When I first heard the rape allegations made by a stripper “entertaining” at a party hosted by the Duke lacrosse team, I had my doubts about the charges, but tried to remain open to the possibility and waited for the facts to emerge. Hosting the party was a lapse of proper behavior no doubt. I was however bothered that the alleged rapers were identified by name and photos, the coach resigned under pressure and the team suspended (although now reinstated.) Remember, this was early in the case soon after the allegations were made. The suspects were arrested and released after posting rather high bails. The case against the players has grown weaker with the passing weeks and there is some concern that the prosecutor may have had a political interest in bringing the charges. La Shawn Barber has been following the developments and posts recent additional information:
1) Kim “Second Stripper” Roberts initially said she was with the accuser the entire time they were at the party;
2) Accuser told the police she was raped, sodomized, and strangled, but told the nurse “she was not choked; that no condoms, fingers or foreign objects were used during the sexual assault.”
The nurse noted that the stripper’s arms, legs, throat, etc., appeared “normal.”
Read the details (here’s an update from La Shawn at Townhall.com.) My concern is this. Here a woman of questionable reliability that makes very serious charges against these men. They experience very immediate consequences including world-wide publication of their names and faces. Their backgrounds are poured over by the press and exposed and they incur great costs to defend themselves. But the woman who makes the allegations remains anonymous. The men have their lives turned upside down and the woman, no matter how absurd her charges are, remains protected from the same type of scrutiny. I understand the reasons behind this type of shielding of the alleged victim, but find there is a fundamental injustice in the current law. If there is to be a shield extended, then extend it to both parties at least until the trial begins and then identify all involved. Why should these young men have their lives changed and be stigmatized based upon increasingly dubious charges and their accuser remain unnamed?
I’ve always thought there is something fundamentally unjust in protecting the accuser in rape cases.
