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October 27, 2006
The Ben Chavis example
Posted at 9:40 AM by Jon Ham

The lack of support the lacrosse team has received from Duke University was a theme at last night’s panel at Duke’s Bryan Center. Several questioners brought it up and specifically criticized Duke President Richard Brodhead’s actions in this regard. One of the last questions of the evening contrasted the treatment Ben Chavis received when he requested admission to the Duke Divinity School. At the time Chavis was not just an accused felon, he was a convicted felon who had spent 10 years in prison. But Duke, the questioner said, made strong statements about his innocence. The charges were later overturned. “Why can’t Duke, with all we know that has happened, make the same statement about these students’ innocence?” he asked. They did it for Chavis, he said, “and these kids aren’t even convicts.”

Teats on a boar hog
Posted at 9:03 AM by Jon Ham

One of my father’s pet phrases was “That’s about as useless as teats on a boar hog.” He reserved that oath for something he thought contemptibly useless, like the Durham Human Relations Commission. I’ve lived in Durham since 1981 except for 18 months in Richmond in the mid-1980s and I can’t remember a thing the Human Relations Commission has done to improve human relations, especially race relations, in this city. HRC Chairman Larry Holt upheld that tradition last night at a Duke panel discussing the Duke lacrosse case.*

In his opening statement Holt talked at length about the history of rowdy student parties in Trinity Park, pointing out that the evidence of this problem could be found on the area crime listserv. He called this activity “extenuating circumstances leading to the rape allegations.” As he continued in this vein, many of the 60-or-so people in the audience were looking at each other wondering what his point was. He ended his opening statement by pointing out that the crime listserv for the area had been “relatively quiet” since the lacrosse arrests. Was he saying a little injustice is OK if it keeps the listservs quiet?

One audience member asked Holt why the Human Relations Commission did nothing and made no comment at all after protestors threatened and used racial slurs against Reade Seligmann as he arrived for a court appearance. Holt’s response: “I didn’t attend that event. I personally wasn’t there.” Blogger KC Johnson, a Brooklyn College professor who was a panelist, pointed out that a death threat was made against Seligmann in the courtroom that day within feet of Durham DA Mike Nifong. Like the Human Relations Commission, Nifong did nothing.

In his opening statement, Johnson said he was disappointed that people and groups that usually mobilize to fight lack of due process and civil rights abuses have been silent in this case. I put the HRC in that category. Whatever we taxpayers in Durham are spending on the HRC is too much.

UPDATE: Prof. Johnson says he will be attending the hearing today before Judge Osmond Smith on the Duke lacrosse case. He says he’ll live-blog the event if he can get some wi-fi in the courthouse.

October 26, 2006
ACLU at Duke panel tonight
Posted at 10:06 PM by Jon Ham

I attended the panel sponsored by ACLU at Duke tonight at the Bryan Center. Prof. K.C. Johnson was brilliant, as expected. Man, that is one smart guy. Can he defend the lacrosse players if it comes to trial? He’d do a great job. Larry Holt of the Durham Human Relations Commission was also on the panel, as was the impressive Stephen Miller, executive director of the Duke Conservative Union. I also got to meet blogger John in Carolina, and spoke with Prof. Steven Baldwin, who wrote that great letter to the Duke Chronicle two days ago.

I was going to blog at length about the evening but with the World Series on one channel and the Hurricanes on another, I just haven’t been able to gather my thoughts. Let me just say that the guy who took it on the chin, other than Durham DA Mike Nifong, of course, was Duke President Richard Brodhead. I didn’t hear a kind word for the man all night. Oh, wait. Yeah, I did. The ACLU moderator said he heard Brodhead urge a hate-filled crowd last spring to withhold their judgement on the lacrosse team. Boy, that’s leadership. More tomorrow.

http://triangle.johnlocke.org/blog/

* Surprise, surprise- Mr. Holt is tight with the Committee; the PAC that just endorsed Nifong, sparing him
of any further campaign financial burdens (the Committee gets out your vote- no need to advertise) and practically
insuring his election. However the white candidates may finally get their act together if Monk pulls out today, so
it could still be a contest. Early voting will make or break ABN. They need to get those vans to the rest homes.

The News & Observer, January 18, 2001

DURHAM -- The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People will have its annual meeting at 5 p.m. Sunday at Peace Missionary Baptist Church.

The 65-year-old organization, which wields significant influence over elections in Durham, depends on volunteers.

Newly elected executive officers include Finesse Couch, Larry Holt, the Rev. Frederick Davis, Larry Hall, Beverly Washington Jones, Anita Smith, Geri Nettles and C. Ray Jones. Lavonia Allison, chairwoman of the committee, will begin the second year of her two-year term.