2008 Woodie Awards
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Rebelations
Jeremiah Magan
Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Opinion
What kind of country are we living in where laws by which we abide are changed at a whim and the rights promised to us are taken away? The answer is simple: a country with the Patriot Act. After 9/11 the country was afraid. We were afraid of terrorists and afraid of anyone that could potentially be a terrorist. By now you should all know what the Patriot Act is. It's that little thing that allows the government to wiretap, question or even incarcerate you with only speculation as their reason. When it comes to terrorism though, the general populace is fine with this practice, as long as it catches one terrorist for every 100 people incarcerated.
But how does the Patriot act affect crimes not pertaining to national security? For more than a year, three lacrosse players from Duke University have been waiting to be proven innocent of crimes they did not commit. Isn't there something wrong with that statement? They should not have been waiting to be proven innocent, they should have been waiting to be proven guilty. The athletes were accused of raping a stripper at a team party in March 2006.
The nation immediately convicted the young men. The problem with that is there was no evidence convicting them, other than the statement given by the allegedly raped stripper. After a lengthy process of accusations and indictments, it was determined that the young men had not raped the young woman, as was proven through DNA evidence; evidence that was withheld by District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Nifong now has to answer to the North Carolina State Bar in an Ethics trial. He could and should be disbarred for his actions. He has also been accused of pushing the case to trial and pushing for a guilty plea from the young men in order to get himself reelected. While this is all speculation, his actions are no less deplorable and unbecoming a DA.
The kind of behavior that has been created by the Patriot Act is spreading. No longer do we need evidence to prove someone guilty, all that is required is a little hearsay.
How many innocent people were convicted of crimes or are being held for crimes they did not commit because the rights promised to them were ignored?
We need to take a good long look at ourselves, our justice system and prosecutors like Nifong in order to keep a situation like this from happening again. Nifong's actions not only ruined the lives and reputations of the accused lacrosse players and their families, but the reputation of the school and its lacrosse team.
But how does the Patriot act affect crimes not pertaining to national security? For more than a year, three lacrosse players from Duke University have been waiting to be proven innocent of crimes they did not commit. Isn't there something wrong with that statement? They should not have been waiting to be proven innocent, they should have been waiting to be proven guilty. The athletes were accused of raping a stripper at a team party in March 2006.
The nation immediately convicted the young men. The problem with that is there was no evidence convicting them, other than the statement given by the allegedly raped stripper. After a lengthy process of accusations and indictments, it was determined that the young men had not raped the young woman, as was proven through DNA evidence; evidence that was withheld by District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Nifong now has to answer to the North Carolina State Bar in an Ethics trial. He could and should be disbarred for his actions. He has also been accused of pushing the case to trial and pushing for a guilty plea from the young men in order to get himself reelected. While this is all speculation, his actions are no less deplorable and unbecoming a DA.
The kind of behavior that has been created by the Patriot Act is spreading. No longer do we need evidence to prove someone guilty, all that is required is a little hearsay.
How many innocent people were convicted of crimes or are being held for crimes they did not commit because the rights promised to them were ignored?
We need to take a good long look at ourselves, our justice system and prosecutors like Nifong in order to keep a situation like this from happening again. Nifong's actions not only ruined the lives and reputations of the accused lacrosse players and their families, but the reputation of the school and its lacrosse team.
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