Friday, September 07, 2007

Nifong Reports to Jail


The N&O, WRAL, and the AP all have coverage of Mike Nifong's arrival in jail. In today's "Only-in-Durham" moment, former Nifong citizens' committee co-chair Victoria Peterson led a group welcoming the ex-DA to incarceration with a banner proclaiming, "We Believe in Your Integrity." [WTVD has a video of the protesters.]

The photos below show the disgraced prosecutor being processed after his conviction for lying to the court and the Peterson-led protesters; the photo above is the ex-DA's mugshot.

89 comments:

Anonymous said...

WRAL reports: ". . . Nifong, along with his wife, son and attorney, marched into the Durham County Jail shortly before 8:45 a.m."

Nifong brought his son with him to report to jail - his son! Could he not spare his offspring the humiliation of having to see his father jailed. He is such a narcissist!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what ails Vikky Peterson?

Debrah said...

Sweet justice...even though all too brief.

Anonymous said...

If so many of my (unfortunately) fellow same-sex-preference folks had any sense, they'd be publicizing Victoria Peterson's antics as another example of the kookiness of a homophobe. Sadly, I guess too many gay activists initially took the politically-correct (aka wrong) side in this case and now have to join those just hoping the whole case goes away.

Anonymous said...

I want to see how he looks in orange.

Fritz J. said...

Believing in Nifong's integrity leaves me wondering about those people intelligence, or rather lack thereof. A truly sad example of the sheer blindness some people exhibit when the facts don't fit their beliefs.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if his wife and son will get to visit him and talk to him on one of those phones separated by bullet proof glass?
_______________

NIFONG: "Cy, you gotta get me outta here."

CY: "Mike, dear, we know...we know...Victoria is organizing the gang to spring you this afternoon. Victoria says there oughtta be about 87 or so. Be ready at 4:15."

SON: "Mom, can we go to Mickey Dee's after Dad gets sprung?"

NIFONG: "Yeah. I'm hungry too."

UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: (calling from a back room): "Hey, Mikey ... You gotta come on back here. We ain't finished wit ya."

Ethical Duke said...

9:47 It is actually known that she requires medication, and when she doesn't take it, she can get pretty crazy. I don't know what it is precisely though.

One thing that I find mildly amusing:
The sign on the glass where Nifong reported to jail reads "No Fool or drinking" because the bottom part of the "d" is worn off...ha...

Anonymous said...

We all know Peterson has a few loose screws but who are the other whack jobs carrying the signs? From one of the links provided it seems many of Nifong's "supporters" are from his brother's church.

Anonymous said...

WRAL has additional video now.

Debrah said...

TO "inman"--

LOL!!!
GOL!!!

Anonymous said...

How many loozahs showed up to support Mike's "integrity and goodness"?

They must want to further humiliate their city (as if it could be further humiliated).

Anonymous said...

$30,000,000 plus corrective actions by Durham is the latest word on the civil suit by the three Duke students railroaded....that's what Mr. Nifong brought on Durham. I hope the Nifong supporters are giving that a little thought. Headline: Nifong bankrupts Durham! To me, $30,000,000 seems awfully light for what Durham and the DPD did to the three innocent Duke students. Nifong should be in jail for several years. Sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly.

Anonymous said...

LS board reporting that Elmo was present for the perp walk this morning!!

Anonymous said...

Why wasn't he handcuffed?
How stupid can one be to still believe in hisINTEGRITY AND ... GOODNESS!
And.. the smirk on his face...will he ever learn to be humble?

Anonymous said...

AWESOME! Hope this is not the end of his sufferings - CIVIL SUITS begin! KC the fun is just beginning -- Thank you for allowing me to rabidly read every word in DIW. Not sure how I found it, maybe FODU, but have been addicted from day 1. Still waiting for my book from Amazon, but glad to hear there will be books available at Duke next week. Can't wait to hear you speak!

Unknown said...

Are these protesters mad? How in the world can anyone deny what this man did? Are there any psychologists among the commenters who could explain NIfong Derangement Syndrome?

Anonymous said...

Hey, at least Mike doesn't have to sleep with Cy tonight.
Peterson can also be heard on the WRAL video saying, "Even Jesus went to jail, uh huh!" She is a whack bag.

Gary Packwood said...

Fritz J. 9:56 said...

...Believing in Nifong's integrity leaves me wondering about those people intelligence, or rather lack thereof. A truly sad example of the sheer blindness some people exhibit when the facts don't fit their beliefs.
::
Unfortunately these folks learned that term from Ph.D. level people who make comments and speeches in 'The Hood.'

In this case I see 'integrity' being used to say that Nifong was right and the Dookies were ...wrong.

I absolutely refuse to use the term 'Integrity' or 'Culture' or 'Ego' or 'Sexual Assault' or 'Community' unless I am reasonably certain that ninety percent of the people in the audience understand those terms and how confusing life can be when nouns are used as verbs and verbs as nouns.

Integrity is an especially horrible example for kids in 'The Hood' who listen to adults scream at them to have more integrity.

Say What?
::
GP

Anonymous said...

It is a terrible thing when you have to parade your son before the cameras and continue to act like you have nothing to be ashamed of. Mike Nifong still doesn't get it, and his supporters will never see hiim for what he is--a lying, scheming and selfish s*o*b.

duke2009mom

Anonymous said...

Please define integrity?

Anonymous said...

"former Nifong citizens' committee co-chair Victoria Peterson led a group "
We know she's the local nut-job camera hog, her appearance is not surprising. Her followers are another story.

How many were there?
Who were they?

If they are in or ever seek any position of power, this bit of film can be used to humiliate them for the rest of their lives.

Anonymous said...

Eh, there are still people out there who believe that we didn't land on the moon. Some of them are the very same ones who think that Nifong had integrity. It's a sad fact of human nature that some people were born with minds but will never, ever use them except to jerry-rig excuses for doing what they want to do or believing what they want to believe. (I think even Victoria Peterson might have to hand her title of Nuttiest Potbanger over to the guy on YouTube who states as fact that Nifong was in cahoots with the lacrosse players and had been paid off to basically throw the case.)

Debrah said...

Hey, Mikey.

After you get out of the slammer, what are you doing the rest of your life?

It's in the grapevine that Al McSurely might be retiring.

LIS!

Debrah said...

Mikey will wear an orange jumpsuit. LOL!!!


Nifong goes to jail just 'as anyone else'

BY JOHN STEVENSON : The Herald-Sun
jstevenson@heraldsun.com
Sep 7, 2007 : 12:32 am ET

Former District Attorney Mike Nifong may be the state's only chief prosecutor to be jailed for job-related misconduct, but that dubious distinction will earn him no special treatment when he begins serving a 24-hour sentence today for lying about evidence in the Duke lacrosse case.

He'll go through the same process as anyone else," Sheriff Worth Hill said.

Nifong could not be reached for comment Thursday. He doesn't have a listed telephone number in Durham, and a knock at his door produced no answer.

Meanwhile, some lawyers griped Thursday that Nifong is getting a raw deal, but others suggested he deserved more than a day behind bars.

"It's a bold and extraordinary procedure to send someone to jail -- even for a day -- who has a long history of integrity and was never in trouble before," said John Fitzpatrick, president of the Durham Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Fitzpatrick said he hoped an "eye-for-an-eye and tooth-for-a tooth" mentality was not involved in the jailing.

"We don't want to give the public that kind of image," he said. "Just because three lacrosse players spent a few hours in jail, I personally don't believe Mr. Nifong should necessarily have to spend a few more hours."

But veteran lawyer Mark Edwards and a few others said Thursday they thought Nifong deserved to go to jail.

"On a personal level, it's sad to see someone fall that far that fast," said Edwards. "But what he did was egregious. He's lucky he just got one day. I think the judge did the right thing. If you lie to the court, you should be punished."

Edwards speculated that Nifong might be taking the rap for other district attorneys, in different parts of the state, who went un-penalized for alleged misconduct.

"It does all seem to be coming down on Mike," said Edwards. "Maybe they're making an example of him. But it had to happen at some point. If it had happened earlier, maybe Mike wouldn't have done what he did."

The sheriff said Nifong will wear an orange jumpsuit and eat standard jail chow, just like the murderers and rapists he spent nearly 30 years putting behind bars until the lacrosse case brought his career crashing down in scandal.

Hill said he didn't know precisely what Nifong will be fed, but he insisted jail food "is not bad at all -- even though some of the inmates are always complaining about it."

According to Hill, Nifong probably will have a one-man cell and conceivably could be "locked back" to protect him from inmates who might not react kindly toward a one-time prosecutor.

If locked back, Nifong would not be able to emerge from his cell to play cards, chat or otherwise interact with other prisoners, Hill explained.

"We'll have to put him in a place where he'll be safe, where we feel he'll be OK," the sheriff said. "We have to keep an eye on him and make sure things don't get out of hand. We're concerned about it."

Hill described Nifong as possibly his most well-known jail guest ever.

Others with a high degree of notoriety were novelist and failed mayoral candidate Michael Peterson, briefly locked up in late 2001 on suspicion of murder, and former City Councilman John Best, who went to jail for 48 hours in 2004 for not paying child support.

Peterson subsequently was convicted of fatally beating his spouse, Nortel Networks executive Kathleen Peterson, and is serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.

Peg Dorer, director of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, said Thursday she believed Nifong was the only chief prosecutor ever to be jailed in the Tarheel State for misconduct on the job.

A Hickory-area prosecutor once was locked up for drunken driving and domestic violence, but those offenses occurred outside the workplace, according to Dorer.

Superior Court Judge Osmond Smith held Nifong in contempt last week and ordered him to jail from 9 a.m. today until 9 a.m. Saturday for lying about DNA evidence in the lacrosse case.

Specifically, Nifong withheld genetic results favorable to three defendants and claimed he didn't have the evidence when he did, Smith found.

The evidence indicated that the accuser, an exotic dancer, had engaged in sexual activity with several other men but not with any of the indicted suspects: Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans.

In April, the three were declared innocent by state Attorney General Roy Cooper, who upbraided Nifong for prosecuting them in the first place.

In a related development, the N.C. State Bar stripped Nifong of his law license after a five-day disciplinary hearing in June, finding he had committed 11 ethics violations in connection with the lacrosse case. He resigned as district attorney on July 2.

And on Wednesday, the state Attorney General's Office confirmed it was reviewing the possibility of criminal action against those involved in the lacrosse investigation, including Nifong and various police officers. The review was requested by interim District Attorney Jim Hardin Jr., a judge and Nifong's predecessor as chief prosecutor here.

Hardin will be replaced as interim district attorney today by David Saacks, who will serve by gubernatorial appointment until next year's election.

Debrah said...

H-S:

Not just Nifong

It has been proven that Michael Nifong made false statements. Surely he is not the only person. Where is the woman who is responsible for this whole fiasco? She has not shown her face, and no one has mentioned her name. It is illegal to yell 'fire' in a crowded theater or any crowd when there is no fire. Try it, and you will get arrested.

One can, however, scream rape at a party, get three people arrested, and not be punished. Where is the justice in this situation? From reports, others have had similar encounters with this female. Additionally, what happened to the Duke professors, administrators, and students who were quick to make judgments?

Oscar Compton
Hillborough
September 7, 2007

Anonymous said...

Amazingly he still has supporters, how stupid are these people? (LOL)

The NC DAs tell Nifong to get off the case.

The Bar removes his license.

He is removed from office.

He is convicted of lying to the court.

Soon to come...

He loses his assets in a lawsuit.

He is indicted, convicted for civil right violations.


Believe me, everyone in Mike's family knows the truth but Mike Nifong, like the FA he has no connection to reality.

Anonymous said...

Just looked at a picture of the "We Believe in Your Integrity" sign on Liestoppers.

Interestingly, aside from Peterson all the other faces are white!

My interpretation is that Nifongs black supporters were evil but sane. They supported him because of perceived self-interest and dropped him as soon as he was of no use to them. The white supporters never had anything to gain except the belief that they're somehow better than everyone else. They were driven by an ideology they've made part of their identity. It's too bad there's no legal way to have that crowd rounded up and screened for narcissistic and borderline personality disorders.

Anonymous said...

My God. I see the culmination of all of this in that mug shot picture. Mike Nifong, booked, in jail. It vindicates everything KC- and we- have been laboring over since April 2006.
This is a glorious moment. And don't think it'll only last a day.

Anyone want to take a bunch of mug shot posters over to Duke?

Anonymous said...

Did PD lock him out for the benefit of the media?

Victoria Peterson cannot be real. One wonders if the cartoon character she portrays delivered a cake with embedded files to Nifong?

mac said...

Anyone remember Mulder's poster?
"I Want to Believe."

Reminds me of the "We Believe in Your Integrity" posters currently being discussed...and it's true, Mikey: "we believe..." that your supporters missed the Hale-Bopp comet of '97, when they wore Adidas instead of Nikes. (Victoria, I understand that Marshall misses you, and wants you to come home to "Boppa.")

Anonymous said...

All,

How delicious!

I must point out to many who wish the jail term was longer (I feel the same way), that my opinion is that this is a dancing bear issue.

The marvel is not how well the bear dances, but that it dances at all.

The best part about this was not that the Nifonganator served a given stretch in the joint, but that he was made to suffer the indignity of losing his job and licensce, and was convicted and incarcerated.

The difference between one day and thirty, is, in my opinion, merely 1% of the equation. Just my thoughts.

Anyways, does anyone here think that even 30 days and a fine would be sufficient punishment for trying to jail three innocent kids for 30 years?

I will take both the symbolic AND actualy conviction and inside view of the jail cell as a huge moral victory.

ES Duke 1990

mac said...

Mikey still has that smug look. What does it take?

Anonymous said...

If the camera had looked carefully enough, perhaps we might have also seen signs saying

"TAWANA BRAWLEY -- WE BELIEVE IN YOU, TOO!!!"

Anonymous said...

The Nifonganator . . . what's up wit dat name. Maybe I read it wrong, but it seems to resonate. Its sound is so Durhamesque . . . like the sound of some one playing on a xylophone made from the cold iron bars of a jail cell.

www.buymontgomery.com said...

I found it interesting that the New York Times used an AP wire to cover this story rather than one of their own reporters.

Anonymous said...

The Washington Post is reporting that attorneys for the falsely accused players are seeking a settlement in the amount of $30 million. If the settlement is not paid they will sue Durham.

Thanks to people like Victoria Petersen and groups like UBUNTU, Durham is getting ready to make the people these fools tried to lynch rich beyond their wildest dreams.

I'd like to buy the people of Durham a drink. Soon they may not be able to afford to pay for their own.

mac said...

To pull a comment across threads:

I'm wondering what the other lacrosse players are doing - if anything?

What are Mr. Elmostafa's plans?

LarryD said...

AP story in TheStar:

"The players attorneys, meanwhile, have proposed a settlement with the city of Durham that includes reforming the legal system.

"If the terms aren't met, the attorneys will file a civil rights lawsuit early next month, the person close to the case said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement wasn't complete.

...

"During a discussion Wednesday with Durham officials, players' attorneys Brendan Sullivan and Barry Scheck stressed that the money they are seeking in the settlement – about $10 million each for David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann over five years – must be accompanied by legal reforms, the person said.

"The attorneys are seeking the creation of ombudsman positions to review complaints of misconduct about North Carolina district attorneys, and they want Durham city officials to lead the lobbying for any legal changes that would require action by the state's General Assembly, the person said."

Anonymous said...

Nifong is really cruel. I mean, he's only going to be in jail for one day. No matter what his son said, Nifong should have insisted the kid stay home. How horrible to have that memory stamped in your mind for the rest of your life!

The rest of the supporters are just fools!

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that Durham still has plenty of people who think the world is flat. The UBUNTU (a local Durham group) website still says the group was founded directly in response to the rape by the lacrosse team.

When we see things like that coupled with people supporting Nifong's integrity it makes me laugh that anyone would expect the falsely accused platyers to have mercy on Durham in a lawsuit.

I wonder exactly how much of the settlement the people who were at the jail today in support of Mr. Nifong are willing to pay?

It's very easy to wave a sign around saying you support something, even something as non-existent as Mike Nifong's integrity. It's a little harder to explain to your neighbors why their taxes were quadrupled and their city has been bankrupted.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how the Durham city council feels about Peterson's rally for Mike Nifong today. They just found out their city is about to be sued for $30 million because of Nifong's actions and Peterson is out waving signs for him.

Durham truly is a Wonderland.

Glad Victoria Petersen isn't supporting me.

Anonymous said...

The Wanted posters and lies that the DPD launched attacked not just the 3 accused players, but all of them. They inflamed racial tensions that could have led to someone getting hurt.

All the 43 players should join the lawsuit or sue on their own.

Anonymous said...

"New York Times used an AP wire"

I am sure certain media outlets are being held directly responsible and advised by counsel to keep their mouths shut. Good counsel! Too bad for them the damage is done. I don't know much about law, but I am hoping these boys can teach some of these papers a lesson they won't forget. If Imus can get sued (not necessarily successfully) for his remarks...well...I cannot fathom what these boys can do to the various organizations (Newsweek, NYT, NAACP, etc etc.) preaching and praying for their castration, death, and sometimes both.

Anonymous said...

Nifong doesn't seem to get or understand that spectacles like this, that I am sure he orchestrated, or at least condoned, would serve to further inflame those whom he has harmed, serving only to more deeply set their resolve to pursue further legal action against him. Soaked in gasoline, he seems happily poised to strike the match. What an example of self immolation. I love it.

Anonymous said...

It would be nice if Nifong learned some hard truths (no pun) about interracial rape while he's in the hoosegow. Scroll about halfway down that Human Rights Watch report to get to the "Race and Ethnicity" section.

Coming soon to a comment near you: A claim that HRW is a racist organization.

Anonymous said...

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Anonymous said...

Nifong's brother is a local pastor (how's that for ironic?) and many, if not most, of the 20 supporters were members of his church. Apparently, the brother didn't make it....anyone local see him in the crowd?

Anonymous said...

The impact of the fact of confinement rather than the duration has been well expressed by " 11:55 " . Nifong does seem to lack any instinct for P R . Perhaps he takes solace from those who champion his integrity and ignores reality and the rest of the world .

Anonymous said...

btw, before this blog ends, I have to ask, Why is KC known as KC when those are not his initials?

RRH

Anonymous said...

One day was not enough, this is certain but at least he has a criminal record and.. this is not the last we'll hear about him. I'm sure this Liefong scum will be sued in civil court.

Anonymous said...

Good Lord-
The Herald-Sun writes:

*** The evidence indicated that the accuser, an exotic dancer, had engaged in sexual activity with several other men but not with any of the indicted suspects: Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans. ***

They still don't name Crystal Gail Mangum (guilty of at the very least filing a false police report and emphaticlly not the victim of any sex offence) but call the three lacrosse players: "indicted suspects", not: "the falsely accused and criminally charged victims whose names should no longer be printed as a courtesy (belated) to their privacy rights since they were declared innocent."

sigh...

RL Duke alum medicine '75

Anonymous said...

RL: So email the Herald Sun and make your point to them! Maybe someday they'll get it (or better yet, get a new editor in chief)!

One Spook said...

RRH writes @ 1:25 PM:

"btw, before this blog ends, I have to ask, Why is KC known as KC when those are not his initials?"

According to this article, Tenure Madness in The Chronicle of Higher Education, this is the answer:

"He was born Robert David Johnson, though everyone knows him now as KC (a nickname drawn from a Boston Celtics star). He grew up in suburban Massachusetts, the son of two public-school teachers."

The only Celtics star I know with the initials "KC" is the great K. C. Jones.

One Spook

Bob Groppe said...

I tried to reserve "Until Proven Innocent" through the NY Public Library. Not one copy in their entire system, not even plans to buy one.

I wonder if their buyer used to work at Duke?

Anonymous said...

Duke alum medicine 75> you are so right.
Let's hope Mr.Nifong gets to do the walk again for more time, Durham gets to pay out big and the g88 break the agreed upon silencing that Duke established, so they can then be sued and fired as well.
It is abundantly clear that the Nifong inner circle has a skewed, totally wrong view of this whole affair and would do it all again if given the chance. There is no remorse, the hatred for white people still exists,the belief that pay back trumps the constitution and laws of our country is alive and well with these people.
Duke alum, you are so right... words do matter, the law matters, so does the process of truth, and fairness matter. At least to most people, if not for administrators and professors at Duke, the media and legal system in Durham.

Anonymous said...

mac said...
"I'm wondering what the other lacrosse players are doing - if anything?"

Waiting for the SBI, the Feds and the big 3 claimants to do discovery for them.

Their claims might not be large enough to cover the cost of the research that would be needed to prove them, but the more evidence is made public, the more likely it becomes that one or more will see their proposition become winning.

From this analysis I don't expect to hear from them until these suits are settled or over. But at that point, not only Durham/NC, but Duke can expect to get hit again.

McFayden's got the next biggest claim, but he's also got the most case-specific work to do to: figuring out how that email came to be released, and finding folks who, unlike the sleazebag judge, he can actually go after.

Anonymous said...

I see we now have the Nifong fan club picture up here too. Can anyone put any names to these idiots' faces?

Anonymous said...

Bob Groppe and others: I just tried to order it from Amazon and they said it will ship in 1-4 weeks! I take that to mean they have sold out! It's #20 on their hot releases list (updated hourly).

I lived in the Raleigh-Durham area when all this started, and I'm a Duke alum. We moved back to Texas about a year ago and this is the first time I've really regretted it--I can't find KC's book in the stores here--yet! I'm hoping they just took longer to get here--I'll keep checking this weekend. After that, I'll give up and order it from Amazon and hope their 1-4 week wait is over-estimated. :-(

Anonymous said...

Take another look at that crowdshot. Those people were in the pool of potential jurors had the Lax Case gone to trial and a change of venue was not granted.

Anyone still think the Lax 3 could have gotten better than a hung jury in Durham?

I believe that given the corrupt nature of the justice system in Durham that at least a couple of jurors would have been empaneled who would have voted to convict regardless of the testimony to guarantee a hung jury.

A trial would have been as rigged as the April 4th photo ID session. Just as there were no wrong answers on April 4th, a Not Guilty verdict would not have been possible.

Anonymous said...

Nifong should have entered the police station in handcuffs just as the three players did, but seeing his mug shot seems good enough at this point.

As far as the "I believe in your integrity and goodness" signs, maybe they were directed at David Saacks, the new interim DA in Durham who is not supposed to run for reelection next year. Wait a minute, that sounds eerily familiar...

Anonymous said...

That's still the potential jury pool for any civil trials in Durham, too. Unfortunately.

Anonymous said...

OK, I'll ask, anyone been "othered" yet today?

Anonymous said...

re: the washington post story. If true, I think the "legal reforms" being asked for are there only to guarantee the city turns down the offer. The plaintiffs want this to go to trial, but they want to make the show of a settlement offer first. (good strategy, imho) Even though the reforms are an objectively good idea, no city will ever agree to political reform simply because an opponent in a lawsuit demanded it. If it's a good idea, why not do it before you're forced? If it's not a good idea, why do under pressure? It's a no-win situation for any official making that decision. Better (for the official) to charge into a lawsuit, lose millions of the taxpayers money, take early retirement and head for Florida, never to return.

Anonymous said...

Sad that people in Durham can't help but continue to look foolish.

Anonymous said...

"....every day for the rest of your life," Mikey.

Anonymous said...

I guess it's pretty easy for these people to believe in Nifong's "integrity" and "goodness" when they clearly don't have any idea what those words mean.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed your Post interview.

Anonymous said...

Apethetic Durham Voters have just been embarrased once again by there elected officials!

Anonymous said...

1:44, et. al.

One of the singular accomplishments of Taylor and Johnson's book is the "rehabilitation" of these falsely-accused young men, their characters, and good names, in the eyes of anyone who reads it with honesty and fairness.

While one book cannot undo the months of accumulated slanders and scorn heaped upon the three by the blind mouths of Nifong, his minions, the media, and agenda-driven academicians, this one comes as close as meticulous, factual reporting can. It certainly nails the breathtaking mendacities of the charges and contemptible attacks against them. At the same time it generates enormous empathy for Seligmann, Finnerty, and Evans, their families, teammates and friends.

Anyone who can read the book's account of Bannon's and Clooney's climatic cross of Meehan on December 15, without experiencing a chill down the spine as Dave Evans did, simply has no conscience. Anyone who can read dry-eyed the friend's hopeful note of encouragement to Evans that closes the final chapter on the case has no heart nor understanding.

On another thread, someone griped about being "othered" by criticism of the original (false) accuser and the egregious 88. For Collin, Reade, and David, this book accomplishes just about the opposite: it restores, in the public arena, a measure of their humanity that was taken from them. The book may be even more of a gift to them than to the public.

Anonymous said...

Not 'othered' yet, but feeling a touch disempowered. Nothing that a stiff drink after work won't take care of.

In other news, The Chronicle's message board (which was closed down during the summer because of faculty displeasure over critical postings) is back up.

Anonymous said...

Stop worrying about the 20 or so supporters...half were forced by being family anyway. Since Nifong got 95% of the black Durham vote, that would make him about 88,000 supporters short this morning.

Anonymous said...

Re 2:54's "(N)o city will ever agree to political reform simply because an opponent in a lawsuit demanded it. If it's a good idea, why not do it before you're forced?"

Actually, a number of reforms in the Durham crim justice system have come about because of lawsuits. The biggest, both figuratively and literally, is the huge jail that Nifong checked himself into today. The prior hellhol... I mean facility was on the top flooor of the judicial buidling. When it got crowded, it was like something out of Dickens.

Ken Duke, Atty
Durham, NC

Anonymous said...

Dickens you say!
heard being uttered by Mike Nifong as he enter his cell today.
"I wear the chain I forged in life! I made it link by link and yard by yard! I gartered it on of my own free will and by my own free will, I wore it."

Anonymous said...

"In other news, The Chronicle's message board (which was closed down during the summer because of faculty displeasure over critical postings) is back up."

-Not true. Did you even read the editor's note?

In the summer the Chronicle staff is down to 4 or 5 students who stick around (everyone else leaves). Simply not enough time to monitor the thing PLUS as the Chronicle is an independent entity from the university (with its own board of trustees, publishing company, endowment, editorial staff, etc), it also doesn't have the university's resources to litigate or effectively stave off any civil lawsuits from comments on the site (if not properly policed).

-A former Chronicler

Gary Packwood said...

Anonymous 2:44 said...

....Bob Groppe and others: I just tried to order it from Amazon and they said it will ship in 1-4 weeks! I take that to mean they have sold out! It's #20 on their hot releases list (updated hourly).

...I lived in the Raleigh-Durham area when all this started, and I'm a Duke alum. We moved back to Texas about a year ago and this is the first time I've really regretted it--I can't find KC's book in the stores here--yet!
::
Most interesting. I live in Houston and can't find the book at Borders or Barnes and Noble anywhere in Houston or the Sugarland area.

They are pressing me hard to special order it, of course.

I am waiting for my copies to arrive from amazon.com.

Good luck.
::
GP

Anonymous said...

Former Chronicler:

Yes, I did read the editor's note. This, in part, is what it said:

"Several members of the University community contacted me about comments posted on the board that they said were racist, repulsive and unbecoming of both The Chronicle and Duke University, and I agreed and was more than happy to remove those comments. After some reflection, I decided that in the short term, the more drastic step of disabling the boards was necessary.

Since the lacrosse case began, The Chronicle Online has been a major discussion site for those interested in the case. Although the vast majority of our readers that posted have been willing to conform both to basic standards of decency and to our request avoid profanity and vulgarity, there are others who have seen fit to post obscene, offensive and objectionable content, including racist and sexist speech.

That will not be tolerated on our website."

Maybe I read too much into that, or maybe not. No offense I hope.

Anonymous said...

thanks One Spook for the 411 on KC's name. RRH

Anonymous said...

I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as a four man LAX team but obviously there is. UBUNTU knows about it since their website discusses the rape by the LAX team and since we all know that there was DNA evidence and NONE of it belonged to any Duke LAX players, there must be a mystery LAX Rape team in Durm. It would figure though. Bet ole Vicky Peterson is one of their cheerleaders. She's got a long way to go before the Dallas Cowboys would consider her. CGM on the other hand, well, she's been ridden hard and long by a whole herd. Oops, didn't mean to "steer" you in the wrong direction.
Cy-anara!

Unknown said...

Is that the only outfit V. Peterson owns? Wasn't she wearing that outside the courthouse when she took a camera crew and reporter hostage?

Gary Packwood said...

Atty Ken Duke 3:45 said...
...Re 2:54's "(N)o city will ever agree to political reform simply because an opponent in a lawsuit demanded it. If it's a good idea, why not do it before you're forced?"
...Actually, a number of reforms in the Durham criminal justice system have come about because of lawsuits. The biggest, both figuratively and literally, is the huge jail that Nifong checked himself into today. The prior hellhol... I mean facility was on the top floor of the judicial building. When it got crowded, it was like something out of Dickens.
::
Even the Durham JAIL you are talking about is PC. I noticed that it is named the ...DURHAM DETENTION CENTER in the pictures this morning.

And...2:54, I don't think we do anything in Texas unless there is a lawsuit resulting in a requirement that we do something. Might be a good idea that we do something of course but we got no money don't ya know and the taxpayers (no income tax in Texas) want to hear that we MUST do something before they part with their dollars.
::
GP

Gary Packwood said...

Scott 5:45 said...
Is that the only outfit V. Peterson owns? Wasn't she wearing that outside the courthouse when she took a camera crew and reporter hostage?
::
Thats her Sunday goin' to meetin' clothes, don't you know.

Special hat for Easter.
::
GP

Gary Packwood said...

Anonymous 9:47 said...
...Does anyone know what ails Vikky Peterson?
::
She has attended far to many organizational development workshops sponsored by extremist white folks.

She believes that they really know what they are talking about.
::
GP

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile, some lawyers griped Thursday that Nifong is getting a raw deal, but others suggested he deserved more than a day behind bars.

"It's a bold and extraordinary procedure to send someone to jail -- even for a day -- who has a long history of integrity and was never in trouble before," said John Fitzpatrick, president of the Durham Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Fitzpatrick said he hoped an "eye-for-an-eye and tooth-for-a tooth" mentality was not involved in the jailing.

"We don't want to give the public that kind of image," he said. "Just because three lacrosse players spent a few hours in jail, I personally don't believe Mr. Nifong should necessarily have to spend a few more hours."
======================================================================

This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a joke?!

Anonymous said...

The signs might as well read: "WE ARE MORONS"

Anonymous said...

"LOBOTOMIZE!!"

"Friday morning, time for our medication"

Anonymous said...

"It's a bold and extraordinary procedure to send someone to jail -- even for a day -- who has a long history of integrity and was never in trouble before,"

As Lane Williamson said -- just because a lawyer never embezzled money from a client before doesn't mean he gets a free pass the first time he does it. I believe Williamson also pointed out that the misconduct lasted for over a year and that made it very difficult to even consider this just one instance of misconduct, let alone one that could be forgiven as a 'one-time aberration'.

Anonymous said...

Gary Packwood said...

And...2:54, I don't think we do anything in Texas unless there is a lawsuit resulting in a requirement that we do something. Might be a good idea that we do something of course but we got no money don't ya know and the taxpayers (no income tax in Texas) want to hear that we MUST do something before they part with their dollars.
::
GP

9/7/07 9:44 PM


I'd like to point out that Texas is actually a very pro-defendant state. There are, for example, no "common law crimes" in Texas -- that is, no judge can say "what you did was bad enough". If it's not specifically criminalized by the Legislature, it's legal to do in Texas (this has made drug laws a nightmare, since every possible compound has to be described).

People have this image of Texas as a "rough justice" kind of place. It is rough, if you're guilty. But there are lots of legal protections for defendants, PLUS there's an overall cultural distrust in Texas of all government power (recent refugees from Yankeedom excepted).

RRH

Anonymous said...

"Please let us through.... He's just here to do his job. He has a JOB to do"

Oh, my gosh! I sure hope that whoever his employer was didn't pay more than the minimum wage!

First time in my life I ever heard it said that spending a night in jail was "doing a job". Talk about speech revision!

BTW... to the lawyers. Now that Mikey is a criminal, does he loose his voting rights?

PLEEASEEE say "YES"!