As hoodies go, it’s pretty ordinary — a nondescript gray zip-up version devoid of embellishment.
But to a certain segment of the population, this is a macabre and interesting bit of history. This hoodie belonged to the Unabomber, who killed three people and injured 23 others in a nationwide bombing spree.
The government auction of the hoodie and other items belonging to Ted Kaczynski has sparked a debate about the propriety of profit from items with such a ghoulish connection.
There aren’t always easy calls in the so-called murderabilia trade, but in this case we don’t oppose the auction of Kaczynski’s possessions.
One of the deciding factors, in our minds, is that the proceeds will go to victims. It’s not as if Kaczynski would be financially rewarded for the crimes he committed during a 17-year stretch.
Some criminals — such as John Wayne Gacy, convicted in 1980 for raping and killing 33 young men and boys — have indeed benefited. It was reprehensible that Gacy profited from selling the eerie clown pictures he painted in prison before his 1994 execution.
We share the concerns of lawmakers who have tried at various times to pass what are broadly called Son of Sam laws to block such ill-gotten gains.
The name comes from 1971 legislation passed in New York state that attempted to keep criminals such as Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz from reaping book profits.
Eventually, the courts found it ran afoul of First Amendment rights, as have some other legislative attempts to prevent money-making by notorious criminals.
The sad truth is that there will always be a subculture of people who are interested in ghastly crimes and the demented people who commit them. There isn’t much that can, or should, be done about that.
However, we see a bright line between perpetrators profiting from their crimes and a situation where the victims and their survivors are fully considered, as is the case with the Unabomber items.
So far, bidding on Kaczynski’s personal effects has been relatively modest. As of Wednesday, his handwritten manifesto advocating a revolt against technology had attracted a $17,525 bid.
If the proceeds, however, offer some assistance to those who suffered at Kaczynski’s hands, then the auction and the controversy will have been worth it.
