Patricia Hearst — the name alone brings a negative connotation in most people’s minds. In a country proud of its fairness to the felon, where a person is innocent until proven guilty, this one name is an exception. The public, through the efforts of a top-notch press, has already tried and sentenced her without mercy.
Why is such a young girl the subject of such heated debate? To the working class she symbolizes the wealth and affluence that the average citizen can only dream of. To conservatives she symbolizes radicalism and militancy which is reminiscent of the fear of communism. To the student she symbolizes the pampered child who has always got what she wanted without effort. To parents she symbolizes a disrespectful generation, which has no concern for the old standards of morality. Every aspect of the life of Patty Hearst is resented by the ordinary person — those honest, hard-working people that are the backbone of this nation.
Let us not forget that this girl is just as human as anyone else, with the same capacity for pain, confusion, and shame. She is simply a young woman in a jail cell with the hatred of an entire nation focused upon her. We, who are protagonists for equal rights, should not forget to include the rich and influential, the criminal and the radical in our struggle to eliminate prejudice. Let us not judge on the basis of this prejudice.
As our country renews its vows of freedom in 1976, remember the wisdom of the founding fathers, who recognized this human characteristic of judging prematurely. Patricia Hearst is an American citizen, and, as such, has an inalienable right to a fair trial. Let us, the laymen, await the verdict of those qualified to consider all the facts and accept their decision as just.