Area Locals: Rolling Stone Crossed the Line

The cover of the latest Rolling Stone features Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. It's not a grainy image from a surveillance camera or a mug shot but it shows a hip-looking young man, his mussy hair and goatee making him seem more like one of the rock stars the music magazine frequently covers rather than possibly the most hated man in the United States right now. A suspected terrorist. The cover photo supports the investigative piece inside outlining what made the boy turn into a killer.

But since the cover was announced to the public there has been a backlash. Several stores, including Stop & Shop, CVS and Walgreen's, have refused to carry the latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine because of its decision to put Tsarnaev on the cover.

We posed the question on our Facebook page and asked readers if they agreed with the retailers' decision. Here is what a few of your neighbors are saying:

Helene Damadeo: My brother was killed by terrorists on 9/11 .... need I say more??

Michelle DeMieri Console: Absolutely ..

Lisa Scudder Saladino: I think people are missing the point of the cover. It was meant to provoke thought on what happened to this person to change. In the photo he looks like a normal teenager, or even one of the rock artists who normally grace the cover of RS. What went wrong or turned him into a killer? People seem to not want to ask this question and instead just want to lynch him. We need to address the base problems otherwise this will keep happening. Was it mental instability? Isolation? Could our foreign policies be playing a role in this rising domestic fundamentalism? These are valid questions to ask and we cannot turn a blind eye to that.

Linda Thomas: I thought rolling stone was about musicians! Why should a sick minded person even be a thought for the cover!!?? Why glamorize terrorism, people need to stop reporting these sickos, attention is what they want! A cover remembering the innocent lives lost would be more fitting.

Kerri Wald: Disgusting. I hope every American boycotts this piece of crap magazine. They've ran out of ideas so they've decided to put A TERRORIST on their cover.

Danielle Leacock: I do not believe his face should even be thought of to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. Its a disgrace to the people that have to live with the injuries and to the families who have lost their loved ones to this terrorist. Epic fail on their part. Issues like how it came about can be discussed however his picture should not be "glorified".

Frank Spingola: I think it's a disgusting tactic to sell magazines. It's disgraceful to the victims of the Boston Bombings as well as their families. I will never buy or read Rolling Stone magazine ever again. They should do a story about the victims and how their lives are forever changed by this persons horrible actions.

Edward Hagenbruch: Absolutely

Vera Papa: I think by putting his face on the cover makes him a "rockstar"....if they wanted to put thought in people's mind then why didn't they put the heros of that day or the photos of who lost their lives. You want to include this evil person's face put it in the inside not the cover.

Danielle LaRocca: But it's not a favorable article. How many magazines had Osama Bin Laden on the cover? Why this terrorist? Is it because it's Rolling Stone? The stores that pulled this magazine should be ashamed. What happened to the First Amendment?

Jaclyn Quatela: The problem with society is we turn bad people who perform disgraceful acts into "rockstars". Good people who strive to achieve greatness struggle to be heard. Anyone can be famous now a days. What kind of message does this send to children? Whether you do something bad/wrong or good/right you will be rewarded the same? This world is messed up. Rolling Stone used to be the dream for so many up and coming musicians as it was a prestigious magazine that gave an artist credibility that they have "made it". This bomber shouldn't even be mentioned in Rolling Stone let alone on the cover. I always day dreamed of being on the cover of Rolling Stone as a new up and coming musician who was recognized for her music. Now, why would I even want to be in the same category as a psycho path that hurt so many people?! That daydream is squashed! Rolling Stone, this is "the day the music died" in your magazine and I'm disappointed!

Jennifer Groh: Magazines like Rolling Stone and much of the mass media in general need to understand the influence that they have in society. When they glorify a person like Tsarnaev, it sends a message that this person should be celebrated and glorified. Why should such a person be given even a moment in the spotlight? We shouldn't glorify the criminals. We should treat them like the scum that they are. Hold up the victims to the light. Not the murderers.

Leticia Garcia Labate: I don't think anyone missed the point of the story. Studying this vile person and what made him do what he did is giving him the attention he sought with that act. Putting him on the cover doesn't invite any intelligent discourse about mental illness or feelings of isolation. All it does is glamorize a killer and disrespect those who were injured and or killed as well as their families. Freedom of the press? Yes, and I have the freedom to say how disgusting and in poor taste it is.

Deborah Pigott: I agree!

Nathalia Soto-Torres Penalvert: AGREE!!!!

Antoinette Kernaghan: Great

Theresa Colombo: I totally agree. This man is not a role model - he is a MURDERER and TERRORIST!!!! What should of been featured was how one of the victims recovery is coming along. Or, one of the many heros of that day....so many NICER things to put on the cover of a magazine than that!!!!

Meg King: They shouldnt have put that Murderer on the Cover...How about some of our Servicemen, Policemen and Firemen who gave there lives for Us......

Laurie Getzelman-Kozicki: Beyond belief.

Vikki Volpe: I'm glad that the stores are refusing to carry this magazine! It's disgusting and in poor taste.

Maria Ruggiano Ciejka: Poor judgement.

Bette Stahl Definitely: Agree with them. Good for the Powers that Be...

Continue the conversation. Tell us what you think. Do you agree that stores should ban the issue on their shelves?