NC - Mike Nifong, Duke prosecutor, for ethics violations, Durham, 2006

[luvbeaches]

Resignation is not enough IMO for what he didi to those boys and their families. he still does not appear apoligetic enough for me. I hope theysue the pants off of him!!

I agree. But I thought I'd heard that they can't sue him. I hope I am wrong and they get him good.

 

[panthera]

I can't get beyond the fact that he knew the DNA didn't match prior to the charges being filed (did I catch this correctly?). The guy is such a liar. I don't know how he can sit there and try to explain away what he did.

He also said this afternoon that he will resign as Durham Co. DA. :clap:

 

[Paladin]

Wow, you guys are so vengeful.

 

[Dark Knight]

Wow, you guys are so vengeful.

Don't fall off your high horse and hurt yourself.

 

[Paladin]

Don't fall off your high horse and hurt yourself.

I just think it's ironic you have pictures of Jesus in your signature, a man known for preaching forgiveness of others, and you're telling me I'm on a high horse for pointing out how unforgiving people are.

Dark Knight vs. Paladin, go! (every role playing fan's favorite match-up)

 

[Dark Knight]

I just think it's ironic you have pictures of Jesus in your signature, a man known for preaching forgiveness of others, and you're telling me I'm on a high horse for pointing out how unforgiving people are.

Dark Knight vs. Paladin, go! (every role playing fan's favorite match-up)

Jesus also was about justice. What NiFong did should be considered criminal. Should his victims forgive him? That's up to them. Probably, yes. But should he get away with what he did? No. That would also set a bad precedent for others to try the same thing. Wanting justice is not vengeful, IMHO.

 

[Paladin]

Jesus also was about justice. What NiFong did should be considered criminal. Should his victims forgive him? That's up to them. Probably, yes. But should he get away with what he did? No. That would also set a bad precedent for others to try the same thing. Wanting justice is not vengeful, IMHO.

I agree, but does justice fall in line with these quotes (sorry to make examples of people here):

"I hope he pays dearly for it."

This to me says that they hope he pays for his "crime", which I agree with, but it goes one step further as if he should pay for his "crime", and then some.


"I hope theysue the pants off of him!!"

Should Nifong be punished so hard that he can't dress himself? Certainly he should lose his job, and maybe figure out some form of restitution towards the victims of this case (the boys from Duke), but I don't think there's really a price you can put on a tarnished reputation. The boy's reputations were certainly tarnished, and so with it is Nifong's.

 

[Dark Knight]

I agree, but does justice fall in line with these quotes (sorry to make examples of people here):

"I hope he pays dearly for it."

This to me says that they hope he pays for his "crime", which I agree with, but it goes one step further as if he should pay for his "crime", and then some.


"I hope theysue the pants off of him!!"

Should Nifong be punished so hard that he can't dress himself? Certainly he should lose his job, and maybe figure out some form of restitution towards the victims of this case (the boys from Duke), but I don't think there's really a price you can put on a tarnished reputation. The boy's reputations were certainly tarnished, and so with it is Nifong's.

I think, given the damage he did to those boys, he does owe them a lot of money. That is not unreasonable to want/expect. It's simple restitution. Not retribution.

 

[Details]

So is saying I hope he gets off with a slap on the wrist endorsing corporal punishment?


A prosecutor who corrupts the truth is the worst thing we can have - people need to trust our justice system to be interested in justice. He deserves a harsh punishment - I think criminal charges would be in line.

 

[nanandjim]

News flash from Foxnews.com

Hoo rah, sorry Mikey, you messed UP.

New

OMG!! That's the best news that I have heard today. Now, I hope that he will pay back the $3 million in defense fees that these kids racked up. He needs to throw in another $1 million for damage to their reputation.

 

[luvbeaches]

I agree, but does justice fall in line with these quotes (sorry to make examples of people here):

"I hope he pays dearly for it."

This to me says that they hope he pays for his "crime", which I agree with, but it goes one step further as if he should pay for his "crime", and then some.

Should Nifong be punished so hard that he can't dress himself? Certainly he should lose his job, and maybe figure out some form of restitution towards the victims of this case (the boys from Duke), but I don't think there's really a price you can put on a tarnished reputation. The boy's reputations were certainly tarnished, and so with it is Nifong's.

That would be me you're quoting...

Paying dearly could be him losing his job, which he did. And suing him...would seem like a good idea to me. If someone ruined your character...and your life, you could certainly sue them...and why not?

As for punishing him so he can't dress himself? No one said that...you said that. He needs to be held accountable. How would you like to have this happened to your loved one? Those kids were robbed...and Nifong knew exactly what he was doing.

I am not even going to defend Nifong. He knew they were innocent, and yet he continued on without any regard for these young men.

I am glad to see that this pompas #$$ is finally getting what he deserves. He's made a mockery of our justice system. And the next time a woman is REALLY raped...think of what went down in this case.

So throw the book at him. He deserves it.

 

[luvbeaches]

A prosecutor who corrupts the truth is the worst thing we can have - people need to trust our justice system to be interested in justice. He deserves a harsh punishment - I think criminal charges would be in line.

That's is exactly how I feel.

 

[nanandjim]

This guy was ready to ruin three young men's lives for his political gain. Had these boys not had the ability to hire defense teams, he probably would have gotten away with it.

This case was not even close to being a real case. That is what is so disgusting and so scary.

I wonder if Jesse Jackson is still paying for this woman's tuition. Why hasn't Jesse Jackson stepped up to the plate and apologized for his harsh criticism of these young men?? WHY???

 

[Intrepid1]

What struck me most today in watching this trial is Reade Seligmann's testimony, in which he gave a timeline of events. When it got to the point of talking about how he felt when he was informed he would be charged with Rape, he broke down in tears on the stand, saying that all he thought about when he heard he'd be charged was how he was going to tell his mother.

Oh Lord I almost cried right along with him.

And then, a few hours later when Mike Nifong was testifying, he began crying about how he wanted his son to be proud of him..... It seemed contrived, almost to counter the tears of Reade Seligmann.

I'm glad he's going to resign, but I don't know if that's enough for what he put not only those three young men and their families through, but also what he put that community through as well. He singlehandedly started a racial conflagration that could have grown into a full blown racial war. And all at the word of a very ill and less than truthful woman.

 

[White Rain]

I'm for Team Dark Knight....sorry Paladin!

 

[Amraann]

This guy was ready to ruin three young men's lives for his political gain. Had these boys not had the ability to hire defense teams, he probably would have gotten away with it.

This case was not even close to being a real case. That is what is so disgusting and so scary.

I wonder if Jesse Jackson is still paying for this woman's tuition. Why hasn't Jesse Jackson stepped up to the plate and apologized for his harsh criticism of these young men?? WHY???[/quote]


Because that would be grossly out of charactor for him??
Remember the case of the girl in NY who had claimed she was raped?
Maybe that was Al Sharpton..
There were practically riots in the streets and later it turned out she was lying the entire time!
They never apologized!!
Once the media frenzy is over and they got their 15 minutes they crawl back to their lives and wait for the next media story that they can use to bolster themselves.

 

[MSM]

I agree, but does justice fall in line with these quotes (sorry to make examples of people here):

"I hope he pays dearly for it."

This to me says that they hope he pays for his "crime", which I agree with, but it goes one step further as if he should pay for his "crime", and then some.


"I hope theysue the pants off of him!!"

Should Nifong be punished so hard that he can't dress himself? Certainly he should lose his job, and maybe figure out some form of restitution towards the victims of this case (the boys from Duke), but I don't think there's really a price you can put on a tarnished reputation. The boy's reputations were certainly tarnished, and so with it is Nifong's.

Nifong tarnished his own damn reputation. He has no one but himself to blame for the position he's in right now. He didn't want to hear the alibis, he "lost" the DNA results, he ignored the dancer's inconsistent story and prior history of false allegations, he forged ahead with absolutely no evidence to corroborate her questionable statement, he engineered a fixed lineup, he played the race card for political gain, and he created a national media circus around three young innocent people. He certainly does owe these boys restitution in the form of legal fees and some type of compensation for public disgrace/ridicule/sitting out a year of college/stress/anxiety/etc etc etc. He also has no business being a district attorney if this is any indication of how he handles cases. So I think expressing happiness that he is FINALLY suffering some consequences for his actions is perfectly reasonable. And although I don't agree with the lawsuit-happy nature of this country, he is richly deserving of one. It's hard to feel forgiving towards someone who doesn't apologize for his blatantly incorrect actions until facing disbarrment--and even then, somehow it seems insincere.

 

[Nova]

This guy was ready to ruin three young men's lives for his political gain. Had these boys not had the ability to hire defense teams, he probably would have gotten away with it.

This case was not even close to being a real case. That is what is so disgusting and so scary.

I wonder if Jesse Jackson is still paying for this woman's tuition. Why hasn't Jesse Jackson stepped up to the plate and apologized for his harsh criticism of these young men?? WHY???[/quote]


Because that would be grossly out of charactor for him??
Remember the case of the girl in NY who had claimed she was raped?
Maybe that was Al Sharpton..
There were practically riots in the streets and later it turned out she was lying the entire time!
They never apologized!!
Once the media frenzy is over and they got their 15 minutes they crawl back to their lives and wait for the next media story that they can use to bolster themselves.

Yes, the Tawana Brawley (sic?) case was Al Sharpton. Bill Cosby also believed and supported her at first and Cosby isn't one to place "race cards," I don't think.

Maybe Sharpton and Jackson are just like the rest of us: they rely on statements made by the district attorney. The first report I heard certainly made the boys sound very, very guilty. Do I owe them an apology for believing what I read at that point?

 

[Wudge]

It was just a matter of time Windy!!!!

From the old Duke threads, we both know that what Nifong did has been standard prosecutor practice in NC for decades. But it is nice to see it exposed to the nation.

 

[hockeymom]

I am particularly sensative about this case because in a way it indirectly affected me and my family.
My oldest son( a senior in high school),attended a party at a place that is used to house hockey players. The players that live there were away at the time,but invited a team member to "feel free and party " there. He organized this party and about 90 kids showed up. About 20 of them were on the high school LaCrosse team. Damage was done to the house and the coach of the hockey team filed charges,for criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. Certain kids were singled out(my son being one),for various reasons,(mostly because we made them go to the police and be honest,while others lied). Somehow the press got wind of the fact that there were members of the LAX team at the party and suddenly it became this big sensational story that the local LAX team was being arrested,etc..One of the local reporters compared it to the Duke story. Although the kids were wrong,it was completly blown out of proportion and exagerated in the press. Mug shots and all were plastered all over the local news.Keep in mind these are all underage kids. It created quite a debate on local talk radio as to the ethics of putting photos of juveniles in the news when they had not been proven guyilty or not.
Long story short,the end result was most of the charges were either dropped or reduced,records sealed,but the press was like dogs to meat because they thought they had a "Dukeish" scandal. When we went to court,the cameras were literally chasing us down,while completly ignoring people in shackles who had commited violent crimes.
The prosecutor had his hands tied because it wasn't politically correct to let the suburban athlete boys get away with having a party.
Although these kids were wrong they were not criminal. All 90(including girls,none of whom were charged) of them should have been responsable for paying and repairing any damages done.
On a much smaller scale,I know how it feels to have someone you love up front and center in the press. When I saw the mother of the Seligman boy today weeping in court,I could only imagine how this has changed her life.Nothing will ever be the same and because of Nifong,they will never have faith in our justice system. There has been irreversible damage done.He deserves everything he gets.
PS Just an aside,recently a local girl delivered a stillborn baby and threw the baby out in the trash. She recieved a $50 fine. Teenagers having a party were charged with misdemeaners and felonies. Something just in not right with our justice system.