Backtracking

[klugspeck]

My earlier post about the vindication of the Duke lacrosse players was brief, containing nothing more than a link and the following comment: "About fucking time.  Maybe now these guys can finally start putting their lives back together."  Nothing more was said.  And over the last week or so, I've come to regret that

Comments

[hita526]

Well, there are two general characterizations that can suit her case - she is either "that lying whore" or she is a "very very crazy person." The state attorney declined to press charges against her because is convinced that she believes all the different versions of the story that she told. If she is genuinely nuts, then she should be pitied as a victim of her own mental issues

[klugspeck]

I agree with your characterization of the case - her accusations were definitely false. What I'm far more concerned by, though, is the aftermath. This woman's identity has been made public in violation of rape shield (this happened relatively soon after the charges were made) and she's been publicly humiliated. Regardless of whether she deserved such a reprisal or not, she's still going to be facing far more of an uphill battle putting her life together than the boys ever will. Which is what really bothered me about my post - I spat out an angry comment in support of the boys, but I didn't even mention her. Internalized prejudice on my part? Perhaps.

[dukeegr93]

I think what happened in this case, in the first month, showed that in fact much of America was quite ready to believe and support accusations of rape from this woman against the perceived "rich, white privileged" members of an athletic team. The tide really started to turn after Nifong propped up his case with over four dozen interviews and the strutting of the non-testimonial order to get DNA from 46 of the 47 players and then...no match. The build-up was so huge and the pricking of the bubble so complete that the backlash was ridiculous

[aliwilliams]

I agree with you in that pitying the lacrosse boys for having to deal with being falsely accused doesn't mean you can't also be (a) concerned about a woman who is clearly messed up and (b) worried what kind of affect it will have on rape reporting.

The day after the charges were dropped, I was disappointed that the NY Post (ever a bastion of restraint) ran a huge picture of the woman with the headline "THAT DUKE LIAR." Sigh. Either she was unstable and used by Nifong, or she was lying - and if it was the latter, she was a terrible liar, changing her story every other day, and should have been easily caught by Nifong. He either shoulders all or much of the blame.

I'm glad the boys were vindicated. But as a DA, Nifong should have to answer for the damage he did to the system as well as these specific individuals.

[klugspeck]

If anyone's curious what got me thinking along these lines, I suggest you read this: http://takingsteps.blogspot.com/2007/04/on-record.html

Actually, read it anyway.

except...

[dukeegr93]

that post propagates some of the mistruths told by the DA to get the case heard. She didn't call 911; the other woman did. She went to the hospital *after* being taken to the psych ward and the nurse opened up the questioning with "were you raped?" The medical exam was not nearly as conclusive regarding assault as the post makes it seem. And no DNA from any of the 46 tested players was found - choosing to ignore that fact, among other things, is what *will* make this a tragedy for real victims.

The very powerful parts of that piece could absolutely stand alone without tying it to this accuser, this rogue DA, or this case at all. Continuing along the route that this has to have been a rape or else diminishes truth. The accuser in this case absolutely needs help, as does her young family. And I really do think a part of that help will be to confront the realities rather than continue the innuendos about that which is unsupported.