Tension high in Duke caseN.C. stripper hides as TV shows pics

nydailynews.com ^ | April 20, 2006 | TAMER EL-GHOBASHY and DAVE GOLDINER

[mlc9852]

The victim, a single mom who turned to exotic dancing to support her two kids, attends North Carolina Central University, a mostly black college in Durham.

She plans to keep a low profile until the students go on trial to avoid inflaming tensions in the black community, where opinion is running heavily against the privileged students.

One of the most hurtful things for the woman about the media circus surrounding the case, the cousin said, is the tendency to assume the worst about her because she is a stripper.

"She's a victim and she's a human being," the cousin said. "Her occupation couldn't justify that a crime like this was committed."

[Locomotive Breath]

Don't know. Wish I could help.

[connectthedots]

Wouldn't the accuser's case be heard in state court though? If the players sue in federal court, wouldn't that be a separate case?

If there is one federal cause of action, the state causes of action could also be tried in federal court upon the motion/complaint of the party asserting the federal cause of action. There is no legitimate way to avoid it.

[JeffAtlanta]

If there is one federal cause of action, the state causes of action could also be tried in federal court upon the motion/complaint of the party asserting the federal cause of action.

Can that be done even if the complaint by the woman doesn't involve any federal laws?

[Locomotive Breath]

Part of the problem is that the U's you cite are all college towns in the traditional sense of the word except for GA Tech which it totally swallowed in Atlanta. Chapel Hill loves UNC because it's the only game in town and always has been. Durham used to have an actual economy in tobacco and textiles and was there long before Duke. Now Duke is the only game in town.

[connectthedots]

Can that be done even if the complaint by the woman doesn't involve any federal laws?

Yep. She isn't going to sue anyone. No attorney is going to take her case on a contingency. The families of the two players have enough money to bankrupt any attorney would would try. Besides, the players are going to get plenty of money from others who are liable. A judge would throw out any complaint she might file and sanction her attorney for filing a frivolous complaint.

[gop_gene]

Was a laugh track played as she said this? If not, it should've been. What a silly woman.

[JeffAtlanta]

Part of the problem is that the U's you cite are all college towns in the traditional sense of the word except for GA Tech which it totally swallowed in Atlanta.

I see what you mean. It seems the "town vs gown" situation seems to occur when the town is decent sized without the school but not huge like Atlanta. I guess Ohio State and Michigan would fall in these categories but from what I can tell, those schools are very popular in their surrounding town.

The only other school besides Duke that I've heard of having this problem is Princeton. But in that case, it was more the condition of the town hurting the school.

I wonder how is is at UVa, Wake Forest and Maryland.

[Locomotive Breath]

I know Yale has big problems because it's in a really slummy section of New Haven. I had to drive by several times to get to someplace else and I was sure praying that the rental car didn't break down. As in Durham, the locals are not happy with the contrast in wealth and are resentful because they are not getting their "share".

[BossLady]

Was doing more research on Bunnyhole Ent and came across some discussion threads on news websites and other places. Apparently, this outfit Crystal worked for was only known as an escort service...not as a 'stipper/exotic dancer' agency. So, it is implied that there would be something other than dancing going on if they showed up. (Which begs other questions like did they show up and the LAX guys said....EEEWWWW no way I'm going there?! LOL!) Additionally....the girls from Bunnyhole are nortorious for being 'skanky' and ripping off clients.

[JeffAtlanta]

As in Durham, the locals are not happy with the contrast in wealth and are resentful because they are not getting their "share".

When will people stop trying to kill the goose the lays the golden eggs? The positive economic benefits of having a school like Duke or Yale in your town are enormous.

[Mad-Margaret]

That depends on the judge. LOL! No guarantee that some winner in the black robes might not kick it.

[TankerKC]

Hit this link. Listen and see the kind of thinking that is leading to the lynching of these boys:

http://www.podcast.net/show/11665

[JeffAtlanta]

Apparently, this outfit Crystal worked for was only known as an escort service...not as a 'stipper/exotic dancer' agency. So, it is implied that there would be something other than dancing going on if they showed up.

I wonder if whoever arranged the entertainment portion of the party screwed up by calling an escort service rather than a stripper service.

[GAgal]

I think one of the most one-sided articles written showing support for the accuser and disdain for Duke is this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/sports/othersports/04duke.html/partner/nytrss?ei=5070&en=9736f3a08d667f22&ex=1145678400&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1145571630-SllR8ePfKl0ypZYi9y744A

And that's the article the searchers came away with from Finnerty's room. I bet he couldn't believe what he was reading.

[Law is not justice but process]

"Durham used to have an actual economy in tobacco"

When I moved to Durham in 1987 there were 12 tobacco companies of various sizes in town. When I left in 1998, there was one, and it was in bankruptcy (Ligget Meyers, I believe).

"Now Duke is the only game in town."

There are the Research Triangle Park and many other industries in the area, but Duke is BY FAR the largest employer and taxpayer in the City limits. You would think the Durhamites would appreciate them a little more: Duke pays their bills.

[BossLady]

I think it's imperative to know where the guys got the number to call for 'strippers'....from a friend...from the back of the newspaper....the internet...a flyer?

[connectthedots]

That depends on the judge. LOL! No guarantee that some winner in the black robes might not kick it.

That is why in post 1042, I said, "There is no legitimate way to avoid it."

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

GA has a new law (a few years old) that takes them option of dropping the charges off of the table. By law, it cannot happen. Wonder if it the same in NC?

[sissyjane]

I'm clueless in California. Maybe Howlin would know.

[Locomotive Breath]

I remember sitting in classrooms on East Campus and if the wind was in the right directon you could smell the curing tobacco drifting over from Ligget. All gone now.

As an educational institution, Duke pays no tax which I'm sure is a sore spot. Most of the native Durhamites are not, shall we say, qualified for those jobs at RTP. The people that are are largely transplants and they rarely move to Durham. The left behinds know they are and don't know what to do about it.