Duke Students Campaign Against Rape Case Prosecutor

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 31, 2006 — -- Just days after filing charges against three Duke University lacrosse players for rape, Mike Nifong won the Democratic primary for district attorney of Durham County.

No one could say for sure how much the controversial case had contributed to Nifong's victory, but in a community long plagued by tensions between the haves -- particularly privileged Duke students -- and the have-nots, the candidate's willingness to take on the elite university did not hurt.

In the months since the primary, defense attorneys have presented evidence that appears to cast doubt on the strength of Nifong's claims against the Duke players. And some Duke students have developed a clever strategy to fight back.

They have formed Duke Students for an Ethical Durham to encourage students to fulfill their civic obligations, to register and vote in Durham County.

Founded in August, the group launched a voter registration drive, and by the first day of school, group members were campaigning all over campus.

They set up tables where people could register, took out ads in Duke's daily newspaper, the Chronicle, and enlisted liaisons from Duke athletic teams to advocate their cause in the locker rooms. Duke Students for an Ethical Durham is also trying to get nonvoters registered. As one of DSED's leaders, Charlotte native Christiane Regelbrugge, explained, "There are so many students who contribute so much to this community but don't vote here, and I think there is a big disconnect there."

Despite widespread skepticism that DSED is biased towards the lacrosse team, group representatives say they just want due process and fair treatment for both the players and all Durham residents.

The group has endorsed one of Nifong's opponents, Lewis Cheek, an attorney and Durham's county commissioner, who is not campaigning and will not accept the job if elected but who wants to put an alternative candidate on the ballot.

Although Cheek has said publicly he doesn't want the DA job, he has criticized Nifong's handling of the Duke lacrosse case. His name on the ballot will give voters a chance to potentially deny Nifong a majority vote, thereby allowing North Carolina governor Mike Easley to appoint a district attorney himself. This is, coincidentally, how Nifong initially earned his position last year.