people often forget that there is more than one side to a story.

a second article was written about my arrest in the montclarion on the 11th.

in it, Lt. Barrett claims "that Shinn was identified as committing this offense through her own statements and the interview of other residents with usable information related to these incidents."

i feel that this is an extremely unfair statement to make, as i obviously couldn't have been "identified as committing this offense" unless i myself had identified myself as a criminal by stating, "i, lauren shinn, tampered with a witness."

when all of this first began, my mother said two things to me:
1. "it is in times like these when the true nature of your friends will show"
2. "it is in times like these when YOUR true character will be forced into light; the way you have lived your life up to this point will serve to reveal exactly what kind of person you are. we are not the masters of our own identity, it is our identities who are our masters. your life will speak for itself, and that's the only thing either of us can do right now--we have to continue living our life the way we always have. you, me, alma, and God."

after the articles were published, i came across many comments implying/stating that i am [indeed] the freeman arsonist, as well as the 'true' arsonist of last semester. i've heard and read several other statements spoken/written by these people who do not know me, claiming that i am a psychotic criminal and that i should have been jailed last semester. a tiny handful of others go so far as to say that i should simply be burned to death because the world is not in need of people like me.

of course, none of these people have ever met me, and none of these people have ever heard my side of the story. they, therefore, mean very little to me. the truth is, no one has heard my side of the story yet other than my attorney, who believes that it is in my best interest to keep it between me and my representatives until everything is over. this is fine; i am willing to face the music until my innocence reveals itself.

like i said, the aforementioned comments do not mean much to me. the following comments DO:

when i met with jerry collins, he read to me a list of the "other residents with usable information" and read their statements to me. he also read to me from a paper that had recorded what all of my professors--past and present--had said about me during this whole ordeal.

my mother was absolutely right. the true natures of my friends and my own character were, in fact, revealed through their statements and the faculty's statements. i was most proud of comments regarding my "diligence," "open-mindedness," "compassion," "work ethic," and "sincerity in everything i do."

Det. J summarized, "Lauren's friends support her--though they may be protectng her--and her professors definitely seem to love her."

the only person who had truly negative things to say about me is a person i've been having problems with since the first day i met her. i spent months and months defending her from others who tried to warn me that she was bad news, and i do not regret it. allow me to make myself clear: i do not regret the way i treated her. i now know that she no longer deserves my time, respect, or care.

i do have my own story to tell; but for now, i would rather let everything speak for itself.