Over a year ago a controversial sex scandal emerged from Durham, NC.
The two parties involved were an African-American female stripper and three white male members of the then top-ranked Duke University Lacrosse team.
Before any other statements were made known, race was already a factor in this case from the previous disclosed remark. At least that’s how members of the Durham community played it out, and initially, who could blame them?
As the case progressed, we came to find out that the three lacrosse members derived from wealthy Northern families whereas the stripper was a local dancer attending the historically black North Carolina Central University – near Duke’s campus. Not only was race an issue, but wealth had slipped into the picture as well. On the outside looking in from the black community, one had to ask themselves if justice would prevail because at this point it was obvious who was in the wrong: the rich white boys.
The Story
The afternoon started off with alcohol and the beginning of the annual team lacrosse party, held at the home of some of the players. The accuser, Precious, and her work partner, Nikki, were the hired entertainment for the night. Due to Precious’ drunken state of mind, the ladies cut their show short and ran off to the bathroom. However, in the midst of this, the two become separated and an alleged violent rape that put lives on the line got incorporated into this story. Problem number one, Precious and Nikki have two different viewpoints of what really happened that night. Police reports were released with the accuser’s claim of being anally, vaginally and orally raped as the players kicked and strangled her for an estimated 30 minutes. The three alleged boys were: David Evans, Reade Seligmann and Colin Finnerty.
Nikki, whose real name is Kim Roberts, did not recall any such rape or physical activity ever having occurred. What Roberts did clearly remember were the racial slurs thrown at her by members of the lacrosse team – members that she stated were not of the three that were deemed guilty – and being asked by some of the players if she and Precious had any sex toys.
Roberts and some of the players had a confrontation about the girls cutting the night short at the expense of $800. That’s when a player called her the N-word. Also, a neighbor overheard a player telling Roberts to thank her grandfather for his cotton shirt. The neighbor reported that to the police. Here lied an actual problem that was put on a sidebar or, better yet, ignored. Instead, the emphasis was placed on the ‘girl who cried rape.’
As Roberts went public with her statements on “60 Minutes” with Ed Bradley, Precious’ statements began to vary. First, she was raped and abused, then she wasn’t. Then, in one of her reports, she listed that Roberts was present at the time of the rape, further indicating that she assisted the lacrosse players in the rape.
You had a victim whose story appeared to be changing at any given moment, an upset and rowdy community and players who had been suspended from their university and facing severe jail time.
The Test
All 46 players were ordered on account of a judge’s order via the district attorney’s office to give their DNA with the exception of the only black male on the team. Seeing as how the victim’s story varied, it wouldn’t have hurt for him to be added to the group as well.
All 46 players’ DNA was negative to anything that may have been on or inside the accuser.
That was the key evidence, the grand finale.
The big bang that everyone had been waiting for and it was negative. Now what? The trial continued on for several months, and it seems as if everyone was afraid to ask the most important question: What are we still fighting for?
There was no longer any evidence. Doctor reports of the victim, along with her ‘word of mouth,’ showed that there were no signs of penetration only consensual sex that had taken place with her boyfriend prior to the lacrosse party. America no longer knew what to believe, and the poor and unexplainable choice of lies from the accuser left white America, once again, something to talk about.