Posted on 04/19/2006 4:25:04 AM PDT by Perdogg
DURHAM -- Community leaders and NAACP activists welcomed the news that Durham police early Tuesday had arrested and charged two Duke University lacrosse players in connection with an alleged gang rape, saying the move finally would allow the legal process to move forward.
At a morning news conference, state NAACP President William Barber said his group would monitor the work of investigators and prosecutors as the case against lacrosse players Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann moves forward.
Barber said the allegations against the pair "suggest a downward spiral from privilege and advantage to decadence and deviance."
Both Finnerty and Seligmann were charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sex offense and kidnapping. They were released under $400,000 bonds.
But Barber echoed other community leaders in saying that the important thing now is to ensure that the players -- and their accuser -- receive a fair hearing from the court system.
"This case cannot be decided between the front page and the sports page of a newspaper," Barber said. "It must be decided, after careful presentation of all the evidence, by a judge and jury."
Other National Association for the Advancement of Colored People activists said they believe Durham authorities had handled the initial investigation well.
Duke officials were slow to respond, said Al McSurely, a Chapel Hill lawyer who serves as the state NAACP's legal redress chairman.
"[But] my sense is that the district attorney and his investigative arm, the Police Department, have done a good job," he said.
Others disagreed.
John Bennett, a local minister who's organized weekly protests outside the North Buchanan Boulevard house that was the scene of the alleged rape, said he believes the arrests came weeks later than they would have with black suspects.
But like Barber and several members of the City Council, Bennett said people have to let the legal process play out.
"We're glad that it's at least in the hands of the law, where the proper procedures can take place," he said.
The important thing now, he said, is to ensure that "the trial is fair, that they're honest, and that the law would be just on both sides."
Another minister and activist, Melvin Whitley, joined Bennett in criticizing the pace of the lacrosse investigation.
"The search for the truth was hindered by the desire to do damage control," said Whitley.
Though critical of the Police Department's initial delay in obtaining a search warrant for the house, McSurely said he was satisfied with the pace of the investigation.
"Nobody wanted any mistakes to be made," said McSurely, who will join N.C. Central University law professor Irving Joyner in organizing an NAACP panel to monitor the subsequent proceedings in the case. "If I were the DA, I wouldn't have arrested anybody as long as [players] were cooperating."
Meanwhile, elected officials and neighborhood activists said they doubted the arrests would ease the pressure and tensions that have built over the past month.
"The No. 1 feeling is overall sadness for everyone here," said City Councilman Eugene Brown, who lives at 410 N. Buchanan Blvd. "There are no winners in this. Hopefully the only winner will be justice, however long that will take."
Brown and fellow Councilman Mike Woodard both said Durham's image has taken a hit because of the incident, and that Duke officials have to take a bigger role in curbing an off-campus party scene that many neighbors of the campus believe contributed to whatever happened inside 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.
Woodard, who's also a Duke administrator, said the university has to insist that students, whether on campus or off, uphold an Honor Code that demands that they conduct themselves "responsibly and honorably" at all times.
Whatever occurred the night of March 13-14 at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. surely violated that standard, Woodard said.
Councilman Thomas Stith said the city has handled a trying situation well.
"We've come together as a community, and held frank discussions about the challenges that face our community," he said. "I'm sure that dialogue will continue as we in our community continue to heal from this ordeal."
The Buchanan Boulevard house lies in the Trinity Park neighborhood near East Campus. Neighborhood association president John Dagenhart said the arrests highlighted for many residents of his neighborhoods a sense that they, Duke officials and the city had missed chances to address a festering problem.
"It's sad that it had to come to this," Dagenhart said. "I wish there had been a way we could have gotten a handle on past situations in some way [so] we could have avoided this. I think we were doing all we could do. It's sad that this situation had to develop the way it did. Now it's going to have to play out."
Dagenhart echoed Brown in saying that the incident will do lasting damage, especially to the people most directly involved.
"If these young men fight this and they win it, they'll forever have this hanging over their heads," he said. "And the young lady, however this turns out, she has things to deal with the rest of her life also. There are no winners in this."
NCCU Chancellor James Ammons said he and his staff also would "do everything we can to support" the 27-year-old alleged victim, who's a student there.
Ammons said a student group -- VOX: Voices of Planned Parenthood of NCCU -- intends to establish a fund to support students victimized by sexual assault or violence.
Like the NAACP and city officials, the chancellor stressed the need to let the legal process unfold.
"We urge students and the community to be patient and to let the judicial system resolve this matter," he said.
The mood of students interviewed Tuesday on campus was unsettled. It ranged from relief about the arrests, to resentment that the charges took so long, to frustration that the two accused players quickly were released on bond.
Many students said the arrests strengthened their belief that a rape occurred and that justice finally -- some said belatedly -- was being served.
Some said that, until Tuesday, they didn't think charges would be filed at all.
"I think it proves something was done and she [the alleged victim] didn't lie," said sophomore Christine Anyanwu. "When these two guys were charged, I think it made people relax a bit because they know the case will still go on."
Freshman Nakeesha Massey said many students think the arrests would have been made much earlier if racial roles had been reversed. The alleged victim is black; the alleged attackers are white.
"If she was white, they probably would have arrested the black boys by now," Massey said.
The issue, she said, is more social than racial.
"It'd be about the school she was from," she said.
Several students were unhappy the suspects were already out on bond.
"They haven't gotten punished," Anyanwu said.
"For them to be out on bond now is crazy," said sophomore Matthias Copeland. "It's not safe."
At Duke, president Richard Brodhead issued a statement urging people to allow the legal process to run its course.
"Many lives have been touched by this case," he said. "It has brought pain and suffering to all involved, and it deeply challenges our ability to balance judgment with compassion. As the legal process unfolds, we must hope that it brings a speedy resolution and that the truth of the events is fully clarified.
Duke students who know the accused lacrosse players spoke out in support of them.
Sophomore Emily Wygod wore a shirt with "innocent" written in blue marker on the back to support Reade Seligmann.
In a nearby window a sign read, "We support Duke LAX," the abbreviation for lacrosse, and "Innocent until proven guilty."
If the alleged victim is lying, there is going to be a lot of egg on a lot of peoples' faces.
Being liberal means you never have to say you are sorry, or admit you were wrong.
"They haven't gotten punished," Anyanwu said.
This idiot must be majoring in Alice in Wonderland. "Sentence first, verdict afterwards!"
"For them to be out on bond now is crazy," said sophomore Matthias Copeland. "It's not safe."
Good folk of Durham, lock up your strippers and hos, the Duke lax boys are still on the loose!
Not anymore :)
And if the latter situation had occurred, this guy would have been out there screaming about racism and a rush to judgement!
Guilty as charged, except for those troublesome DNA results, photos and the fact that apparently most of the team wasnt even there, including the two charged.
However, there is one capitol crime here....the players are white males and there can be no escaping that.
That's all there will be, nothing will be done for reparations, or prosecution.
The "Runaway bride", is probably still out mowing grass, for her crimes. This acusser will get Nothing, simply because shes black and simply because the Durham "authorities" are afraid of raising racial tension.
I agree. I pray the truth comes out. If these kids are innocent, a lot of these NAACP and activists will scream racism, etc. I am reading these kids may have proof they were not there. If they are guilty, send them to jail, but if innocent and the woman lied, she should be prosecuted and the DA caned !!!
I think there will have to be, if she's lying. And I think some of her biggest supporters just might be at the head of the line.
All is sweetness and light now that two white men have been arrested on almost no evidence that a rape even occurred. The DA here knew what he was doing , he was running for office again.
Things will be fine until they are found not guilty. Then the condemnations will start. from the tone of the article it seems they didnt interview and White citiznes.
Whoever ddi the hiring of this woman was an idiot and the rest were stupid to be involved. If they were going to hire a dancer they should have hired a white woman the mix here was a recipe for disaster from the start.
I dont think they can prove a rape even occurred, the real crime here was the lack of common sense involved. If they could charge the white boys with that , they would get a guilty verdict.
You are right about this, but think of all the stupid things we all did when we were 19 or 20. My GOD, I would be horrified if all these things came out and I was much better behaved than many of my friends (Good kids too). If found innocent, they kids have their names ruined. Sad
'Privileged' white males, too. And these quotes make it clear that certain Durham and Duke residents intend to make them pay dearly for that.
I heard Jesse Jackson chime in last night on Savage Nation. Among many things he said about the party was that "...white men fantasizing about a black woman is not quite illegal, but" he clearly thought it should be illegal and just plain wrong. As if white men / black woman is in itself damning evidence. I wonder if Jesse would feel the same way about a white dancer at a black frat party?
yes, it has indeed become illegal to be a white, christian conservative.....
My God! One of them actually lives in a house on a cul-de-sac of million dollar homes!! Has he no shame??
Kinda like McKinney; They don't even know the facts yet.
Or having the MSM remind you of it.
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