Duke "Rape" case

"We believe that these cases were the result of a tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations. Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges."
- North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper

It has been over a year since the now debunked case against the Duke lacrosse team came to the world's knowledge. The case represents the intersection of sex, race, gender, and class tensions and showed once again how little society has progressed. The rush to judgment of the Duke players almost certainly arose because of their own unsympathetic background - wealthy, white young men who admittedly made stupid decisions in the pursuit of their own pleasure. Driving the firestorm was the underlying discontent of the Durham, N.C. black community, who long have not felt the same privelege of the students who go to Duke University, right in their own backyard.

When put in perspective, what is this case? It's just a false incident, drummed up by a troubled young woman, affecting about 20 young college guys, at a relatively small university in the South. If not for the backgrounds of the parties involved, it would not register even a blip on the news, let alone, giving rise to a massive public outcry and media firestorm. The reaction that the case got gives insight into something very significant for American society. It may be nice to live the illusion of true reconciliation, what drove the Duke Lacrosse case this far, and poses many problems for society as a whole, is that there are deep cleavages in America that neither left nor right, Republicans or Democrats, are ready, wililng, or capable to address.

A true sense of justice and the resulting changes in society, come not from ignoring it, like conservatives like to do. It does not come from imposing a false sense of political correctness, and affirmative policy to cover up the deep-seated predjudices, like liberals advocate. Ultimately, each of us needs to look long and hard in the mirror and as a nation to have a national, honest soul search and come to the point that we see the need for justice and reconciliation, regardless of class, sex, or race.


"So we call on you to ready yourself to engage in the struggle - the great spiritual battle for the soul of our nations and the souls of all people. Racism and injustice are a cancer on the soul of our nation and a sickness in the souls of people."
- Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson, The Heart of Racial Justice