INC NEWS - Letters, Saunders column, Editorial (N&O, Herald-Sun, Chronicle)

[John Schelp]

Column: Beauty in place of horror
by Barry Saunders, News & Observer, 28 March 2006

Ever wonder how, from a steaming, stinking pile of
manure a beautiful rose grows?

I used to, too. Until Saturday.

That's when, from a steaming, stinking pile of wrong,
arose a beautiful example of human concern for the
least of those among us.

Scores of people, indifferent to 35-degree
temperatures, some pushing baby strollers, stood
outside 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. in Durham on Saturday
night, and again Sunday morning, to protest the
alleged rape and brutalization of a young woman there.

More than that, though, they gathered to show the
woman that she matters.

You work for an escort service? Their presence
screamed, "We don't care."

You're an exotic dancer? That's OK, honey. You're
still a human being deserving of respect and love. We
love you.

TV news reporters persist in reporting that you
"claim" you were raped instead of "said" you were
raped? That's all right, too. We believe you.

>From what I hear, the young lady was a novice
stripper, which won't make a bit of difference to the
moralists who'll blame her anyway.

It would, however, explain why she didn't know that
she should've hustled her 6-inch clear heels out of
that crib as soon as she realized that an engagement
to dance for five men turned out to be a "boys gone
wild" gig with close to 50 males. (Don't dare call
them men.)

She wasn't at the vigils, but I'll bet the supporters
standing in the cold warmed her heart nonetheless:
they warmed mine more than did the memorial candles
they held aloft.

Likewise, I'll bet the display of support and those
same candles -- left on the porch as a reminder --
chilled the home's residents to the bone, even though
they've apparently gone into hiding.

Odds are they're now wrapped in the protective legal
cocoon of mumsy's and popsy's attorneys, being drilled
in the art of self-preservation.

Wanna bet they're somewhere scratching their helmeted
heads going, "What? All of this support for a
stripper? An exotic dancer? Who'd have thought people
would get so worked up over a little boys-will-be-boys
horseplay? Gosh, she's a stripper, dude, and we're,
we're ... well -- you know who we are."

Whether or not some players raped, sodomized and
choked the young lady while others stood by earlier
this month will be determined in court. It's obvious,
though, that something dirty took place in there.

More than a week has passed since the party and since
police finally went inside to gather evidence of a
crime. A cleanup has occurred and a coverup is under
way: the bags of empty beer cans have been hauled
away, and one of those yellow, industrial mop buckets
sits inside.

Despite the occupants' efforts to tidy up, though, the
joint is still a mess. The back and side yards remain
littered with beer cans and empty whiskey and MD 20/20
wine bottles.

Imagine that. These are the dudes the lacrosse coach
praised, even after they'd marched into police
headquarters to give up DNA to determine if three were
rapists, as mature, responsible men.

Despite the litter behind the house and the ugliness
of a week ago, the scene in the front Saturday night
was beautiful.

****

Letter: Lacrosse players party on
(Herald-Sum, 28 March 2006)
 
Saturday night, I was at a bar when half the Duke
lacrosse team arrived. They ordered rounds of shots,
slamming them down and cheering "Duke Lacrosse!"
Comments flew from "How does Duke not have them under
lockdown?" to "Do they realize what unremorseful snobs
they look like?" They had no idea that customers,
reporters, and cops were watching them, nor did they
seem to care. While they became loud and drunk, the
bar looked on with derision and repulsion. 

Their actions conveyed the sense that the severity of
the situation is lost on them. While nothing has been
proven and no formal charges have been pressed, I
can't help wondering how they had the audacity to go
out and celebrate after these allegations have blown
up nationally and they had to forfeit games as a
result. 

I don't blame anyone for blowing off steam and having
fun. Most shouldn't be penalized for what their
teammates may or may not have done. Duke lacrosse is a
team they should otherwise be proud of, but Saturday
night reflected so badly upon their program and their
school. 

As a woman, a Duke graduate, and a future women's and
child advocacy lawyer, I was disappointed, and to be
frank, disgusted by their behavior. What happened
doesn't only affect the individuals involved but
everything and everyone that they represent. I hope
that the situation is quickly resolved, but until
then, it is behavior like this that perpetuates the
seemingly negative reputation that Duke sometimes has.


Jill Hopman
Durham

****

Letter: Allegations are disturbing
Duke Chronicle, 27 March 2006

The entire Duke community should be ashamed and
outraged by the alleged events that occurred at the
lacrosse party March 13. Student athletes have the
privilege of representing our University on and off
the field, and if allegations of a gang-rape, robbery
and assault are proven true, the Duke men's lacrosse
team has truly shamed our school. I readily commend
the athletic department for making the team forfeit
two games, but it seems this action was taken not in
an effort to sanction the team's behavior; rather, it
appeared to be a last-minute decision made in response
to the protest that had been planned to take place at
the Georgetown game this past Saturday. I sincerely
hope that that protest will be rescheduled for the
next home game that is played, and I will be in full
support of it. 

In the meantime, may the community respond with
outrage and demand the highest level of integrity from
the administration, the coaches and the players
involved in the alleged incident. 

And may students come together next week, during
Sexual Assault Prevention Week, to firmly state that
we will not tolerate such behavior, nor will we
associate with people who do.

Nina Ehrlich
Trinity '06

****

Editorial: Outrage at Duke lacrosse players
Herald-Sun, 28 March 2006

This isn't the kind of national publicity Duke thought
it would be getting in March for one of its sports
teams. 

A crowd of students and residents gathered Sunday
morning for a raucous demonstration near East Campus,
attracting plenty of media attention. But they weren't
celebrating a basketball victory. They were protesting
in front of the now-infamous "lacrosse house" at 610
N. Buchanan Blvd., the site of a March 13 party that
allegedly included a sexual assault. 

We now know that the members of the team weren't home
at the time. But wherever they were, one would hope
the banging drums served as a wake-up call that the
students' obnoxious fun and games have taken a very
serious turn. 

According to reports, 40 or more lacrosse players
invited two "dancers" from an escort service to
provide entertainment at the party. One of dancers
later told police she was raped, sodomized, beaten,
kicked and strangled by three men in a bathroom. When
police officers arrived at the house with a search
warrant on March 16, none of the players would
cooperate with the investigation. Later, under threat
of further penalty, 46 members of the team were
DNA-tested by police. 

There's no question the student-athletes were probably
guilty of all the usual offenses -- underage drinking,
loud partying, obnoxious behavior. But the allegations
of rape bring the students' arrogant frat-boy culture
to a whole new, sickening level. 

First-degree rape is a class B1 felony, carrying a
maximum penalty of life in prison. And if the
allegations are accurate, the multiple assailants and
the violence of the assault puts it solidly into
first-degree territory. 

"Get a conscience, not a lawyer," read signs waved in
front of the house on Sunday. We agree that the
alleged crime isn't the only outrage. It's also
outrageous that not a single person who was in the
house felt compelled to step forward and tell the
truth about what happened. And these are our best and
brightest, America's future leaders? When did we stop
teaching right from wrong? 

Duke officials are facing criticism for not speaking
out strongly enough against the alleged crimes.
President Richard Brodhead and other officials are in
a tough situation. They have called the crimes
deplorable, if they occurred, while pointing out that
suspects in our free society are granted the
presumption of innocence. We should remember those
aren't just words. They are a precious part of our
constiutional rights. 

Duke officials could speak just as strongly through
their actions. The sports office has already forfeited
two games, and we think it should cancel the entire
season. The consistently awful behavior of this
particular team has earned such a penalty. And
depending on the outcome of the case, the entire
future of the lacrosse program at Duke should be open
to debate. 

****