" Is Durham a "real college" town, so to speak?"
Not really. Duke is the biggest employer but the town itself is pretty big and most people aren't connected to Duke. It doesn't have much of a downtown either and has a lot of neighborhoods that really aren't safe. The murder rate is pretty bad and they usually have a lot of gang problems.
I am also concerned about having the "New Black Panthers" sitting in the courtroom. These boys are at risk of being killed down there, even in court. If I were their attorneys I would want everything moved the hell out of Durham NOW, although that probably isn't possible.