DON’T FEEL TOO SORRY FOR THE DUKIES
The three young men who she accused are truly innocent of the charges brought against them according to the North Carolina Attorney General and the investigation led by his office. But perhaps the outpouring of sympathy for Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and David Evans is just a bit misplaced. They got special treatment in the justice system—both negative and positive. The conduct of the lacrosse team of which they were members was not admirable on the night of the incident, to say the least. And there are so many other victims of prosecutorial misconduct in this country who never get the high-priced legal representation and the high-profile, high-minded vindication that it strikes me as just a bit unseemly to heap praise and sympathy on these particular men.
No one has ever said that the conduct of the Duke lacrosse team on the night the alleged rape occurred was stellar. Certainly, their behavior was stupid and misogynistic. The team paid $800 for the time of two strippers, specifically requested one white stripper, and then hurled racial insults at them. These guys clearly aren’t going to be nominated for Gentleman of the Year awards. But, however reprehensible the stripper issue might have been, did Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and David Evans do ANYTHING to deserve the Hell they have been dragged through over the past year?
ABC News’ Terry Moran would have you believe that this all about wealth and privilege and the color of their skin. While those issues certainly were part of the mix, this legal and social travesty can and should be laid at the feet of Durham County DA and former DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener Mike Nifong. Nifong decided early on that this case presented him with the perfect opportunity to polish his career and his reputation to a brilliant shine. That there was never any DNA evidence, or really any evidence at all that a crime had been committed seemed almost beside the point.
Moran really doesn’t have much of an argument, other than the usual “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” crap that seems to fuel so much media speculation and character assassination these days. OK, so there’s no story…but with enough rumor and innuendo we can MAKE a story….
Colin Finnerty was charged with assault in Washington, DC, in 2005.
Yes, Colin Finnerty was charged with assault…and how does that have ANYTHING to do with this case of prosecutorial misconduct? Finnerty may not be a Boy Scout, but being charged with something does not make him guilty of it, and what happened in 2005 has nothing to do with this case. Unless, of course, you’re just fishing for something to burnish your weak argument.
The young men were able to retain a battery of top-flight attorneys, investigators and media strategists.
As students of Duke University or other elite institutions, these young men will get on with their privileged lives. There is a very large cushion under them—the one that softens the blows of life for most of those who go to Duke or similar places, and have connections through family, friends and school to all kinds of prospects for success. They are very differently situated in life from, say, the young women of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.
It’s indeed true that Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans are the children of wealth and privilege. Is that reality somehow to be taken to imply that they are less deserving of the presumption of innocence and protection from prosecutorial misconduct? Sure, they were fortunate to have resources that not all of us would have access to. Justice may be blind, but she sure ain’t cheap, is she? The sad thing about all of this is that Nifong might well have been successful in his quest to railroad Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans if their families didn’t have money- something that Seligman freely admitted during the press conference last week.
Perhaps Moran would do well to remember that this travesty was about a prosecutor who attempted to convict three young men in the court of public opinion when he didn’t have the evidence to do so in a court of law. No one- regardless of their wealth or social class- should have to endure what Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans did.
I hope we all keep him and others in mind, as we cover the celebrated exoneration of well-heeled, well-connected, well-publicized young men whose conduct, while not illegal, was not entirely admirable, either. They aren’t heroes. They aren’t boys. They are young men who were victimized by a reckless prosecutor—and had the resources the fight him off.
Moran speaks of the money and connections that Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans were fortunate enough to have as if it’s something to be ashamed of. Yes, these three are the children of wealth and privilege. That is certainly not something to fault them for, nor does it make them somehow less deserving of the presumption of innocence.
What happened to Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans should not happen to anyone- Black or White, rich or poor, powerful and politically connected or not. No one “bought” justice here…and Moran should keep in mind that money, wealth, and privilege doesn’t always have to be viewed as a sign of evil and corruption. WIthout that wealth, Seligman, Finnerty, and Evans might well be looking at doing hard time for a crime that existed only in the fevered imagination of an overzealous District Attorney looking to score political points and burnish his reputation.
