While not exactly Salem, this story seems like a story of an overly zealous response to a possibly tragic event. For those who haven't been keeping tabs and I will admit I haven't paid much attention to this story, a woman at a party (who was black) was allegedly raped by white men from the Duke Lacrosse team. The school decided they would pull a guilty until proven innocent stance by dismantling the team and basically forcing the coach to resign in disgrace. All the white guys on the team had to give DNA samples and even after there was no evidence that their DNA matched those found at the crime scene, the prosecutor decided that he will proceed with the case after all.

If the woman was truly raped I really do hope that those responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent, but this seems to have more of the makings of a "race-related" travesty than a true investigation. I love how they mention how three white guys raped a black woman. Why is it that if white guys rape white women that those stories do not make national news? If we are all equal, a raper should be indifferent between raping a white, asian, hispanic, black, or the occasional green woman. While I do not believe this is the intent of the woman, this case seems to show that there seems to be highlighting some reverse-racism. I always wonder why if a person of one racial group or gender hurts someone of another group, it makes the crime magically worse. I always thought the constitution said that each person was equal under the law, but what is a law without its exceptions?

I feel sorry for this poor woman who has to go through this tragic ordeal. However, I also feel bad for the Lacrosse team and all of Durham because this did not need to become a national spectacle that it has become annd I am certain that the majority of the Lacrosse team (if not all) were not responsible of the actions of the rapists. All of these people have a permanent smear on their lives that will be hard to erase.

-Trevor