ICYMI: A Former School Shooter is a TikTok Star. Should He Even Be Allowed Online?

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Slate

Society & Culture, Technology, History

4.6 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2023

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim dive into the saga of Jon Romano. At the age of 16, Romano walked into his high school with a shotgun in an attempt, he says, to commit law-enforcement-assisted suicide. Though no one was killed in the ensuing violence, a teacher was shot and injured. Romano pled guilty to attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He served 17 years in prison and was released in 2020. Since his release, he’s been a public advocate for mental health reform and gun control. Since 2022, TikTok has been a part of that advocacy work for Romano, a choice that landed Romano in the headlines once again after many decried his public platform of more than 275,000 followers. Romano’s presence on TikTok and his large public profile raise thorny questions around the possibility of redemption and life online for those who commit violent acts. To help answer those questions, Hampton and Lim are joined by Dr. Teiahsha Bankhead, the executive director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth and an expert in restorative and racial justice. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I made you think you was real.
0:02.0	My name is Caden Sinclair.
0:04.0	Some people call us American royalty.
0:06.0	We were liars.
0:07.0	A new series on Prime Video.
0:09.0	We were happy. We wanted for nothing.
0:12.0	Based on the best-selling novel.
0:15.0	Something terrible happened last summer,
0:17.0	and I have no memory of what or who hurt me.
0:20.0	No one in my family will tell me.
0:22.7	When you're left for dead, you want answers.
0:25.2	We Will Liars. New series, watch now, only on Prime Video. Hi, I'm Rachel Hampton.
0:44.5	And I'm Candace Lim, and you're listening to I-C-Y-M-I.
0:47.9	In case you missed it.
0:49.2	Sleet's podcast about internet culture.
0:51.6	And longtime listeners of the show know that here is usually around where we do some cute little banter to, you know, get the girls going, get y'all prime for some nonsense.
1:03.5	But today we are doing something a little different.
1:21.1	And that's because today's episode is a bit more serious than Pesto recipes and Bobby Altoff.
1:22.0	Before we really dive in, just want to give a heads up that today we'll be discussing
1:26.6	school shootings and suicide. So if that's
1:29.1	not necessarily your jam, we will see you on Saturday. A few weeks ago, I was scrolling the website
1:35.2	formerly known as Twitter when I saw a tweet from former ICY, my guest, Francesca Ramsey, that really,
	...

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