<p>“poetsheart - I have to ask - don’t you think “there are still probably plenty of people who believe (if this case was ever even on their radar), or at least suspect, that (they were typical rich white helmeted jocks) (like so many of “(their) kind”) who did something to put (themselves) in the position to be treated the way (they were).”?”</p>
<p>If this case was ever even on their radar? I’ll assume you were being serious when you asked that question, so I’ll respond. The Duke lacrosse case was literally front page news, regularly featured on the nightly news for months, not only when much of the nation was horrified by the notion of what they thought might have happened, but even as daily, more and more evidence emerged to show that certain of accused weren’t even on the premises when the supposed attack occurred. Sure, there are some people who pay precious little attention to major national news events, but I believe that your average American would have fairly easily known about the evolving particulars of this case, as the nightly news outlets didn’t hesitate to report them as they came in. And they’ve been coming in for more than a year. By now, there are probably few people who don’t know that the case brought against the three became flimsier and flimsier as more and more of the facts came in, that even the most vocally outraged within the “black community” (the New Black Panther Party:rolleyes:, Al Sharpton:rolleyes:, etc.), had gone strangely silent (no acknowledgment of the new developments, no apologies for rushing to judgment, true—but silent nonetheless), that the accuser was of “questionable psychological soundness”, having made similar unproven allegations in the past, that, practically speaking, the DNA tests exonerated the boys, but DID point to the sexual promiscuity of the accuser, that Mike Nifong’s corrupt handling of the case was receiving more and more scrutiny and expressed outrage, that the City of Durham had finally stepped in to address the problem, and that ultimately, The State Attorney General had taken the unprecedented step of declaring Seligmann, Finnerty, and Evans, INNOCENT of all charges, and issuing a formal apology, that Michael Nifong had been disbarred, then arrested, then sentenced to jail for his egregious (yes, that’s one of my pet words;)) abuse of power. The story might not have been an obsession in the mind of most Americans, as it certainly seems to have been among many of the parents on this forum, but make no mistake about it, most people were paying attention for at least as long as it took to watch the updates on the nightly news. And as I’ve said before, it’s been on the nightly news (as well as CNN, MSNBC,etc.) for well over a year now.</p>
<p>How long did the Abner Louima case stay at this level of journalistic scrutiny? Not even the Rodney King case stayed at the top of the headlines for so long.</p>
<p>So yes, I do believe there were plenty of people who did indeed INITIALLY believe that the Duke 3 were “typical rich white helmeted jocks) (like so many of “(their) kind”) who did something to put (themselves) in the position to be treated the way (they were).” But that tide of popular opinion began to turn relatively early on, and had turned a full 180 degrees more than six months ago. The boys are now largely viewed as brave martrys, and have garnered the sympathy and respect of most Americans, because we all now know the extent to which they have been wronged. The Press made that a mission.</p>
<p>And yes, they were terribly, egregiously;) wronged! No doubt about it. But the REAL lesson that has been sent to DA’s offices across the country, is NOT TO MESS WITH AFFLUENT, WHITE DEFENDANTS, because you could very well suffer the fate of Mike Nifong. You can do this kind of thing to the poor, (whatever their race, but especially if they are minorities) all day long, and likely get no more than a judicial slap on the wrist, but don’t mess with Texas—er, I mean…you know…:p.</p>
<p>I do not for one moment believe that this law suit will evince a change in standard operating procedures for most Police Depts., or DA’s offices. Causes, such as the Innocence Project (and btw, I applaud the boy’s involvement in that organization), and a sustained national call for change might, but NOT this 30 million dollar lawsuit.</p>
<p>Now, concerning the lawsuit itself, I want to make my views perfectly clear. I DO NOT blame those boys for suing the city of Durham. If my son had gone through what they did, my impulse would certainly be to sue up the ying and out the yang :p,. And I believe it’s unlikely that they would be awarded that much money (of course, you never know. Juries are unpredictable), but even if they were, I wouldn’t begrudge them the sum. The point of my initial post a couple of pages back is that there are glaring discrepancies in the scope and sustenance of national outrage, when horrible injustices are leveled against rich white defendants, as opposed to poor black ones. The unprecedented level to which this case has weighed upon the national psyche, and the record smashing lengths of Duke Lacrosse threads, I and II, speak volumes to this.</p>
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