But those who write so firmly agains Woody Allen forget the fact that an expert medical team concluded at the time that Farrow had not been molested. And the people who call for a trial of Allen forget that the statute of limitations is long over. Perhaps, one could argue that the statute of limitations should be extended for child abuse cases; however, this should not occur on a case-by-case basis, and certainly should not occur retroactively.

Of course, public opinion is an important aspect of democracy and can rightly be targeted in order to change laws that the public does not agree with. The Massachusetts death penalty was originally banned on constitutional grounds by the Commonwealth’s Supreme Judicial Court, and legislative efforts have continually blocked reinstatement of the death penalty since its prohibition in 1984. If people’s passions are aroused enough, there is potential to change and improve the criminal justice system. But we should be wary of channeling these feelings into an Internet witch hunt in an attempt to ruin a person’s life without regard for evidence of basic legal protocols.

The most tragic example of the social media kangaroo court involves Sunil Tripathi, a young Brown student who was falsely accused of orchestrating the Boston bombing.

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Harsh words written with haste and no thought swarmed his Facebook page, and his family was harassed by police and the media. Ultimately his name was cleared—only for Sunil to be found dead in Providence, RI.

Of course we all have a right to free speech. However, we should be mindful that this right comes with the responsibility to use it wisely, for greater transparency, not greater obfuscation.

Tez M. Clark ’17, Crimson editorial writer, lives in Wigglesworth Hall.