Duke professor of English and African-American studies Houston Baker writes:

There is no rush to judgment here about the crime — neither the violent racial epithets reported in a 911 call to Durham police, nor the harms to body and soul allegedly perpetrated by white males at 610 Buchanan Boulevard.

Insults and slurs are not “crimes.” It doesn’t matter that Prof. Baker or Tim Tyson thinks it is or should be. The idea that of “violent” hate speech is also something espoused in the classroom of UNC-Chapel Hill lecturer Elyse Crystall, whom federal investigators found had sexually and racially discriminated against and harassed a student in her classroom (and who is still employed at UNC-CH).

Incidentally, the bulk of Baker’s atrocious letter soundly trounces that comment of his about there being “no rush to judgment” there. He not only rushes to condemn the lacrosse players, he’s practically tripping over himself in his eagerness to exacerbate the racial unrest at Duke in his exceedingly irresponsible and morally reprehensible statements. A few choice selections:

…we have been deeply embarrassed by the silence that seems to surround this white, male athletic team’s racist assaults (by words, certainly — deeds, possibly)…

…such a violent and irresponsible group…The lacrosse team … may well feel they can claim innocence and sport their disgraced jerseys on campus, safe under the cover of silent whiteness. But where is the black woman who their violence and raucous witness injured for life? Will she ever sleep well again? And when will the others assaulted by racist epithets while passing 610 Buchanan ever forget that dark moment brought on them by a group of drunken Duke boys? Young, white, violent, drunken men among us … have injured lives.

…the actual harm to the body, soul, mind and spirit of black women who were in the company of Duke University lacrosse team members as far as any of us know

… horrors that have occurred to actual bodies

…abhorrent sexual assault, verbal racial violence and drunken white, male privilege loosed amongst us

How many mandates concerning safe, responsible campus citizenship must be transgressed by white athletes’ violent racism before our university’s offices of administration, athletics, security, and publicity courageously declare: enough!

How many more people of color must fall victim to violent, white, male, athletic privilege …?

…agents, perpetrators and abettors of white privilege, irresponsibility, debauchery and violence

Surely the answer to the question must come in the form of immediate dismissals of those principally responsible for the horrors of this spring moment at Duke. Coaches of the lacrosse team, the team itself and its players, and any other agents who silenced or lied about the real nature of events at 610 Buchanan on the evening of March 13, 2006.

…the white lacrosse team’s out-of-control violent partying…

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