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Discontent in Durham
The real victim in the Duke Lacrosse scandal? Forget the players or the dancer. It's the judicial system.
Andrew Swerlick
Posted: 1/23/07
Amid much criticism, a lack of DNA evidence and inconsistent eyewitness testimony, Durham District Attorney Michael Nifong has finally dropped the rape charges against the three Duke lacrosse players accused of assaulting an African-American exotic dancer at an off-campus party. The students, all three of whom are white, still face a number of serious charges - including kidnapping and other sexual offenses - but these charges may be dropped as the prosecution's case continues to unravel. In fact, it's becoming clear that there never really was a case at all.

Poor police procedure, suppression of evidence and constant media baiting allowed Nifong to stir up a press frenzy that led to protests, expulsions, firings and other disciplinary actions even before the boys went to trial. What was it that allowed Nifong to get away with this? Why was it that the media went wild over a case with little evidence, with no substance and all style? Ultimately, it was because the case became a symbol for something far beyond itself - a symbol of race and class relations in a divided town.

The city of Durham is 44 percent black and has a poverty level that surpasses the national average. As Salon.com put it, "The median income of a Durham household is roughly equal to the annual tuition for a Duke student (about $44,000)." Tensions between the wealthy, mainly white, university students and the town's working-class residents have always been a problem. Raucous off-campus parties disturb the neighbors who respond by calling the cops, which leads students to accuse the residents of being out to ruin their fun.

Tensions in Durham run high between Duke and nearby North Carolina Central University, the alma mater of the victim with a primarily black student body. Given the somewhat rocky social history of the two schools, it's no surprise that the rape case caused an explosion in the town. Last April, two Duke students were assaulted while off campus. Their assailants were yelling that the Duke students were on "Central Territory."

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This year, ALE has not targeted off-East house parties. In past years, the agency has written up dozens at these bashes.

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ALE quiet on Duke front
Catherine Butsch
Posted: 1/23/07
Since a late-September weekend sting in which 13 Duke students were cited for alcohol-related offenses, Alcohol Law Enforcement has kept a noticeably low profile on and around campus.

Officials confirmed this week that fewer than 40 students have been written up by ALE since the start of the fall semester-a figure that marks a significant decline from the start of the 2005-2006 academic year, when more than 200 students were cited.

Stephen Bryan, associate dean of students and director of judicial affairs, said the decrease can be attributed to several factors including ALE's decision not to carry out a "back-to-school operation" this past fall and the University's purchase of a number of off-campus houses that were previously rented by Duke students.

Bryan added that he thought the lacrosse scandal "impacted student's behavior and a number of steps the University took at the beginning of the fall semester to educate students about responsible citizenship off campus."

Mike Robertson, director of the North Carolina ALE Division, confirmed that, despite the decline in citations, ALE continues to maintain a presence in order to deter underage alcohol possession and consumption.

"We are doing as much enforcement activity around every college and university campus as we did the year before," Robertson said.

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