By Katie Hudson-Martinez/feature editor
The ordeal following the accusations that three white players of the Duke lacrosse team raped a black stripper at a drunken frat-house party is not over.
The players were exonerated because of lack of evidence and inconsistencies in the complainant’s story.
The district attorney who prosecuted the case, Mike Nifong, was fired and disbarred for prosecutorial misconduct after he pursued the case despite surmounting evidence that there was no rape.
The three players have received settlements from Duke University, who shut down the entire team for the 2006 season.
Now they are filing a lawsuit against the city of Durham asking for $30 million in damages. That’s $10 million for each of the young men.
Do they really deserve another $10 million on top of the previous settlement they received?
One cannot help but wonder if they brought some of this on themselves.
The boys called for strippers, specifically requesting one white and one Hispanic woman.
When the young men opened the door and saw the strippers were black, some of them began using racial slurs and degrading the women.
The second dancer, who did not claim she was raped, told police she was called a “nigger” several times, and one of the lacrosse team members admitted telling one of the dancers he would like to “thank your grandpa for my fine cotton shirt.”
No one deserves to be falsely accused of a crime he or she did not commit, but no one deserves to be ridiculed and degraded because of the color of his or her skin.
If the tables were turned and it were three black men being accused of raping a young white woman, would officials have disbarred the prosecutor if it turned out the boys were innocent? Or would we have ever even known if they were innocent?
A couple of the young men even had their transcripts modified, claiming they were given failing grades on exams and essays as retaliation for their alleged crimes.
If these boys were falsely accused of rape, it is unfortunate. But society must decide how much is too much when it comes to righting a wrong and when these awards become excessive and partial.
The boys have been vindicated, and the accuser vilified. They may have been found innocent of rape, but are they truly innocent of any wrong doing?
With all the poverty around the world, surely we can find a better use for $30 million.
