The Perfect Storm of Sex, Class, Power, Money, Media, and Politics

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The Perfect Storm of Sex, Class, Power, Money,
Media, and Politics

• How the Duke University Lacrosse Team Ignited a
  Powder Kegand Paid the Ultimate Price

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Duke University

• Located in Durham, NC
• Atlantic Coast Conference for collegiate sports
  D-1 school

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Class/Money The Duke Bubble

• Durhams murder rate rapidly increasing murder
  capital of NC
• 35 murders in 2005
• Stark contrast between Duke students and
  surrounding community

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Power and Politics District Attorney Mike Nifong

• Nearing end of his term
• wanted to run again
• Intense competition with
• popular Freda Black
• Election Fall 2006
• Needed some free
• Publicity he was
• broke!

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Power Police Officers and Duke Students

• Sergeant Mark Gottlieb Arrested 10X as many
  Dukies as 3 other officers combined
• Arrested Duke students at much higher rate than
  non-students

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Money Lacrosse Team and Reputation

• Players came from upper middle-class families
  athletic, smart
• Top of social hierarchy at Duke women,
  admiration, parties, and privilege

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Sex

• After post-WWII industrial boom, Durham lost many
  jobs
• Stimulating the sex industry escort services,
  strip clubs, etc.

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Class/Race Kim Roberts (aka Nikki) and Crystal
Mangum

• Two poor, minority strippers with criminal
  records and wild imaginations
• Kim began college, dropped out after pregnancy,
  divorced, and embezzled 25K
• Crystal Precious Drug/alcohol abuser, NCCU
  student, mother of 2, evaded arrest on speeding
  charges

KIM
CRYSTAL
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Igniting the Storm

• 3.16.06, 200 PM Spring Break, bored Duke
  lacrosse students make phone call to Allure
  Escort Services
• Request placed for 2 strippers to come for Dukes
  party that night at 610 Buchanan Blvd.

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The Party House

• March 13, 2006 Three co-captains of the Duke
  lacrosse team host a team party at their
  off-campus residence at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.
  during spring break. They hire two strippers to
  perform for two hours for 400 each.
  Approximately 40 other students attended the
  party most, but not all, were team members.

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Party House, cont.

• March 13, 2006 The first stripper, Kim Roberts,
  aka Nikki, arrived at the party shortly after 11
  pm. At approximately 1140 pm the second dancer,
  Crystal Gail Mangum, aka Precious, was dropped
  off at the party house by her driver. Sometime
  just before midnight, the two veteran sex-workers
  entered the living room to begin their
  performance for the party attendees.

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Disappointing Performance

• Crystal on a muscle relaxant, possibly drunk,
  falls over Kim
• Show becomes boring and not what everyone
  expected (broom, jokes, etc.)
• After Duke players request more, strippers become
  agitated and leave to go to the bathroom

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Leaving

• March 14, 2006, 123012 a.m Crystal Mangum is
  standing outside the back door of the house. The
  team captains told police she was pounding at the
  door around that time, but they wouldnt let her
  in. She is carrying the shaving kit of Dave
  Evans, perhaps due to her intoxicated state. Her
  clothes are intact.

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• March 14, 2006, 1241 am Mangum was helped to
  Roberts' car by some of the players and the night
  appeared to be coming to an end.

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3.14, 230 AM Rape Claimed at ER

• Two males, Adam and Matt pulled the victim into
  the bathroom. Someone closed the door to the
  bathroom where she was, and said "sweet heart you
  can't leave." The victim stated that she tried to
  leave, but the three males (Adam, Bret, and Matt)
  forcefully held her legs arms and raped and
  gang-raped her. The victim stated she was hit,
  kicked, and strangled during the assault. As she
  attempted to defend herself, she was overpowered.
  The victim reported she was sexually assaulted
  for an approximately 30 minute time period by the
  three males...
• Police Report, 3.14.06

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Police/Players Reaction

• Players shocked at rape claims
• Police
• Immediately conduct search of 610
• Lacrosse players completely compliant
• Offer to let cops have anything
• Pushed around and badgered by police

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The Story

• Starts out as a small story in Duke Chronicle
• Duke students quickly catch on and begin
  demonstrations/protests outside 610
• Parents of lacrosse players begin flying in to
  discuss strategy

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Parents

• Why are we even talking about the student
  newspaper! If this get out, it will be in every
  newspaper in America.
• Bruce Thompson, parent

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Coach Pressler

• Coach of Duke lacrosse team
• 153-82 won-loss record
• 3 ACC championships
• 10 NCAA tournament berths
• 100 graduation rate for players

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Pressler

• Adored and respected by players
• Advised players early to keep quiet, all this
  will go away

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Blue Wall of Silence

• Players did not talk to media/reporters when
  ordered to take DNA testing
• Pictures taken of players, no comment was
  stated many times
• Story of DNA testing appears in Raleigh
  News-Observer next day

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New York Times

• Headline Rape Allegation Against Athletes is
  Roiling Duke
• Case instantly gains national attention
• Feminist groups, anti-discrimination groups
  demand action
• Protesters take to homes of players

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Mike Nifongs Media Blitz

• Instantly begins giving interviews to camera
  crews, TV reporters
• Claims that Crystal has been violated by 3 guys
  in bathroom and demands them to step forward

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Behind the Scenes

• All this scandal is worth a million in free
  publicity dollars

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Two Dukes

• Duke basketball, football are religions
• 10 of Duke undergrads are there for athletics
• Duke-UNC rivalry is one of the most heated in
  sports
• Many know Duke for athletics only and see it as
  wannabe Ivy League school

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Ivy League Schools

• Cornell
• Brown
• Dartmouth
• Yale
• Harvard
• Columbia
• University of Pennsylvania

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The other Duke

• Wanted to be seen as progressive, highly
  academic, elite institution of learning
• Able to compete with Ivy League schools to
  attract top students and professors from world

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New President,2002

• Richard Brodhead came from Yale
• Unsure how to balance athletics from
  academics/deal with radical faculty
• Wary of clout/opinions of professors Harvard
  President Lawrence
• Summers

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Perfect Offenders, Perfect Victim

• White, upper-class, privileged lacrosse players
  can afford Duke
• VS.
• Poor, underprivileged, helpless victim of racism
  and the system
• Social Progressives dream come true

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The Media Turns On Duke

• Nancy Grace
• Internet, newspapers, etc.
• Teams Silence is Sickening
• Blue Wall of Silence What are they hiding?
• Depicted as privileged white males gang-raping
  poor, black woman trying to provide for her family

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Duke Administration Turns on Players

• Athletic Director, President, Dean of Students
  seem to support students at beginning
• Remainder of season canceled
• Do not publicly support students
• Force Pressler to resign due to misconduct of
  players
• Why?

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No Match

• DNA tests come back in late April and reveal no
  match with any of players
• Not enough to silence rabid critics or Nifong
• Support begins to shift in favor of players

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Changing the Story

• 12/06- Crystal cant remember if there was any
  penetration or not
• Rape charges dismissed

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Aftermath

• No apology from Duke administration
• No apology from Group of 88
• No apology from Crystal

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Important Issues

• Charges of Rape/Credibility
• Jealousy/envy of power, money
• Mistrust in justice system?
• Medias unbelievable influence
• Innocent until proven guilty
• Duke faculty/professors justified in forming
  Group of 88?
• Inaction of Duke administration

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Important Issues, cont.

• What will people do to get elected?