Mangum’s presser: bizarre, squalid, and the “Big Three” lose

Readers note: I’m sorry yesterday’s event occurred at all, particularly because it adds to the awful ordeal the players, their families and others have endured since Crystal Mangum began telling lies about herself and the Duke lacrosse party on the night of Mar. 13/14, 2006.

Also, as I finished this post, I got a few heads-up that in the book Mangum goes much further with her lies than she did at yesterday’s presser.

John
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WRAL reports:

More than two years after she accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her, the woman at the center of the Duke lacrosse case says she still believes she was attacked.

"Ýes, I am still claiming that a sexual assault happened," Crystal Gail Mangum told reporters Thursday when she appeared at the Know Book Store to promote her new book, "The Last Dance for Grace: The Crystal Mangum Story." …

A few paragraph’s further into the story we read:

Vincent Clark, co-author and publisher of the book, said repeatedly that "the case is closed" and Mangum accepts the conclusions of state prosecutors.

Bizarre, isn’t it?

But WRAL's report is true! I viewed the entire press conference on a video WRAL is hosting here.

Speaking of bizarre: have you ever been to a book promotion where there were no copies of the book?

Or where the publisher, the “as told to author” and other handlers monopolized most of the presser time talking about themselves and their high-mindedness which led each of them to become involved with the "author" and the book?

Or one where when the “author” whose “life” the book is allegedly about finally appeared to explain the book and answer questions, the handlers kept jumping in front of her and “dressing up” her statements or saying things unrelated to the question?

It’s all on the video.

In addition to seeing plenty that’s bizarre, I think most of you will agree an excellent one-word summary of the event is “squalid.”

I don’t mean squalid in one of its two principal meanings:“literally dirty;” but in its other principal meaning: “morally reprehensible, dishonest.”

False accuser Crystal Mangum yesterday claimed victim status for herself. Her handlers endorsed and amplified that dishonesty.

Yet all of them know Mangum had the police and state prosecutorial powers on her side for nearly a year;

that Duke University’s leaders and many of its faculty, staff and even some students endorsed her lies and enabled a vicious criminal frame-up;

that the Raleigh N&O and Durham Herald-Sun editorial pages were “lock step” with the now disbarred DA Mike Nifong in trashing the lacrosse players and supported his transparently unethical and illegal conduct for which he was later disbarred and jailed;

and that a mélange of powerful special interests groups, political action committees, advocacy groups, clerical leaders, and hate groups all sided with Mangum.

Mangum’s handlers kept repeating they were not involved in the book project for the money.

I don’t know the particulars of the various handlers’ contractual financial arrangements.

And I understand that some people get involved in certain book publications for reasons other than money.

So the first time a handler said none of them were involved with Mangum and the book for the money, I told myself, “maybe that’s true.”

The second time a handler said it, I allowed that some things bear repeating and thought “ why do they need to repeat that?” And I had no intention of posting anything about the handlers' financial motives.

But the handlers kept saying again and again they weren’t motivated by money.

They finally brought me to the point where I feel confident saying to you, paraphrasing the Bard, me thinks the handlers doth protest too much.

Squalid is, if anything, an understated description of the dishonesty and morally reprehensible assaults on the innocent we witnessed yesterday at the Know Bookstore.

A fitting end to the event would've been Mike Nifong walking up to the podium and assuring the press: “You can trust Crystal and these other people just as you’d trust me.”

News reports today indicate the innocent victims and their families are considering legal actions against Mangum and her handlers.

So it may turn out that what those self-promoters did yesterday was to set themselves up to be losers because of action they thought would make them winners.

If that happens, it will be some measure of justice for the real victims.

We’ll have to see how things turn out.

But we can already be sure there were other losers yesterday.

Duke University, Durham City and Durham Police were the “Big Three” losers.

They want the hoax and frame-up attempt to “go away” and for people to forget about them.

Crystal Mangum’s just reminded everyone of them.

The “Big Three” want the players and parents who’ve brought the suits to cool.

“Good old Precious” has heated them up.

The "Big Three" want the players and parents to feel it’s no longer worth the fight, so they’ll settle quietly for a big cash payout from dear old Duke which will also let Durham and DPD off.

I don't think any of the players and parents were ever dumb enough to think they should go for a cash only settlement that would allow the Duke/Durham/DPD defendants to hide their hoax and frame deeds and enablements by silence.

But if any player or parent was so dumb - - -

Yesterday we all saw why the players and parents need to go forward with the suits until at least most of the hoax/frame/cover-up story is out there.

The innocent can’t entirely stop Crystal Mangum and those like her handlers and Tim Tyson, Nancy Grace and other such self-defined “advocates” from peddling their lies to prop the Mangum/Nifong lies.

But they can provide themselves greater protection from Mangum’s and their calumnies be assuring the suits go forward.

The entire WRAL story's here; the video's here.