The citizens of Durham, North Carolina, demanded pandering from their candidates for office, and that pandering led directly to the horribly corrupt rape prosecution of the three Duke lacrosse players. The pandering required by voters in this case was racial, but that's hardly the only kind of motivation for corruption that we citizens force upon our politicians.
Three former Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape have filed a federal civil lawsuit against several defendants, including former District Attorney Mike Nifong and the city of Durham. ...The players maintain their rights were violated in the yearlong investigation, in which they were indicted, then later declared innocent, of allegations that they raped, sexually assaulted and beat an exotic dancer at a team party.
Last month, civil attorneys for Evans, Finnerty and Seligmann met with the city's attorney and gave the city until early October to respond to a reported $30 million settlement to avoid the suit.
Neither Durham Mayor Bill Bell nor City Manager Patrick Baker would comment on the lawsuit and referred all questions to the city's attorney.
The settlement money, well-deserved, will come from the pockets of the Durham citizens who demanded the pandering that led to the corruption. We citizens need to carefully consider the consequences of the demands we make of our politicians, because in the long run we'll reap what we sow.
