The surprising reaction Manitowoc students are having to “Making a Murderer”
While we might be completely fascinated and invested in every aspect of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and the ongoing trial for Steven Avery, we don’t have to live it IRL every single day. The residents of Manitowoc, Wisconsin do, and as you can probably imagine, they’re less than thrilled to be reliving this grueling case.
We’re also not just talking about the adults of the county who are frustrated with how their home is being portrayed. Many students are just as vocal about the attention the bingeable show has brought to the roughly 34,000 residents of Manitowoc. And they’re not happy, either.
“The series has brought about a lot of negative comments about the county. It’s a safe place, there is not a whole lot of crime,” Cole Cayemberg, a college sophomore who’s original from Manitowoc, explained to USA Today. “I stopped watching the documentary when they started portraying him as completely innocent, it was like they completely forgot about the woman [Teresa Halbach] killed.”
Others students have decided not to watch it at all. Katie Ebelt, also a sophomore, believes that those who see Avery as innocent all live out of state.
“I don’t think it was a good idea that it was made in the first place,” Ebelt explains. “I believe that both sides should be heard, but from what I have heard the documentary only shows one side.”
Many students are also dealing with backlash, no matter where they are in the country. “Because of the series, a lot of my friends have been made fun of for being from the county,” Bridget Gruenke, a senior, noted. “We are sometimes told that Manitowoc is the worst city.”
Hearing that is heartbreaking. Bad things can happen anywhere, in any city in the country, so it’s a shame that over the last few months Manitowoc has been given such a bad rap. With Avery’s case still on-going (and will be for the foreseeable future) let’s remember that Manitowoc is still home for many, both young and old, and there’s no need for name-calling.
