Open Letter to the 'Concerned Duke Faculty'

A group of so-called 'concerned Duke faculty' has written an open letter to the Duke University community, once again defending their actions in corrupting public opinion in Durham against the three Duke lacrosse students accused of rape. Early on in this case, a group of 88 faculty members of Duke took out an ad in the local newspaper which was used by the community as a whole to pass judgment on the three accused before any due process of law was implemented, and in the middle of an ongoing investigation.

Repeatedly in the subsequent months, the group has defended its actions in the face of mounting criticism and public outcry. And now, the 'group of 88,' which now refers to itself as 'concerned Duke faculty' is defending itself once again. You can read their 'open letter to the Duke community' here:

open letter

In response to the open letter to the Duke community, I have my own 'open letter to the concerned Duke faculty,' which you will find here:

Your 'open letter to the Duke community' is a curious document. Once again, in your steadfast refusal to recognize your role in creating a climate in Durham that made it impossible for a fair trial to be conducted, you are proclaiming to the state of North Carolina, the nation, and the legal community in particular, that deep problems exist within the North Carolina judicial system that only a massive, top-to-bottom revamping of the system will solve. In fact, your latest attempt to defend the indefensible only amplifies your culpability in this entire charade. The more you protest the more you appear to be on the defensive as increasingly a chorus of near-unanimous voices are raised in condemnation not only of the manner in which this case was handled, but the manner in which certain members of the Durham community handled serious allegations long before any guilt could be established.

Certain members of the Duke faculty are included in this sector of the local community that publicly raised the intensity of the rhetoric surrounding the case to a fever pitch, becoming judge and jury, and issuing the guilty sentence long before any due process of law was implemented. The only thing lacking in this despicable scenario was the lynching, and, as some within the Durham community went on record as stating, 'This would be payback for the times white people railroaded innocent Blacks through the courts through the years. It doesn't matter if those three white guys are guilty or not.'

Whether you realize it or not, the fact that you would issue commentary in the local newspaper while an investigation is ongoing is at the very least the height of irresponsibility. Your words did, in fact, taint the case in the court of public opinion. Those who exhibited a desire to rush to judgment seized upon your words to incite a near-riot scenario that even further tainted the case. It really does not matter if this was your intention or not. The fact is, it happened, and your words became part of a mindset within the Durham community that the three young defendants were guilty even before they were tried, and the only thing left to do was to have a trial to formalize the verdict and the subsequent lynching.

You have made a mockery of criminal justice. All across the country the citizens have been watching Durham in complete horror that such a fiasco could actually occur within a court of law within the United States of America. The fact that even now, at this late date, after all that has been revealed concerning the gross misconduct, errors, and possible crimes committed by persons involved in prosecuting this case, you would continue to defend yourselves, refusing to acknowledge your role in perpetuating the hoax, only highlights the suspicions about your integrity in the minds of most rational, thinking people.

As the truth about what actually happened at Duke is hammered out by numerous investigations, the nation will clearly see that the justice system in Durham, and in North Carolina as a whole, is in shambles. If a rogue prosecutor can do this to three innocent young men, all with the tacit or implied blessing of the community, the Duke faculty and administration, and the local judiciary, then it is clear that getting a fair trial in Durham is next to impossible. In fact, the entire nightmare casts a long shadow of doubt on the integrity of the North Carolina judicial system as a whole.

Thus, you cannot with any integrity continue to defend your actions and public statements. Your latest attempt to escape any culpability in this sad chapter in American jurisprudence is testimony either to your blindness and state of denial or your complete and utter corruption.