James Holmes Facebook tribute pages: Most notorious one down, plenty remain

Last week, we told you about the proliferation of James Holmes Facebook tribute pages, with the largest of them -- featuring bad-taste jokes, memes and images like the one seen here -- having collected more than 400 likes. That particular page has been taken down, but a good many remain,...

By Michael Roberts

July 31, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Last week, we told you about the proliferation of James Holmes Facebook tribute pages, with the largest of them -- featuring bad-taste jokes, memes and images like the one seen here -- having collected more than 400 likes. That particular page has been taken down, but a good many remain, including one with 760 likes and another whose 656 likes may have escaped U.S. media scrutiny because much of the content is in Spanish.

The first of these pages features a GIF of a cat shooting a machine gun and a slogan from administrator Chris that reads "FREE JAMES HOLMES." Illustrations include some pornographic cartoons, as well as graphics like this one....

...and this one: Comments range from positive remarks to rips such as "Free James Holmes, wtf. HE MURDERED INNOCENT PEOPLE!!!" and "I am sure this page and others like it are from teenagers. It sounds just like their mentality."

As for the Spanglish page, it sports memes like this one:

I'm not a Spanish speaker, so please correct me if I've misinterpreted Google's translation feature -- but this graphic appears to suggest that Holmes is awaiting the release of Lethal Weapon 6.

In contrast, another meme comes with its own translation, on view below:

The translation:

Lawyer: Is it true that you downloaded games and music online? James: No Sir,That's ilegal!I just bought 50 000 bullets, 3 machine guns and some grenades. Lawyer: Oh ya, thank goodness, you saved! Bottom slogan: If James Holmes had downloaded music the FBI had tracked down and arrested before he had been able to upload to the iPod.

As of now, there are oodles more Facebook pages like the ones noted here -- some with hundreds of likes (including at least one that's blatantly racist), others lingering in near-obscurity. Their continued existence following the negative reactions to the now-removed page suggests that this kind of stuff is comparable to weeds: No matter how much you try to get rid of them, more will pop up.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo