Letters to the Editor
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Ben, again--
I think I was unclear-- this was when I first heard of the case, long before the indictments were handed down. The case lost all credibility for me about the time I found out one of the accused was, as you say, proven miles away from the house when the non-rape occurred.
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Persia, understood....
I believe in the Bill of Rights, but many (whether Neocons or extreme feminist/liberals) are completely comfortable suspending them when it is in conflict with their political beliefs and positions.
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Why I am silent on this matter
I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, but the reason why I, as a feminist, am silent on this matter now is because I was silent on the matter when it first came out. From the beginning, the inconsistent smattering of facts surrounding this case seemed fishy, and I knew that we needed much more information about what happened before even beginning to guess what transpired at that party. When the Duke case hit the airwaves, I was acutely aware of the silence surrounding this issue from many advocate groups, and I thought: “They’re waiting for the facts too.”
I was surprised by Nifong’s and the media’s spin on this debacle – these boys were wrongly tried in a misguided court of public opinion. I cringed every time I read a blog screaming for these boys’ heads with the same intensity that I cringed every time I read a blog screaming that all women are liars, moneygrubbers, and whores. I am saddened that the accuser chose to lie, and I think she should be held accountable for her words and actions by being charged with slander, false accusations, etc. Words have power (ahem *Imus*), and we as a society need to acknowledge that power and take more responsibility for what comes out of our mouths.
I think this whole debacle is a testament to the need for solidarity in bringing about an end to rape. If there is no rape, there will be no false rape allegations. No one will deny that rape hurts women, now we see that it hurts men too. I think this is all the more reason for women AND men to stand together against rape and work to crush it out of existence.
There are a lot of comments here blaming feminism for the wrongs committed, and the snide questions “Where is the outrage NOW? Why are you all so silent NOW?” To that I say, most of us are silent now because we were silent before. We were waiting for the facts. Too bad Nifong and some media spinners didn’t do the same.
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Response to Lin's
offensive and ill-informed letter. Anonymous has already covered most of the evidence disputing your accusations, but I thought I should go ahead get the rest out, since so many people still seem to be operating with the wrong facts.
The official committee that investigating the lacrosse team culture (and not whether crime itself occurred) found the following:
-that the team has exhibited "exemplary academic and athletic performance" and is "[n]either racist or sexist. On the contrary, the coach of the Duke Women's Lacrosse team has expressed her sense of camaraderie that exists between the men's and women's team; members of the men's team, for example, consistently come to the women's games. The current as well as former African American members of the team have been extremely positive about the support the team provided them."
-that although the lacrosse team had higher rates of alcohol abuse than other Duke athletic teams, "their conduct has not been different in character than the conduct of the typical Duke student who abuses alcohol."
-Some students (not just lacrosse players but probably all men) have stated they have been referred to as "rapists" and have been threatened. Shortly after the alleged attack, the President of the University warned in a school-wide e-mail of threats of gang violence against Duke students.
-Mike Pressler, the coach of the lacrosse team, received threatening e-mails and hate calls, had castigating signs placed on his property, and was the frequent victim of vandalism in the aftermath of the accusations.
-The forensic nurse who examined the accuser "did not find abrasions, tears or bleeding in the vaginal area...[S]he did find swelling in the vaginal area along with tenderness in the accuser's breasts and lower right quadrant." In regards to blunt force trauma, the "medical records make no mention of [them] ... [The examiner] wrote that the woman had two nonbleeding scratches on her right knee and a nonbleeding scratch on her right heel," which were there before the time of the alleged incident as evidenced from photographs. The nurse also noted diffuse swelling of the vagina and did not note any other injuries in the rest of the report.
It has been reported that Mangum admitted to Durham police detective Benjamin Himan that she performed using a vibrator for a couple in a hotel room shortly before the lacrosse party, which the defense contends could account for the "diffuse swelling," or could be the result of the consensual sex the accuser had the day of the party.
As to one poster's concern that this woman can now be raped with impunity because no one will believe her, besides her extensive criminal record, she does have a record of making rape allegations in the past, which, whether true or not, she elected not follow up on when police asked for the details needed to investigate. Yet plenty of people seemed willing to believe this time.
Finally, IMO, when you have an alibi "in the form of ATM records, photographs, cell phone records, an affidavit from a taxi driver, and a record of your DukeCard being swiped at your dorm", not to mention DNA tests AND the state attorney general calls a national press conference to announce that innocent without any sort of qualifications, that means you are freakin innocent, not that there is not enough evidence to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Given the reactions and opinions of some the letter writers here, it would seem that your concern about future rape victims not being believed is somewhat misplaced. As long as she accuses some frat boy athletes, preferably ones where the stereotype includes a sense of entitlement, some people will believe you now matter how ludicrous your accusations are.