I guess it should be no surprise that the socialist-leaning Independent Weekly sees all sorts of exploitation of the oppressed by the ruling class in the Duke case, even after it’s over and the so-called oppressed person has been shown to be the scoundrel. Still, as Richard Hart says in a column in the current issue, “Though there’s no evidence of rape, she’s still a victim.” Perhaps if Hart would take off his blinders and quit thinking of the false accuser as “a mom from the black school across town” he would see her for what she really is: an unfortunate sex worker with psychological problems who saw an opportunity for a scam.
He rightly points out the excesses of Durham DA Mike Nifong, but, when all is said and done, he knows who the real culprits are:
Finally, there’s what happened at 610 Buchanan Blvd. the night of March 13, 2006; the drinking, the strip show and the racial taunts are what set this saga in motion. The lacrosse players must take responsibility for that.
Oh, yes. Drinking and hiring strippers warranted the hell the three players, and Durham, went through for a year. The racial taunts canard I’ll leave alone since, by all accounts that started with Kim Roberts, the “other” dancer.
As for the effects of this case, it’s clear Hart wants them to linger:
There is some relief in the finality of the attorney general’s decision to drop charges. But the case exposed so many deep nerves, it’ll be years before the pain disappears. And it revealed fundamental problems that will take even longer to fix — assuming we try.
The “pain” of which he speaks was the result of lies from the beginning. The pot bangers showed “pain.” The New Black Panther Party showed “pain.” The Group of 88 showed “pain.” But it was pain based on incomplete information and jumping to conclusions. This kind of pain should be over already for these people — assuming they want to get over it, that is.
