Sheehan knows she knows

Will Raleigh News & Observer columnist Ruth Sheehan do what she demands others to do: “Speak honestly and admit when you wrong?

Let’s see.
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Dear Ms. Sheehan:

Ten months ago you wrote a column (“Team’s Silence is Sickening”) savaging 46 Duke students for doing nothing more than following the advice of their parents and attorneys. You began:

Members of the Duke men's lacrosse team: You know.

We know you know.

Whatever happened in the bathroom at the stripper party gone terribly, terribly bad, you know who was involved. Every one of you does.

And one of you needs to come forward and tell the police.
Do not be afraid of retribution on the team. Do not be persuaded that somehow this "happened" to one or more "good guys."

After that, your column got even worse.

That was March 27, 2006.

Later that day, for the first time, Durham DA Mike Nifong spoke publicly about the students.

Like you, Nifong attacked them in terms that reminded thoughtful citizens of how the late Sen. McCarthy attacked people and denigrated their constitutional rights.

Most people initially endorsed what you and Nifong were saying.

Others, such as Duke’s president, Richard H. Brodhead, calculated their best course was to say nothing critical of you or Nifong.

Instead, Brodhead-types made statements similar to what President Brodhead himself said shortly thereafter:

”Whatever they did was bad enough.”

But as the public learned more about the students and Nifong, it got harder to convince people that “Whatever they did was bad enough.”

By June sensible people recognized the truth of what Duke Law professor James Coleman said in his letter to the N&O:

According to the police account of the identification, however, the police officer who presided over the proceedings told the alleged victim at the outset that he wanted her to look at people the police had reason to believe attended the party.

Thus, the police not only failed to include people they knew were not suspects among the photographs shown the woman, they told the witness in effect that there would be no such "fillers" among the photographs she would see.

This strongly suggests that the purpose of the identification process was to give the alleged victim an opportunity to pick three members of the lacrosse team who could be charged. Any three students would do; there could be no wrong choice.

You knew Coleman was describing a frame-up. You knew we knew.

So a few days later you wrote a column blaming Nifong for your Mar. 27 column:

”To think that for a brief moment I [,Raleigh News & Observer columnist Ruth Sheehan,] actually pitied Nifong for the attacks on his handling of the case. What a joke.

Nifong is the one who described this thing in such incendiary terms from the start that it was impossible to ignore.

But, Ms. Sheehan, your Mar. 27 “Team’s Silence is Sickening” column appeared BEFORE Nifong started publicly attacking the students. It went online shortly after midnight; and a print version was delivered to Durham driveways around 5 A.M. Nifong had plenty of time to read it before he first spoke to the press later that day.

All of the above leads to two obvious questions:

1) Considering he didn't speak publicly until after your column appeared, aren't you misleading readers when you tell them all the slimes in your Mar. 27 were based on what he said?

or

2) Did Nifong or someone you trusted would tell you accurately what he was saying provide you with “background information” BEFORE you wrote your Mar. 27 column? In that case, while you’d still bear the heaviest responsibility for the column, you’d have some grounds for telling readers Nifong was also to blame for it.

Please answer the questions.

You know the answers. You know you know.

Just so we’re absolutely clear about Nifong: I’ve said for months he should be disbarred and tried. But odious as he is, he shouldn’t be blamed for your enablements or for those of others.

Finally, at your Metro Blog you posted some of my writing and linked back to my blog. While that usually calls for a "thank you," I want instead to urge you to do some things that will be very important and helpful to many innocent people who’ve suffered great injustices.

Please retract both your Mar. 27 and your Apr. 3 “Lacrosse team out of control” columns. Then apologize to the students, their families, Coach Pressler and his wife and young children. An apology is also owed your readers.

If you do those things unconditionally and free of any blaming of others, you will have provided what restorative justice you can to those most injured by the witch hunt to which your columns made such a significant contribution.

You will also have given your readers some assurance that truth, justice and their trust are important to you.

And you will have acted as you often tell us you want others to act, including your three young sons.

Sincerely,

John in Carolina
www.johnincarolina.com