fbpx
Wikipedia

Reactions to the Duke lacrosse case

March 17, 2024

The 2006 Duke University lacrosse case resulted in a great deal of coverage in the local and national media as well as a widespread community response at Duke and in the Durham, North Carolina area.

A balcony in New Jersey displaying signs pleading the players' innocence

Media coverage edit

Initial coverage (March–April 2006) edit

The case attracted widespread media attention almost from the moment it became public. The apparent circumstances—three white males (David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty) from privileged backgrounds at an elite university apparently taking advantage of a student and single mother (Crystal Gail Mangum) from a crosstown black college (NCCU), trying to make ends meet by working as a stripper and escort—seemed tailor-made for wall-to-wall coverage. However, once the case deteriorated, critics saw it as a stinging showcase of bias in the media and the university system.

Among those giving extensive coverage to the matter was Nancy Grace. Before Duke suspended its men's lacrosse team's season, she sarcastically noted on the air, "I'm so glad they didn't miss a lacrosse game over a little thing like gang rape!" and "Why would you go to a cop in an alleged gang rape case, say, and lie and give misleading information?"[1] Another, Susan Estrich, said "I teach criminal law. But what are we dealing with here? The mafia, or a sports team from a first-class university. Instead, they hire them lawyers to trash the victim and the prosecutor."[2] Former prosecutor Wendy Murphy supplied the case with some of the most inflammatory claims and supported the withholding of evidence by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, saying, "Nifong should be rewarded for respecting the defendants' rights by not leaking the type of evidence that could help him personally respond to criticism."[3] Murphy said "I never, ever met a false rape claim, by the way. My own statistics speak to the truth."[4]

Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte declared on her blog that people who defended the wrongly accused Duke students were "rape-loving scum".[5] Time reported that in "late January, more ethics charges were heaped on the District Attorney in the Duke University sexual-assault case, and Marcotte attacked the news with her usual swagger and sarcasm:"[6]

In the meantime, I've been sort of casually listening to CNN blaring throughout the waiting area and good fucking god is that channel pure evil. For awhile [sic?], I had to listen to how the poor dear lacrosse players at Duke are being persecuted just because they held someone down and fucked her against her will—not rape, of course, because the charges have been thrown out. Can’t a few white boys sexually assault a black woman anymore without people getting all wound up about it? So unfair.[7][8]

Marcotte later deleted posts on her blog critical of her statements, then later deleted the entire entry.

Reason contributing editor Cathy Young has described Marcotte as a "leader of the cyber-lynch mob in the Duke University rape hoax". In "Marcotte's eyes, the real crime of the 'independent feminists' is helping preserve the idea that the presumption of innocence applies even in cases of rape and sexual assault."[9]

Other outlets that have been accused of taking an initial pro-prosecution slants included, but are not limited to:

The case continues (May–October 2006) edit

Grace continued to feature developments in the case on her program, with a pro-prosecution slant. On June 9, 2006, after hearing reporting on various defense motions, which the CNN reporter indicated might already prove reasonable doubt, Grace sarcastically asked, "Well I'm glad you have already decided the outcome of the case, based on all of the defense filings. Why don't we just all move to Nazi Germany, where we don't have a justice system and a jury of one's peers?"[12] On June 22, 2006, she featured Sports Illustrated writer Lester Munson who opined, "I think the state has probably a better case than most observers are describing. I have studied this at some length ... There is some voracity [sic] to the victim's account."[13]

On August 6, 2006, The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote that District Attorney Mike Nifong "promised DNA evidence that has not materialized. He suggested that police conduct lineups in a way that conflicted with department policy."[14] The article went on to say that "he made a series of factual assertions that contradicted his own files: He suggested the players used condoms; he accused the players of erecting a wall of silence to thwart investigators; and he said the woman had been hit, kicked and strangled. The medical and police records show that the victim had said no condom was used, that police had interviewed three players at length and taken their DNA samples and that the accuser showed no significant bruises or injuries."[14]

On August 25, 2006, amid growing doubts as to the strength of the case and the veracity of Mangum, The New York Times published a front page article by Duff Wilson and Jonathan Glater stating that the weaknesses in the case highlighted by the defense were not indicative of the strength of the case as a whole. "In several important areas, the full files, reviewed by The New York Times, contain evidence stronger than that highlighted by the defense." The Times story further indicated that "there is also a body of evidence to support [Nifong's] decision to take the matter to a jury."[15] This article would be widely criticized as the actual lack of strength of Nifong's case became apparent. In spite of widespread criticism, the newspaper's public editor defended Wilson, and he was permitted to remain on the case through Nifong's disbarment trial.[citation needed]

The case deteriorates (November 2006-May 2007) edit

After many inflammatory comments about the defendants, Nancy Grace's show covered the dismissal of charges on the day of the announcement, but with a substitute host. Undaunted by the lack of DNA evidence, CNN's Paula Zahn insisted that "the DA would not be proceeding with this case if he didn't believe that this alleged victim had been raped." She also demanded explanations "How, then, sir [defense attorney Joe Cheshire], do you explain the woman's injuries ... particularly some of the internal injuries?"[16]

Perhaps the most grudging admission of exoneration came from The Boston Globe, which stated in a lead editorial: "Three members of the Duke lacrosse team may have been louts, but all the evidence suggests they were not rapists . . . the students have the resources to get on with their lives."[17]

Similarly grudging was sportswriter John Feinstein, who stated on the syndicated sports talk show The Jim Rome Show in May 2007 "I think they're guilty of everything but rape" and "I really don’t want to hear that they’re victims and martyrs, and that their lives have been ruined." Feinstein, who in March 2006 had demanded the revocation of the scholarships of every Duke men's lacrosse team member, and who (against the findings of the Coleman report) continued to describe the team as "out-of-control", added "I don't think I've been proven wrong."[18]

Nancy Grace, who had been particularly vocal in her support for Nifong's prosecution, took the night off for the show following the attorney general's dismissal of all charges, with Jane Velez-Mitchell guest hosting instead.[19]

While the march of the 2007 Duke men's team to the NCAA final game generally received extensive and favorable coverage, a number of sportswriters published negative stories about the team. Washington Post columnist Mike Wise wrote "[I]t's hard to embrace everyone as a victim. With all due respect to those 'INNOCENT' bracelets worn around Durham this year, this isn't "To Kill a Mockingbird II."[20] Chicago Tribune columnist Philip Hersh commented, "The idea that the Duke lacrosse team's success is a feel-good story makes me ill. . . it would be a bigger mistake to believe (the dropping of charges) means Duke's lacrosse team was innocent of assault against common decency."[21]

After proclamations by the North Carolina Attorney General, Roy Cooper, that the three students were "innocent" in April, USA Today columnist and incoming Bennett College President, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, commented in an interview on National Public Radio a few days later that they were "hooligans," had lied, and that they "did not deserve an apology."[22]

The Duke Chronicle noted the closing of the case, and stated. "There are other members of the Duke community, however, from whom we have not heard [...] These are the voices of the range of individuals, from students to professors to community members, who responded to last year's allegations not with moderation [...] but with extreme, inflammatory and unfounded statements."[23]

Response edit

Duke faculty groups edit

Main article: Group of 88

Soon after the allegations were made, 88 Duke professors (referred to sometimes as the "Group of 88", sometimes referred to as the "Gang of 88") from the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences placed an ad in The Chronicle referring to the circumstances surrounding the allegations as a "social disaster" and quoting primarily anonymous individuals citing racism and sexism in the Duke community. The advertisement concluded, "We're turning up the volume [...] To the students speaking individually and to the protestors making collective noise, thank you for not waiting and for making yourselves heard," and "These are the students shouting and whispering about what happened to this young woman."[24] Notable signatories included Houston Baker, Miriam Cooke, Anne Allison, Cathy Davidson, Ariel Dorfman, Michael Hardt, Alice Kaplan, Claudia Koonz, Pedro Lasch, Walter Mignolo, Mark Anthony Neal and Alex Rosenberg. The ad was spearheaded by faculty member Wahneema Lubiano.

In three departments, more than half of faculty signed the statement. The department with the highest proportion of signatories was African and African-American Studies, with 80%. Just over 72% of the Women's Studies faculty signed the statement, Cultural Anthropology 60%, Romance studies 44.8%, Literature 41.7%, English 32.2%, Art & Art History 30.7%, and History 25%. No faculty members from the Pratt School of Engineering or full-time law professors signed the document. Departments that had no faculty members sign the document include Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Genetics, Germanic Languages/Literature, Psychology and Neuroscience, Religion, and Slavic and Eurasian Studies.

In January 2007, many months after the initial print of the ad, a new letter was posted at the Concerned Duke Faculty website signed by 87 faculty members stating that the original ad was misinterpreted.[25] The letter states that the intent of the original ad was to address issues of racism and sexism in the community and not to prejudge the case.[26]

In January 2007, lacrosse team member Kyle Dowd filed a lawsuit against Duke University and visiting associate professor and signatory to the original ad, Kim Curtis, claiming that he and another teammate were given failing grades on their final paper as a form of retaliation after the scandal broke.[27][28] The case has been settled with the terms undisclosed except that Dowd's grade was altered to a P.[29]

Dowd's mother emailed another original signatory, Houston Baker, who continued after the charges had been dropped to accuse her son and the others of being "hooligans, rapists," and called her "the mother of a farm animal."[30]

Another signatory, Thavolia Glymph, said she was disappointed because "since the DNA results were returned Monday, we [have been] moving backwards."[31] The DNA results indicated that there was neither any sexual nor physical connection between the stripper and the players she accused.

Seventeen faculty members of the economics department sent a letter showing support for the players on January 6, 2007, saying, "We regret that the Duke faculty is now seen as prejudiced against certain of its own students," and telling the players that they are more than welcome to enroll in their courses.[32]

Student groups and independent organizations edit

Many students showed their support for the lacrosse team during the investigation in a variety of ways. The Duke women's lacrosse team chose to wear "Innocent" sweatbands with the accused players' numbers during their games in the 2006 NCAA Final Four.[33] "We want to win a national championship for ourselves but definitely also for the university and the men's team," one team member explained. "They don't really have a chance to play their season, which is a shame."[33] The women came under fire from many in the media. Kevin Sweeney of Salon argued that their actions will make it more difficult for rape victims to speak out in the future, while New York Times sports columnist Harvey Araton stated that their "cross-team friendship" made them lose common sense.[34][35]

Another group of students, Duke Students for an Ethical Durham, sought to encourage students to vote in the upcoming election as Durham residents.[36] It was specifically created in response to Nifong's mishandling of the case.[37] Nifong ended up winning the election.

The Association for Truth and Fairness (ATAF) seeks to raise money to defray some of the indicted players' legal fees.[38] ATAF, a non-profit organization, will continue to "help victims of abuses of power and other prosecutorial injustices."[39]

Wristbands saying "Duke Lacrosse 2006 INNOCENT! #6 #13 #45" were also sold to raise money for the cause.[40]

An outpouring of support came at the beginning of the 2007 lacrosse season. For the season opener, 6,485 fans attended the game to cheer the Blue Devils on their way to a 17–11 victory over Dartmouth.[41]

North Carolina Central University forum edit

The day after DNA results came back negative, Nifong and other city officials such as Durham Mayor Bill Bell spoke at a community forum on April 12, 2006, on violence against women at N.C. Central, where the accuser was a student.[42] The crowd, predominantly African American, criticized the media for portraying the accuser as a stripper and escort instead of a mother and student.[42] One questioner said that Duke University hospital must have tampered with the DNA sample for it to come back negative, while another suggested that the accuser ought to have been helicoptered to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for treatment since Duke had a conflict of interest.[43] One NCCU student, Chan Hall, as quoted by Newsweek,[44] stated, "It's the same old story. Duke up, Central down." He continued that he wanted to see the Duke students prosecuted "whether it happened or not. It would be justice for things that happened in the past."[45] NCCU Chancellor James H. Ammons Jr. said that "[t]his incident has forced us to examine issues relevant to any campus environment -- sexism, racism and the need to educate our students about sexual assault and violence against women."[42] At the same time, he urged the crowd to be patient and let the legal process take its course.[42]

NAACP and civil rights activists edit

The NAACP urged for a thorough investigation of the facts and a trial with a jury before the public formed an opinion on the case. North Carolina NAACP Legal Redress Chair, Al McSurely, explained that "The NAACP stands for fair play for all parties, zealous investigation and deep concern for the survivors of racist/sexist attacks."[46] At the same time, some have criticized the NAACP for making statements that portrayed the players as racist despite evidence to the contrary, using the case to promote the group's cause, and implying guilt. McSurely stated that "[w]ithin five minutes, the men threatened the women with racial and misogynist verbal assaults," despite evidence to the contrary. He continued that the lacrosse players "were caught with their macho entitlement views hanging out and, to save themselves, they have banned [sic] together to blame the survivor of their verbal assaults."

After Nifong dropped the rape charges against the three players in December 2006, the NAACP's "case monitor" and NCCU law professor Irving Joyner stated that the drop of rape charges could help Nifong's case: "Now, they don’t have to establish that there was penetration committed against the accuser . . . In addition to that, now they don’t have to deal with the DNA or the lack of DNA evidence. And with the rape shield statute, it’s unlikely that information will even come before the jury to consider."[47]

On the official state NAACP's website, an 82 point 'Crimes and Torts committed by Duke Lacrosse Team Players' memo was listed long after the charges were dropped and the players were declared innocent.[48] Included in the memorandum was an assessment of the defendants' strategy to have the charges dropped: "The three defendants they have two mountains to climb. First, they must deflect public attention from their boorish, racist, and illegal behavior by mounting outlandish attacks on the survivor and the D.A. Second, they must deal with a mountain of physical evidence, that is corroborated by, we have reason to believe, accounts of some of the men who were at the party who have cooperated with the police and the D.A. from early on."[48] North Carolina Attorney General Roy A. Cooper refuted these facts in the summary of findings report. It stated that "no evidence ... corroborate[d] the accusing witness's versions of the events ... No DNA evidence confirmed her stories ... No medical evidence confirmed her stories ... No other witness confirmed her stories ... The accusing witness’s accounts of the story changed significantly."[49]

In April 2006, civil rights activist Al Sharpton was invited on Fox's The O'Reilly Factor to discuss the case.[50] Sharpton began the interview by commending the "blacks and whites who stood vigil and to come together in that community to stand up for this girl." In response to Bill O'Reilly's questions concerning the possibility that the woman might have fabricated the allegations, Sharpton said, "First of all, the authorities have charged there was a crime. ... When the prosecutors went forward, they clearly have said this girl is the victim, so why would we be trying the victim?" When O'Reilly mentioned recent news reports that DNA testing had failed to match any of the defendants, Sharpton said, "I think that all of the facts that you have laid out the DA had — and I know this DA is probably not one that is crazy. He would not have proceeded if he did not feel that he could convict." Sharpton continued that the case parallels "Abner Louima, who was raped and sodomized in a bathroom." At the conclusion of the interview, when O'Reilly said that Sharpton didn't know what happened, Sharpton agreed. "I don't know yet and I think that the proper thing to do is to support those that want justice."[50]

On April 15, 2006, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said that his non-profit Rainbow/Push Coalition organization would pay for the college tuition of the accuser, Mangum, whether she fabricated the story or not.[51] Jackson said that she should never "have to stoop that low to survive." He continued that the "...fantasy's as old as slave masters impregnating young slave girls [...] The character of this thing is chilling [and] [s]omething happened that everybody's ashamed of..."[51] Defense attorney Joe Cheshire found Jackson's comment about "slave masters" odd because the players did not ask for black strippers. "There is no slave-master mentality here, and that's just another perfect example of [...] self-absorbed race pandering," Cheshire stated.[51]

After all charges were dropped on April 13, 2007, the North Carolina NAACP praised the state attorney general's investigation into Mangum's claims that had found them to be without merit.[52]

Bloggers edit

The case received extensive coverage on blogs. One blog which supported the three students was Durham-in-Wonderland authored by Brooklyn College history professor KC Johnson.[53] Johnson also co-authored a book on the case with journalist Stuart Taylor, entitled Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case.[54] The players' lawyers stated that they used the blog as a resource throughout the case, and Seligmann made a point of thanking Johnson in his statement following the dismissal of charges.[55]

"Wanted poster" distribution edit

A poster that "looked like a wanted poster" was distributed on campus and in nearby neighborhoods shortly after the allegations surfaced in March 2006 showing pictures and names of 40 members of the lacrosse team, urging them to "come forward" with information on the alleged rape.[56]

Duke administration and University president edit

During the initial investigation of the players by Durham police, Dean Sue Wasiolek advised the players to cooperate with police and tell the truth, not tell anybody about the charges, nor hire attorneys because she thought nothing would come of it.[57] Wasiolek is one of the defendants named in the Ekstrand lawsuit. Chris Kennedy, senior associate athletic director, told the captains to contact their parents immediately and to hire attorneys shortly after (on March 17).

Moneta and Brodhead placed Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty on interim suspension for the Spring 2006 semester following their indictment, while David Evans graduated the day before he was indicted.[58] In the fall of 2006, their status was modified to "administrative leave" to allow them to make academic progress while not at the university.

Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University, was quoted by WRAL-TV as saying to the Durham Chamber of Commerce on April 20, 2006, "If our students did what is alleged, it is appalling to the worst degree. If they didn’t do it, whatever they did is bad enough."[59] At the same time, Brodhead repeatedly stated that "our students must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise,"[60][61] with his earliest citation on March 25, 2006.[62]

On December 20, 2006, Brodhead stated that "the DA's case will be on trial just as much as our students will be."[60] Two days later, Nifong dropped the most serious rape charges against the players. Brodhead released a statement calling for Nifong to recuse himself and questioned his actions: "Given the certainty with which the district attorney made his many public statements regarding the rape allegation, his decision today to drop that charge must call into question the validity of the remaining charges. The district attorney should now put this case in the hands of an independent party who can restore confidence in the fairness of the process. Further, Mr. Nifong has an obligation to explain to all of us his conduct in this matter."[63]

On January 3, 2007, Brodhead invited Seligmann and Finnerty back to Duke as students in good standing even though they still faced charges.[64] They were also welcomed to participate on the lacrosse team. Brodhead explained, "We have decided that the right and fair thing to do is to welcome back Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty to resume their studies at Duke for the spring semester. Although the students still face serious charges and larger issues require Duke’s collective attention, the circumstances in this case have changed substantially, and it is appropriate that the students have an opportunity to continue their education."[58] Both declined. Instead, Seligmann decided to enroll at Brown University, while Finnerty chose to attend Loyola College in Maryland.

Brodhead, in an interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, stated that "Duke has a rule and many, many, many other universities observe the same rule, which is that when a student is indicted for a crime that has an element of violence, we often separate the student from the university because you don't know at that time what harm [...] might be done either in the community or to the student. It isn’t a judgment of guilt. It isn't a disciplinary measure. And what we've done is to use the interim to try to understand the nature of the case better. Weighing a lot of things [...] the presumption of innocence, the nature of the charges, the need of the students to get on with their life. Once the facts took the turn they did in December, then we had to rebalance those things. Then at that point it just seemed to us that simple fairness meant that we had to allow the students to come back."[65]

In regards to the team's season, Duke athletic director Joe Alleva decided to forfeit two games due to admitted behaviors such as "underage drinking and hiring private party dancers".[66][67] According to Brodhead, the team's players then "wished to suspend competitive play until the DNA results come back."[66] Brodhead then decided to suspend the remainder of the season until "there [was] a clearer resolution of the legal situation."[66]

In an open letter to the public, Brodhead outlined his formation of committees to examine the lacrosse team, the administration's response to the incident, the student judicial process, campus culture, and a presidential council.[68] The committees have been criticized by some observers, including KC Johnson, former student president Elliott Wolf (offered a seat in the Campus Culture Initiative),[69] and the Chronicle, since it was chaired by several Group of 88 members such as Anne Allison, Karla FC Halloway, and lacrosse critics Prasad Kasibhatla and Peter Wood. Among the conclusions of the group-chaired committees was shared governance of athletics by faculty members,[70] and required classes for students by group members.[71] Also, the student senate representative was Chauncey Nartey, a student who Sue Pressler had previously reported to the police because he had made death threats to Mike Pressler's family.[72]

After Nifong's resignation and disbarment, Brodhead released a statement: "One fact stares us in the face: The ordeal of the last 15 months was wholly unnecessary. It was not the result of reasonable differences of legal opinion or honest errors of judgment. Our students were accused by the community's senior law enforcement officer with no credible basis in fact [...] The actions Duke took caused consternation to many in the University family, which I profoundly regret. As Duke University's president, I resolve to do my part to repair the harm unleashed by Mr. Nifong's actions and to move forward from this painful episode."[73]

Later, Brodhead apologized to the lacrosse players and their families for the university's "failure to reach out" in a "time of extraordinary peril."[74] Brodhead's actions generated criticism from opinion pieces in the media. For example, Newsweek published an article on September 10, 2007, that argued that "Brodhead and Nifong [the DA in the case] had an almost willful disregard for the facts." An article in The Economist on September 15, 2007, stated that Brodhead did "little, if anything, to defend the lacrosse players or to criticise the faculty [at Duke] for its lynching mob mentality."[75] Stuart Taylor Jr. and KC Johnson argue President Brodhead and other administrators "portray[ed] them [the students] with grotesque exaggeration as a bunch of uncooperative, rowdy, drunken white racists who might well be rapists, too. Nifong, hoping to divert attention from the powerful proof of innocence in the soon-to-be-public DNA tests (that exculpated the students), could hardly have hoped for a more obliging helper than Richard Brodhead."

Other Duke faculty edit

Duke English Professor Houston Baker (now former professor as he was hired as a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University in May 2006[76][77]) wrote a scathing letter on March 29, 2006, regarding the lacrosse team and the administration's response to the incident, asking, "[w]hat have Duke and its leadership done to address this horrific, racist incident alleged to have occurred" and asserting "we have been deeply embarrassed by the silence that seems to surround this white, male athletic team's racist assaults (by words, certainly - deeds, possibly) in our community."[78]

Baker also wrote that the players were "safe under the cover of silent whiteness" and these "[y]oung, white, violent, drunken men among us - [are] implicitly boasted [sic] by our athletic directors and administrators." He said Duke has joined other colleges and universities in the "blind-eying of male athletes, veritably given license to rape, maraud, deploy hate speech, and feel proud of themselves in the bargain." He also explicitly stated that the lacrosse players displayed "abhorrent sexual assault, verbal racial violence, and drunken white male privilege loosed amongst us."

Duke University Provost Peter Lange responded, "I cannot tell you how disappointed, saddened and appalled I was to receive this letter from you. A form of prejudice - one felt so often by minorities whether they be African American, Jewish or other - is the act of prejudgment: to presume that one knows something 'must' have been done by or done to someone because of his or her race, religion or other characteristic." He continued, "We do not know much about the worst of what may have happened in the incident that has inflamed our community," and concluded, "Sadly, letters like yours do little to advance our common cause."[78]

Brodhead appointed Duke Law Professor, James Earl Coleman, Jr., to head the committee to examine the lacrosse team's culture.[79] Dr. Coleman found that the team has exhibited "exemplary academic and athletic performance" and is "[n]either racist or sexist. On the contrary, the coach of the Duke Women's Lacrosse team has expressed her sense of camaraderie that exists between the men's and women's team; members of the men's team, for example, consistently come to the women's games. The current as well as former black members of the team have been extremely positive about the support the team provided them." Also in the report, while it was stated that the rates of alcohol abuse for the lacrosse team were higher than most other Duke athletic teams, "their conduct has not been different in character than the conduct of the typical Duke student who abuses alcohol."[79]

Since then, Coleman has been one of the most vocal critics of Nifong's handling of the case. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Coleman argued that he pandered to the black community in the middle of the election campaign: "I think that he pandered to the community by saying 'I'm gonna go out there and defend your interests in seeing that these hooligans who committed the crime are prosecuted. I'm not gonna let their fathers, with all of their money, buy, you know, big-time lawyers and get them off. I'm doing this for you.'"[80] Furthermore, Coleman stated that Nifong has committed serious prosecutorial misconduct, and if there was a conviction, there "would be a basis to have the conviction overturned based on his conduct."[80]

Professor Steven Baldwin of the chemistry department was another of the few faculty members to make public statements about the case. In two letters to the Duke Chronicle ("What About Mike Pressler?"[81] in April 2006 and "The Administration's Mismanagement of Lacrosse"[82] in October 2006), Dr. Baldwin strongly criticized the administration's handling of the case, especially with respect to Coach Mike Pressler.

References edit

  1. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". Transcripts.cnn.com. 2006-03-31. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  2. ^ "Why Would Accuser in Duke Rape Case Lie?". Fox News. 2006-04-23.
  3. ^ Kidd, Thomas S. (2010-05-21). . USA Today. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  4. ^ "Continuing to Defame the 'Duke 3' as Rapists". Fox News. 31 January 2007.
  5. ^ Cathy Young (2007-04-16). "Last Call for "Rape-Crisis" Feminism?". Reason.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  6. ^ Calabresi, Massimo (2007-02-07). . Time. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
  7. ^ Kurtz, Howard. "The Press, Turning Up Its Nose at Lame Duck". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  8. ^ . Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  9. ^ "A Feminist Flare Up". RealClearPolitics.com. 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  10. ^ a b c d e KC Johnson (2007-03-19). "Durham-in-Wonderland: March Madness, II". Durhamwonderland.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  11. ^ Billman, Jeffrey C. . Indyweek.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  12. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". Transcripts.cnn.com. 2006-06-09. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  13. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". Transcripts.cnn.com. 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  14. ^ a b Lacrosse files show gaps in DA's case 2006-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. The News & Observer. 6 August 2006.
  15. ^ Wilson, Duff and Glater, Jonathan D. Files from Duke Rape Case Give Details but no Answers 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times. 25 August 2006.
  16. ^ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  17. ^ Boston Globe editorial The Boston Globe. 13 April 2007.
  18. ^ KNBR radio interview with John Feinstein KNBR. 4 May 2007.
  19. ^ "CNN.com". CNN.
  20. ^ Continuing conflicts Washington Post. 26 May 2007.
  21. ^ Duke's lacrosse success nothing to cheer about. Chicago Tribune. 28 May 2007.
  22. ^ West, Elliott. Bennett President Scolds Duke Players, The Raleigh Chronicle, April 20, 2007.
  23. ^ In Search of Closure 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, Duke Chronicle. 13 April 2007.
  24. ^ "Photographic image" (JPG). Photos1.blogger.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  25. ^ "An Open Letter to the Duke Community". Concerned Duke Faculty. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  26. ^ . The News & Observer. 2007-01-17. Archived from the original on 2007-01-19. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  27. ^ (PDF). ABC News. 2007-04-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  28. ^ . ABC News. 2007-01-04. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  29. ^ . The News&Observer. 2007-05-12. Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  30. ^ Peter Applebome, "After Duke Prosecution Began to Collapse, Demonizing Continued", The New York Times, April 15, 2007.
  31. ^ "Rape allegations, media fallout rankle community - News". media.www.dukechronicle.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  32. ^ . TIME.com. 6 January 2007.
  33. ^ a b Duke women's lacrosse to wear 'innocent' sweatbands. Associated Press. 24 May 2006.
  34. ^ Duke women not innocent. Salon.com. 26 May 2006.
  35. ^ A rush to injustice in the Duke 'rape' case. The Boston Globe. 16 April 2007.
  36. ^ "Duke Students". Ethicaldurham.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  37. ^ Student's respond to dismissal, tumultuous year 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. The Chronicle. 12 April 2007.
  38. ^ Truth and Fairness 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine. Truth and Fairness. 21 April 2007.
  39. ^ Association for Truth and Fairness Applauds Dismissal of Duke Lacrosse Case. PRnewswire. 11 April 2007.
  40. ^ As lax legal fees rise, groups pitch in. 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine The Chronicle. 20 Feb 2007.
  41. ^ Duke returns to the field with 2 victories 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. The Chronicle. 26 Feb 2007.
  42. ^ a b c d Nifong cites attacker ID, says more tests pending in lacrosse case 2008-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. The News & Observer, April 11, 2007. Accessed on Feb 22, 2008.
  43. ^ Nifong cites attacker ID, says more tests pending in lacrosse case: Video 2008-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. The News & Observer, April 11, 2007. Accessed on Feb 22, 2008.
  44. ^ . Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  45. ^ . Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  46. ^ Defense of lacrosse team overlooked much 2008-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. The New & Observer, 3 Jun 2006. Accessed on 14 November 2007.
  47. ^ State Bar Files Ethics Complaint Against Mike Nifong. Wral.com, 29 Dec 2006. Accessed on 14 Nov 2007.
  48. ^ a b . www.naacpncnetwork.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  49. ^ Summary of Conclusions 2007-11-28 at the Wayback Machine. North Carolina Attorney General's Office, 27 April 2007. Accessed on 14 November 2007.
  50. ^ a b "Al Sharpton on the Duke Rape Arrests". Fox News. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  51. ^ a b c Jesse Jackson Says Organization Will Pay Alleged Rape Victim's Tuition. Wral.com, 15 April 2006.
  52. ^ Wilson, Duff (2007-04-13). "Charges in Duke Lacrosse Case Dropped Wednesday - The Tech". Tech.mit.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  53. ^ KC Johnson. "Durham-in-Wonderland". Durhamwonderland.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  54. ^ Stuart Taylor; KC Johnson. "Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  55. ^ Midnight Blogger Exposes a Scandal 2007-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, National Post 16 April 2007.
  56. ^ "Rape allegations cast pall at Duke", USA Today March 29, 2006
  57. ^ . Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  58. ^ a b . Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  59. ^ Lacrosse Publicity 'Unwished' For Duke, Durham, Brodhead Says. WRAL Raleigh Durham Fayetteville TV, April 20, 2006
  60. ^ a b Criticism directed at Nifong and Duke 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine. The News & Observer. 20 December 2006.
  61. ^ 60 Minutes Interview with President Brodhead 2010-07-26 at the Wayback Machine. Duke News & Communication. 13 December 2006.
  62. ^ Statement by President Richard H. Brodhead on Duke Men’s Lacrosse Team 2006-12-07 at the Wayback Machine. Duke News & Communications. 25 March 2006.
  63. ^ Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case. Wral.com. 22 December 2006.
  64. ^ Duke Invites Lacrosse Defendants to Return. WRAL.com. 3 January 2007.
  65. ^ . duke University. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  66. ^ a b c Duke Suspends Men's Lacrosse Games Pending Clearer Resolution of Legal Situation 2007-07-11 at the Wayback Machine. Duke News & Communications, March 28, 2006. Accessed on 8 July 2007.
  67. ^ Lacrosse Responses: A Few Key Points 2007-09-09 at the Wayback Machine. Duke Alumni Association. Accessed on 2 January 2007.
  68. ^ Letter to the Community from President Brodhead 2007-07-02 at the Wayback Machine. Duke News & Communication. 5 April 2006.
  69. ^ "Campus Culture Initiative". Retrieved February 26, 2009.[dead link]
  70. ^ . May 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  71. ^ [1][dead link]
  72. ^ "Ekstrand Lawsuit Cliffs Notes: Duke's Treatment of Ryan McFadyen". Ekstrandlawsuit.blogspot.com. 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  73. ^ Students and administration say Bar made right move 2007-08-23 at the Wayback Machine. The Chronicle, June 21, 2007. Accessed on 8 July 2007.
  74. ^ Beard, Aaron (2007-09-29). "Duke President Brodhead apologizes to lacrosse players, families". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-09-29.[dead link]
  75. ^ "Presumed guilty". The Economist. 13 September 2007.
  76. ^ Five prominent African American literature scholars to move to Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt News Service. 25 May 2006.
  77. ^ . Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  78. ^ a b Provost Responds to Faculty Letter Regarding Lacrosse 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine. Duke News & Communication, 3 April 2006. Contains full text of Baker and Lange letters.
  79. ^ a b Report of the Lacrosse ad hoc Review Committee 2007-07-02 at the Wayback Machine. Duke University News & Communications. 5 April 2006.
  80. ^ a b Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out. 60 Minutes. 15 October 2006.
  81. ^ . Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  82. ^ . Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2012.

External links edit

  • Coverage and commentary by KC Johnson, a Professor of History at Brooklyn College
  • American Journalism Review's look at the media coverage
  • Stuart Taylor's critique of New York Times coverage
  • CBS 60 Minutes' segment "Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out"
  • Indictments (North Carolina v. Finnerty, Seligmann) FindLaw
  • Dorm Room Search Warrants FindLaw
  • NPR: Duke Lacrosse Players Arrested on Rape Charges
  • Actual McFadyen email from The Smoking Gun
  • Analysis of evidence, media coverage, and prosecutorial misconduct, by William L. Anderson of LewRockwell.com
  • Newsweek article after the incident
  • Economist article

March 17, 2024
reactions, duke, lacrosse, case, 2006, duke, university, lacrosse, case, resulted, great, deal, coverage, local, national, media, well, widespread, community, response, duke, durham, north, carolina, area, balcony, jersey, displaying, signs, pleading, players,. The 2006 Duke University lacrosse case resulted in a great deal of coverage in the local and national media as well as a widespread community response at Duke and in the Durham North Carolina area A balcony in New Jersey displaying signs pleading the players innocence Contents 1 Media coverage 1 1 Initial coverage March April 2006 1 2 The case continues May October 2006 1 3 The case deteriorates November 2006 May 2007 2 Response 2 1 Duke faculty groups 2 2 Student groups and independent organizations 2 3 North Carolina Central University forum 2 4 NAACP and civil rights activists 2 5 Bloggers 2 6 Wanted poster distribution 2 7 Duke administration and University president 2 8 Other Duke faculty 3 References 4 External linksMedia coverage editInitial coverage March April 2006 edit The case attracted widespread media attention almost from the moment it became public The apparent circumstances three white males David Evans Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty from privileged backgrounds at an elite university apparently taking advantage of a student and single mother Crystal Gail Mangum from a crosstown black college NCCU trying to make ends meet by working as a stripper and escort seemed tailor made for wall to wall coverage However once the case deteriorated critics saw it as a stinging showcase of bias in the media and the university system Among those giving extensive coverage to the matter was Nancy Grace Before Duke suspended its men s lacrosse team s season she sarcastically noted on the air I m so glad they didn t miss a lacrosse game over a little thing like gang rape and Why would you go to a cop in an alleged gang rape case say and lie and give misleading information 1 Another Susan Estrich said I teach criminal law But what are we dealing with here The mafia or a sports team from a first class university Instead they hire them lawyers to trash the victim and the prosecutor 2 Former prosecutor Wendy Murphy supplied the case with some of the most inflammatory claims and supported the withholding of evidence by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong saying Nifong should be rewarded for respecting the defendants rights by not leaking the type of evidence that could help him personally respond to criticism 3 Murphy said I never ever met a false rape claim by the way My own statistics speak to the truth 4 Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte declared on her blog that people who defended the wrongly accused Duke students were rape loving scum 5 Time reported that in late January more ethics charges were heaped on the District Attorney in the Duke University sexual assault case and Marcotte attacked the news with her usual swagger and sarcasm 6 In the meantime I ve been sort of casually listening to CNN blaring throughout the waiting area and good fucking god is that channel pure evil For awhile sic I had to listen to how the poor dear lacrosse players at Duke are being persecuted just because they held someone down and fucked her against her will not rape of course because the charges have been thrown out Can t a few white boys sexually assault a black woman anymore without people getting all wound up about it So unfair 7 8 Marcotte later deleted posts on her blog critical of her statements then later deleted the entire entry Reason contributing editor Cathy Young has described Marcotte as a leader of the cyber lynch mob in the Duke University rape hoax In Marcotte s eyes the real crime of the independent feminists is helping preserve the idea that the presumption of innocence applies even in cases of rape and sexual assault 9 Other outlets that have been accused of taking an initial pro prosecution slants included but are not limited to USA Today 10 The Herald Sun 10 Rolling Stone 10 New York Times 10 News and Observer 10 Independent Weekly wrote articles affirming the stereotypes of affluence with respect to the three accused The only position cited was the description of the players characters by faculty member Peter Wood 11 The case continues May October 2006 edit Grace continued to feature developments in the case on her program with a pro prosecution slant On June 9 2006 after hearing reporting on various defense motions which the CNN reporter indicated might already prove reasonable doubt Grace sarcastically asked Well I m glad you have already decided the outcome of the case based on all of the defense filings Why don t we just all move to Nazi Germany where we don t have a justice system and a jury of one s peers 12 On June 22 2006 she featured Sports Illustrated writer Lester Munson who opined I think the state has probably a better case than most observers are describing I have studied this at some length There is some voracity sic to the victim s account 13 On August 6 2006 The News amp Observer of Raleigh North Carolina wrote that District Attorney Mike Nifong promised DNA evidence that has not materialized He suggested that police conduct lineups in a way that conflicted with department policy 14 The article went on to say that he made a series of factual assertions that contradicted his own files He suggested the players used condoms he accused the players of erecting a wall of silence to thwart investigators and he said the woman had been hit kicked and strangled The medical and police records show that the victim had said no condom was used that police had interviewed three players at length and taken their DNA samples and that the accuser showed no significant bruises or injuries 14 On August 25 2006 amid growing doubts as to the strength of the case and the veracity of Mangum The New York Times published a front page article by Duff Wilson and Jonathan Glater stating that the weaknesses in the case highlighted by the defense were not indicative of the strength of the case as a whole In several important areas the full files reviewed by The New York Times contain evidence stronger than that highlighted by the defense The Times story further indicated that there is also a body of evidence to support Nifong s decision to take the matter to a jury 15 This article would be widely criticized as the actual lack of strength of Nifong s case became apparent In spite of widespread criticism the newspaper s public editor defended Wilson and he was permitted to remain on the case through Nifong s disbarment trial citation needed The case deteriorates November 2006 May 2007 edit After many inflammatory comments about the defendants Nancy Grace s show covered the dismissal of charges on the day of the announcement but with a substitute host Undaunted by the lack of DNA evidence CNN s Paula Zahn insisted that the DA would not be proceeding with this case if he didn t believe that this alleged victim had been raped She also demanded explanations How then sir defense attorney Joe Cheshire do you explain the woman s injuries particularly some of the internal injuries 16 Perhaps the most grudging admission of exoneration came from The Boston Globe which stated in a lead editorial Three members of the Duke lacrosse team may have been louts but all the evidence suggests they were not rapists the students have the resources to get on with their lives 17 Similarly grudging was sportswriter John Feinstein who stated on the syndicated sports talk show The Jim Rome Show in May 2007 I think they re guilty of everything but rape and I really don t want to hear that they re victims and martyrs and that their lives have been ruined Feinstein who in March 2006 had demanded the revocation of the scholarships of every Duke men s lacrosse team member and who against the findings of the Coleman report continued to describe the team as out of control added I don t think I ve been proven wrong 18 Nancy Grace who had been particularly vocal in her support for Nifong s prosecution took the night off for the show following the attorney general s dismissal of all charges with Jane Velez Mitchell guest hosting instead 19 While the march of the 2007 Duke men s team to the NCAA final game generally received extensive and favorable coverage a number of sportswriters published negative stories about the team Washington Post columnist Mike Wise wrote I t s hard to embrace everyone as a victim With all due respect to those INNOCENT bracelets worn around Durham this year this isn t To Kill a Mockingbird II 20 Chicago Tribune columnist Philip Hersh commented The idea that the Duke lacrosse team s success is a feel good story makes me ill it would be a bigger mistake to believe the dropping of charges means Duke s lacrosse team was innocent of assault against common decency 21 After proclamations by the North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper that the three students were innocent in April USA Today columnist and incoming Bennett College President Dr Julianne Malveaux commented in an interview on National Public Radio a few days later that they were hooligans had lied and that they did not deserve an apology 22 The Duke Chronicle noted the closing of the case and stated There are other members of the Duke community however from whom we have not heard These are the voices of the range of individuals from students to professors to community members who responded to last year s allegations not with moderation but with extreme inflammatory and unfounded statements 23 Response editDuke faculty groups edit Main article Group of 88 Soon after the allegations were made 88 Duke professors referred to sometimes as the Group of 88 sometimes referred to as the Gang of 88 from the Trinity College of Arts amp Sciences placed an ad in The Chronicle referring to the circumstances surrounding the allegations as a social disaster and quoting primarily anonymous individuals citing racism and sexism in the Duke community The advertisement concluded We re turning up the volume To the students speaking individually and to the protestors making collective noise thank you for not waiting and for making yourselves heard and These are the students shouting and whispering about what happened to this young woman 24 Notable signatories included Houston Baker Miriam Cooke Anne Allison Cathy Davidson Ariel Dorfman Michael Hardt Alice Kaplan Claudia Koonz Pedro Lasch Walter Mignolo Mark Anthony Neal and Alex Rosenberg The ad was spearheaded by faculty member Wahneema Lubiano In three departments more than half of faculty signed the statement The department with the highest proportion of signatories was African and African American Studies with 80 Just over 72 of the Women s Studies faculty signed the statement Cultural Anthropology 60 Romance studies 44 8 Literature 41 7 English 32 2 Art amp Art History 30 7 and History 25 No faculty members from the Pratt School of Engineering or full time law professors signed the document Departments that had no faculty members sign the document include Biological Anthropology and Anatomy Biology Chemistry Computer Science Economics Genetics Germanic Languages Literature Psychology and Neuroscience Religion and Slavic and Eurasian Studies In January 2007 many months after the initial print of the ad a new letter was posted at the Concerned Duke Faculty website signed by 87 faculty members stating that the original ad was misinterpreted 25 The letter states that the intent of the original ad was to address issues of racism and sexism in the community and not to prejudge the case 26 In January 2007 lacrosse team member Kyle Dowd filed a lawsuit against Duke University and visiting associate professor and signatory to the original ad Kim Curtis claiming that he and another teammate were given failing grades on their final paper as a form of retaliation after the scandal broke 27 28 The case has been settled with the terms undisclosed except that Dowd s grade was altered to a P 29 Dowd s mother emailed another original signatory Houston Baker who continued after the charges had been dropped to accuse her son and the others of being hooligans rapists and called her the mother of a farm animal 30 Another signatory Thavolia Glymph said she was disappointed because since the DNA results were returned Monday we have been moving backwards 31 The DNA results indicated that there was neither any sexual nor physical connection between the stripper and the players she accused Seventeen faculty members of the economics department sent a letter showing support for the players on January 6 2007 saying We regret that the Duke faculty is now seen as prejudiced against certain of its own students and telling the players that they are more than welcome to enroll in their courses 32 Student groups and independent organizations edit Many students showed their support for the lacrosse team during the investigation in a variety of ways The Duke women s lacrosse team chose to wear Innocent sweatbands with the accused players numbers during their games in the 2006 NCAA Final Four 33 We want to win a national championship for ourselves but definitely also for the university and the men s team one team member explained They don t really have a chance to play their season which is a shame 33 The women came under fire from many in the media Kevin Sweeney of Salon argued that their actions will make it more difficult for rape victims to speak out in the future while New York Times sports columnist Harvey Araton stated that their cross team friendship made them lose common sense 34 35 Another group of students Duke Students for an Ethical Durham sought to encourage students to vote in the upcoming election as Durham residents 36 It was specifically created in response to Nifong s mishandling of the case 37 Nifong ended up winning the election The Association for Truth and Fairness ATAF seeks to raise money to defray some of the indicted players legal fees 38 ATAF a non profit organization will continue to help victims of abuses of power and other prosecutorial injustices 39 Wristbands saying Duke Lacrosse 2006 INNOCENT 6 13 45 were also sold to raise money for the cause 40 An outpouring of support came at the beginning of the 2007 lacrosse season For the season opener 6 485 fans attended the game to cheer the Blue Devils on their way to a 17 11 victory over Dartmouth 41 North Carolina Central University forum edit The day after DNA results came back negative Nifong and other city officials such as Durham Mayor Bill Bell spoke at a community forum on April 12 2006 on violence against women at N C Central where the accuser was a student 42 The crowd predominantly African American criticized the media for portraying the accuser as a stripper and escort instead of a mother and student 42 One questioner said that Duke University hospital must have tampered with the DNA sample for it to come back negative while another suggested that the accuser ought to have been helicoptered to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for treatment since Duke had a conflict of interest 43 One NCCU student Chan Hall as quoted by Newsweek 44 stated It s the same old story Duke up Central down He continued that he wanted to see the Duke students prosecuted whether it happened or not It would be justice for things that happened in the past 45 NCCU Chancellor James H Ammons Jr said that t his incident has forced us to examine issues relevant to any campus environment sexism racism and the need to educate our students about sexual assault and violence against women 42 At the same time he urged the crowd to be patient and let the legal process take its course 42 NAACP and civil rights activists edit The NAACP urged for a thorough investigation of the facts and a trial with a jury before the public formed an opinion on the case North Carolina NAACP Legal Redress Chair Al McSurely explained that The NAACP stands for fair play for all parties zealous investigation and deep concern for the survivors of racist sexist attacks 46 At the same time some have criticized the NAACP for making statements that portrayed the players as racist despite evidence to the contrary using the case to promote the group s cause and implying guilt McSurely stated that w ithin five minutes the men threatened the women with racial and misogynist verbal assaults despite evidence to the contrary He continued that the lacrosse players were caught with their macho entitlement views hanging out and to save themselves they have banned sic together to blame the survivor of their verbal assaults After Nifong dropped the rape charges against the three players in December 2006 the NAACP s case monitor and NCCU law professor Irving Joyner stated that the drop of rape charges could help Nifong s case Now they don t have to establish that there was penetration committed against the accuser In addition to that now they don t have to deal with the DNA or the lack of DNA evidence And with the rape shield statute it s unlikely that information will even come before the jury to consider 47 On the official state NAACP s website an 82 point Crimes and Torts committed by Duke Lacrosse Team Players memo was listed long after the charges were dropped and the players were declared innocent 48 Included in the memorandum was an assessment of the defendants strategy to have the charges dropped The three defendants they have two mountains to climb First they must deflect public attention from their boorish racist and illegal behavior by mounting outlandish attacks on the survivor and the D A Second they must deal with a mountain of physical evidence that is corroborated by we have reason to believe accounts of some of the men who were at the party who have cooperated with the police and the D A from early on 48 North Carolina Attorney General Roy A Cooper refuted these facts in the summary of findings report It stated that no evidence corroborate d the accusing witness s versions of the events No DNA evidence confirmed her stories No medical evidence confirmed her stories No other witness confirmed her stories The accusing witness s accounts of the story changed significantly 49 In April 2006 civil rights activist Al Sharpton was invited on Fox s The O Reilly Factor to discuss the case 50 Sharpton began the interview by commending the blacks and whites who stood vigil and to come together in that community to stand up for this girl In response to Bill O Reilly s questions concerning the possibility that the woman might have fabricated the allegations Sharpton said First of all the authorities have charged there was a crime When the prosecutors went forward they clearly have said this girl is the victim so why would we be trying the victim When O Reilly mentioned recent news reports that DNA testing had failed to match any of the defendants Sharpton said I think that all of the facts that you have laid out the DA had and I know this DA is probably not one that is crazy He would not have proceeded if he did not feel that he could convict Sharpton continued that the case parallels Abner Louima who was raped and sodomized in a bathroom At the conclusion of the interview when O Reilly said that Sharpton didn t know what happened Sharpton agreed I don t know yet and I think that the proper thing to do is to support those that want justice 50 On April 15 2006 civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said that his non profit Rainbow Push Coalition organization would pay for the college tuition of the accuser Mangum whether she fabricated the story or not 51 Jackson said that she should never have to stoop that low to survive He continued that the fantasy s as old as slave masters impregnating young slave girls The character of this thing is chilling and s omething happened that everybody s ashamed of 51 Defense attorney Joe Cheshire found Jackson s comment about slave masters odd because the players did not ask for black strippers There is no slave master mentality here and that s just another perfect example of self absorbed race pandering Cheshire stated 51 After all charges were dropped on April 13 2007 the North Carolina NAACP praised the state attorney general s investigation into Mangum s claims that had found them to be without merit 52 Bloggers edit The case received extensive coverage on blogs One blog which supported the three students was Durham in Wonderland authored by Brooklyn College history professor KC Johnson 53 Johnson also co authored a book on the case with journalist Stuart Taylor entitled Until Proven Innocent Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case 54 The players lawyers stated that they used the blog as a resource throughout the case and Seligmann made a point of thanking Johnson in his statement following the dismissal of charges 55 Wanted poster distribution edit A poster that looked like a wanted poster was distributed on campus and in nearby neighborhoods shortly after the allegations surfaced in March 2006 showing pictures and names of 40 members of the lacrosse team urging them to come forward with information on the alleged rape 56 Duke administration and University president edit During the initial investigation of the players by Durham police Dean Sue Wasiolek advised the players to cooperate with police and tell the truth not tell anybody about the charges nor hire attorneys because she thought nothing would come of it 57 Wasiolek is one of the defendants named in the Ekstrand lawsuit Chris Kennedy senior associate athletic director told the captains to contact their parents immediately and to hire attorneys shortly after on March 17 Moneta and Brodhead placed Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty on interim suspension for the Spring 2006 semester following their indictment while David Evans graduated the day before he was indicted 58 In the fall of 2006 their status was modified to administrative leave to allow them to make academic progress while not at the university Richard H Brodhead president of Duke University was quoted by WRAL TV as saying to the Durham Chamber of Commerce on April 20 2006 If our students did what is alleged it is appalling to the worst degree If they didn t do it whatever they did is bad enough 59 At the same time Brodhead repeatedly stated that our students must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise 60 61 with his earliest citation on March 25 2006 62 On December 20 2006 Brodhead stated that the DA s case will be on trial just as much as our students will be 60 Two days later Nifong dropped the most serious rape charges against the players Brodhead released a statement calling for Nifong to recuse himself and questioned his actions Given the certainty with which the district attorney made his many public statements regarding the rape allegation his decision today to drop that charge must call into question the validity of the remaining charges The district attorney should now put this case in the hands of an independent party who can restore confidence in the fairness of the process Further Mr Nifong has an obligation to explain to all of us his conduct in this matter 63 On January 3 2007 Brodhead invited Seligmann and Finnerty back to Duke as students in good standing even though they still faced charges 64 They were also welcomed to participate on the lacrosse team Brodhead explained We have decided that the right and fair thing to do is to welcome back Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty to resume their studies at Duke for the spring semester Although the students still face serious charges and larger issues require Duke s collective attention the circumstances in this case have changed substantially and it is appropriate that the students have an opportunity to continue their education 58 Both declined Instead Seligmann decided to enroll at Brown University while Finnerty chose to attend Loyola College in Maryland Brodhead in an interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes stated that Duke has a rule and many many many other universities observe the same rule which is that when a student is indicted for a crime that has an element of violence we often separate the student from the university because you don t know at that time what harm might be done either in the community or to the student It isn t a judgment of guilt It isn t a disciplinary measure And what we ve done is to use the interim to try to understand the nature of the case better Weighing a lot of things the presumption of innocence the nature of the charges the need of the students to get on with their life Once the facts took the turn they did in December then we had to rebalance those things Then at that point it just seemed to us that simple fairness meant that we had to allow the students to come back 65 In regards to the team s season Duke athletic director Joe Alleva decided to forfeit two games due to admitted behaviors such as underage drinking and hiring private party dancers 66 67 According to Brodhead the team s players then wished to suspend competitive play until the DNA results come back 66 Brodhead then decided to suspend the remainder of the season until there was a clearer resolution of the legal situation 66 In an open letter to the public Brodhead outlined his formation of committees to examine the lacrosse team the administration s response to the incident the student judicial process campus culture and a presidential council 68 The committees have been criticized by some observers including KC Johnson former student president Elliott Wolf offered a seat in the Campus Culture Initiative 69 and the Chronicle since it was chaired by several Group of 88 members such as Anne Allison Karla FC Halloway and lacrosse critics Prasad Kasibhatla and Peter Wood Among the conclusions of the group chaired committees was shared governance of athletics by faculty members 70 and required classes for students by group members 71 Also the student senate representative was Chauncey Nartey a student who Sue Pressler had previously reported to the police because he had made death threats to Mike Pressler s family 72 After Nifong s resignation and disbarment Brodhead released a statement One fact stares us in the face The ordeal of the last 15 months was wholly unnecessary It was not the result of reasonable differences of legal opinion or honest errors of judgment Our students were accused by the community s senior law enforcement officer with no credible basis in fact The actions Duke took caused consternation to many in the University family which I profoundly regret As Duke University s president I resolve to do my part to repair the harm unleashed by Mr Nifong s actions and to move forward from this painful episode 73 Later Brodhead apologized to the lacrosse players and their families for the university s failure to reach out in a time of extraordinary peril 74 Brodhead s actions generated criticism from opinion pieces in the media For example Newsweek published an article on September 10 2007 that argued that Brodhead and Nifong the DA in the case had an almost willful disregard for the facts An article in The Economist on September 15 2007 stated that Brodhead did little if anything to defend the lacrosse players or to criticise the faculty at Duke for its lynching mob mentality 75 Stuart Taylor Jr and KC Johnson argue President Brodhead and other administrators portray ed them the students with grotesque exaggeration as a bunch of uncooperative rowdy drunken white racists who might well be rapists too Nifong hoping to divert attention from the powerful proof of innocence in the soon to be public DNA tests that exculpated the students could hardly have hoped for a more obliging helper than Richard Brodhead Other Duke faculty edit Duke English Professor Houston Baker now former professor as he was hired as a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University in May 2006 76 77 wrote a scathing letter on March 29 2006 regarding the lacrosse team and the administration s response to the incident asking w hat have Duke and its leadership done to address this horrific racist incident alleged to have occurred and asserting we have been deeply embarrassed by the silence that seems to surround this white male athletic team s racist assaults by words certainly deeds possibly in our community 78 Baker also wrote that the players were safe under the cover of silent whiteness and these y oung white violent drunken men among us are implicitly boasted sic by our athletic directors and administrators He said Duke has joined other colleges and universities in the blind eying of male athletes veritably given license to rape maraud deploy hate speech and feel proud of themselves in the bargain He also explicitly stated that the lacrosse players displayed abhorrent sexual assault verbal racial violence and drunken white male privilege loosed amongst us Duke University Provost Peter Lange responded I cannot tell you how disappointed saddened and appalled I was to receive this letter from you A form of prejudice one felt so often by minorities whether they be African American Jewish or other is the act of prejudgment to presume that one knows something must have been done by or done to someone because of his or her race religion or other characteristic He continued We do not know much about the worst of what may have happened in the incident that has inflamed our community and concluded Sadly letters like yours do little to advance our common cause 78 Brodhead appointed Duke Law Professor James Earl Coleman Jr to head the committee to examine the lacrosse team s culture 79 Dr Coleman found that the team has exhibited exemplary academic and athletic performance and is n either racist or sexist On the contrary the coach of the Duke Women s Lacrosse team has expressed her sense of camaraderie that exists between the men s and women s team members of the men s team for example consistently come to the women s games The current as well as former black members of the team have been extremely positive about the support the team provided them Also in the report while it was stated that the rates of alcohol abuse for the lacrosse team were higher than most other Duke athletic teams their conduct has not been different in character than the conduct of the typical Duke student who abuses alcohol 79 Since then Coleman has been one of the most vocal critics of Nifong s handling of the case In an interview with 60 Minutes Coleman argued that he pandered to the black community in the middle of the election campaign I think that he pandered to the community by saying I m gonna go out there and defend your interests in seeing that these hooligans who committed the crime are prosecuted I m not gonna let their fathers with all of their money buy you know big time lawyers and get them off I m doing this for you 80 Furthermore Coleman stated that Nifong has committed serious prosecutorial misconduct and if there was a conviction there would be a basis to have the conviction overturned based on his conduct 80 Professor Steven Baldwin of the chemistry department was another of the few faculty members to make public statements about the case In two letters to the Duke Chronicle What About Mike Pressler 81 in April 2006 and The Administration s Mismanagement of Lacrosse 82 in October 2006 Dr Baldwin strongly criticized the administration s handling of the case especially with respect to Coach Mike Pressler References edit CNN com Transcripts Transcripts cnn com 2006 03 31 Retrieved 2016 02 03 Why Would Accuser in Duke Rape Case Lie Fox News 2006 04 23 Kidd Thomas S 2010 05 21 Dead USA Today Archived from the original on July 18 2008 Retrieved 2010 05 22 Continuing to Defame the Duke 3 as Rapists Fox News 31 January 2007 Cathy Young 2007 04 16 Last Call for Rape Crisis Feminism Reason com Retrieved 2016 02 03 Calabresi Massimo 2007 02 07 Bloggers on the Bus Time Archived from the original on March 28 2012 Kurtz Howard The Press Turning Up Its Nose at Lame Duck The Washington Post Retrieved 2010 05 22 Amanda Marcotte s Duke lacrosse rape post Archived from the original on July 24 2011 Retrieved August 3 2011 A Feminist Flare Up RealClearPolitics com 2014 11 14 Retrieved 2016 02 03 a b c d e KC Johnson 2007 03 19 Durham in Wonderland March Madness II Durhamwonderland blogspot com Retrieved 2016 02 03 Billman Jeffrey C Sympathy for the Devils News Feature Indyweek com Archived from the original on 2016 02 04 Retrieved 2016 02 03 CNN com Transcripts Transcripts cnn com 2006 06 09 Retrieved 2016 02 03 CNN com Transcripts Transcripts cnn com 2006 06 22 Retrieved 2016 02 03 a b Lacrosse files show gaps in DA s case Archived 2006 09 28 at the Wayback Machine The News amp Observer 6 August 2006 Wilson Duff and Glater Jonathan D Files from Duke Rape Case Give Details but no Answers Archived 2007 06 29 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times 25 August 2006 CNN com CNN Retrieved 2010 05 22 Boston Globe editorial The Boston Globe 13 April 2007 KNBR radio interview with John Feinstein KNBR 4 May 2007 CNN com CNN Continuing conflicts Washington Post 26 May 2007 Duke s lacrosse success nothing to cheer about Chicago Tribune 28 May 2007 West Elliott Bennett President Scolds Duke Players The Raleigh Chronicle April 20 2007 In Search of Closure Archived 2007 09 29 at the Wayback Machine Duke Chronicle 13 April 2007 Photographic image JPG Photos1 blogger com Retrieved 2016 02 03 An Open Letter to the Duke Community Concerned Duke Faculty Retrieved 2007 01 17 Duke post seeks to defuse 88 ad The News amp Observer 2007 01 17 Archived from the original on 2007 01 19 Retrieved 2007 01 17 Duke Civil Lawsuit PDF ABC News 2007 04 11 Archived from the original PDF on 2007 06 20 Retrieved 2007 04 11 LAX Player Files Lawsuit Against Duke University ABC News 2007 01 04 Archived from the original on 2012 11 07 Retrieved 2007 01 14 Faculty revisits case Nifong The News amp Observer 2007 05 12 Archived from the original on 2007 09 22 Retrieved 2007 05 12 Peter Applebome After Duke Prosecution Began to Collapse Demonizing Continued The New York Times April 15 2007 Rape allegations media fallout rankle community News media www dukechronicle com Archived from the original on 11 June 2007 Retrieved 3 February 2022 Teacher Support for the Duke Players TIME com 6 January 2007 a b Duke women s lacrosse to wear innocent sweatbands Associated Press 24 May 2006 Duke women not innocent Salon com 26 May 2006 A rush to injustice in the Duke rape case The Boston Globe 16 April 2007 Duke Students Ethicaldurham com Retrieved 2016 02 03 Student s respond to dismissal tumultuous year Archived 2007 08 08 at the Wayback Machine The Chronicle 12 April 2007 Truth and Fairness Archived 2007 08 09 at the Wayback Machine Truth and Fairness 21 April 2007 Association for Truth and Fairness Applauds Dismissal of Duke Lacrosse Case PRnewswire 11 April 2007 As lax legal fees rise groups pitch in Archived 2007 09 29 at the Wayback Machine The Chronicle 20 Feb 2007 Duke returns to the field with 2 victories Archived 2007 09 26 at the Wayback Machine The Chronicle 26 Feb 2007 a b c d Nifong cites attacker ID says more tests pending in lacrosse case Archived 2008 06 08 at the Wayback Machine The News amp Observer April 11 2007 Accessed on Feb 22 2008 Nifong cites attacker ID says more tests pending in lacrosse case Video Archived 2008 06 08 at the Wayback Machine The News amp Observer April 11 2007 Accessed on Feb 22 2008 What Happened at Duke Newsweek Archived from the original on October 8 2012 Retrieved April 2 2010 What Happened at Duke Archived from the original on May 14 2007 Retrieved February 23 2008 Defense of lacrosse team overlooked much Archived 2008 06 08 at the Wayback Machine The New amp Observer 3 Jun 2006 Accessed on 14 November 2007 State Bar Files Ethics Complaint Against Mike Nifong Wral com 29 Dec 2006 Accessed on 14 Nov 2007 a b NC State NAACP on the Move Rev Dr William J Barber II President www naacpncnetwork org Archived from the original on 1 January 2006 Retrieved 17 January 2022 Summary of Conclusions Archived 2007 11 28 at the Wayback Machine North Carolina Attorney General s Office 27 April 2007 Accessed on 14 November 2007 a b Al Sharpton on the Duke Rape Arrests Fox News Retrieved 2016 02 03 a b c Jesse Jackson Says Organization Will Pay Alleged Rape Victim s Tuition Wral com 15 April 2006 Wilson Duff 2007 04 13 Charges in Duke Lacrosse Case Dropped Wednesday The Tech Tech mit edu Retrieved 2016 02 03 KC Johnson Durham in Wonderland Durhamwonderland blogspot com Retrieved 2016 02 03 Stuart Taylor KC Johnson Until Proven Innocent Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case Amazon com Retrieved 2016 02 03 Midnight Blogger Exposes a Scandal Archived 2007 07 11 at the Wayback Machine National Post 16 April 2007 Rape allegations cast pall at Duke USA Today March 29 2006 Presumed Guilty Reader s Digest Archived from the original on April 21 2009 Retrieved February 17 2009 a b Duke University Jan 3 News Release Archived from the original on July 11 2007 Retrieved July 25 2007 Lacrosse Publicity Unwished For Duke Durham Brodhead Says WRAL Raleigh Durham Fayetteville TV April 20 2006 a b Criticism directed at Nifong and Duke Archived 2007 06 30 at the Wayback Machine The News amp Observer 20 December 2006 60 Minutes Interview with President Brodhead Archived 2010 07 26 at the Wayback Machine Duke News amp Communication 13 December 2006 Statement by President Richard H Brodhead on Duke Men s Lacrosse Team Archived 2006 12 07 at the Wayback Machine Duke News amp Communications 25 March 2006 Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case Wral com 22 December 2006 Duke Invites Lacrosse Defendants to Return WRAL com 3 January 2007 President Brodhead s Second Interview with 60 Minutes duke University January 18 2007 Archived from the original on July 7 2007 Retrieved July 25 2007 a b c Duke Suspends Men s Lacrosse Games Pending Clearer Resolution of Legal Situation Archived 2007 07 11 at the Wayback Machine Duke News amp Communications March 28 2006 Accessed on 8 July 2007 Lacrosse Responses A Few Key Points Archived 2007 09 09 at the Wayback Machine Duke Alumni Association Accessed on 2 January 2007 Letter to the Community from President Brodhead Archived 2007 07 02 at the Wayback Machine Duke News amp Communication 5 April 2006 Campus Culture Initiative Retrieved February 26 2009 dead link Committees Report on Lacrosse Team Behavior Student Judicial Processes May 1 2006 Archived from the original on August 21 2008 Retrieved February 26 2009 1 dead link Ekstrand Lawsuit Cliffs Notes Duke s Treatment of Ryan McFadyen Ekstrandlawsuit blogspot com 2008 01 15 Retrieved 2016 02 03 Students and administration say Bar made right move Archived 2007 08 23 at the Wayback Machine The Chronicle June 21 2007 Accessed on 8 July 2007 Beard Aaron 2007 09 29 Duke President Brodhead apologizes to lacrosse players families Associated Press Retrieved 2007 09 29 dead link Presumed guilty The Economist 13 September 2007 Five prominent African American literature scholars to move to Vanderbilt Vanderbilt News Service 25 May 2006 Houston A Baker Archived from the original on June 23 2008 Retrieved January 10 2009 a b Provost Responds to Faculty Letter Regarding Lacrosse Archived 2007 12 24 at the Wayback Machine Duke News amp Communication 3 April 2006 Contains full text of Baker and Lange letters a b Report of the Lacrosse ad hoc Review Committee Archived 2007 07 02 at the Wayback Machine Duke University News amp Communications 5 April 2006 a b Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out 60 Minutes 15 October 2006 What About Mike Pressler Archived from the original on March 1 2013 Retrieved June 5 2011 The Administration s Mismanagement of Lacrosse Archived from the original on March 2 2013 Retrieved July 26 2012 External links editCoverage and commentary by KC Johnson a Professor of History at Brooklyn College American Journalism Review s look at the media coverage Stuart Taylor s critique of New York Times coverage CBS 60 Minutes segment Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out Duke Rape Scandal Photo Gallery Indictments North Carolina v Finnerty Seligmann FindLaw Dorm Room Search Warrants FindLaw NPR Duke Lacrosse Players Arrested on Rape Charges State Bar Complaint against Mike Nifong Collected stories from The Raleigh N C News amp Observer Actual McFadyen email from The Smoking Gun Viewing the case in a larger jurisprudential context Analysis of evidence media coverage and prosecutorial misconduct by William L Anderson of LewRockwell com Newsweek article after the incident Economist article Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Reactions to the Duke lacrosse case amp oldid 1205956403, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.