Duke lacrosse: Here's a "Nifong, Brodhead and who else" question

At the end of a long travel day, I began work on a post concerning the Duke Hoax.

In the middle of a sentence, I realized I needed to fact-check.

Tomorrow I'll go back through archives and do that.

In the meantime, can any of you answer the question that stopped me, and can you cite sources to support your answer?

Be careful when you read the question, it's a long one.

The question: Is it true that --

the following people all want three Duke students put on trial for multiply felonies, including rape:

1) Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong

2) Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead

3) Durham Community Activist Victoria Peterson

4) Duke University Professor of Cultural Anthropology Orin Starn

5) New Black Panther Party Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz?

I'm fairly sure both District Attorney Nifong and Duke’s President Brodhead want the students tried.

But if you know anything about Nifong or Brodhead, you know you have to be very careful about what they say. What they say doesn’t always turn out to be …

Now what about Peterson, Starn and Shabazz?

Peterson’s said so many wildly irresponsible things about the Duke Hoax that you'd almost think she was trying to get Mike Nifong's attention, and hoping if she got it, that Nifong might say, “ You’re just the person I want to head my election campaign.”

Of course, that’s a ridiculous idea.

Opps! Sorry about that.

You’re right. Peterson is Nifong's election campaign co-chair.

Well, I said it's been a long travel day.

The lesson here is: I need to do more research before I can say Peterson belongs in the same category with Nifong and Brodhead, at least as regards a trial of the three students.

Now, what about Professor Starn, who some people at Duke claim was one of those who encouraged the Group of 88 to publish its now discredited “listening ad?”

Does Starn agree with Nifong and Brodhead, and maybe Peterson?

JinC Regulars will recall that Starn has a "history" here. It involves my calling Starn out for what it’s very hard to see is anything other than a deliberate misrepresentation of statements by a distinguished member of the Duke and Durham communities.

Tomorrow, I'll say more about Starn. At least until then, I hope we all withhold judgment as regards whether Starn wants to see a trial.

Now what about New Black Panther Chairman Shabazz? What’s his feeling about a trial for the students?

I’m sure DA Nifong, who’s met with Shabezz, can answer that question. But I can’t.

I’m not sure whether Shabazz thinks there needs to be a trial before the punishments he's called for are inflicted on the Duke students.

Perhaps President Brodhead will form a committee to find out about that.

See you all tomorrow.