work. How can I merely wave from the sidelines?

I can't.

--Henry Rollins 

Tickets for the benefit show are available at the Troubadour Box office and Ticketmaster.  For more information on the West Memphis Three case visit WM3.org. 
 

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