Supporters March for the Duke University Lacrosse Players in a Walk for Justice

On Sunday February 4th, the Raleigh N&O reported that the friends and family of the Duke Lacrosse team walked to show their support for the accused players.

One team member, Matt Weaver, expressed his feeling that they were not just prosecuting the players charged, but that they were prosecuting lacrosse itself.

It may be what drove K. C. Kercher, the mother of a player who gave up Duke for the University of Maryland as the case unfolded. Many of the people in the article express their disappointment with the criminal justice system.

The march started at the Durham courthouse near District Attorney Mike Nifong's office through downtown Durham and onto the Duke Campus, ending at the lacrosse field per the article.

It was described as a dignified and quiet walk with some people wearing buttons that said, "Innocent until Proven Guilty".

In addition to the walk, the N&O reported earlier that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley had gotten District Attorney Mike Nifong's word that he would not run for a full term if he was appointed to the vacant DA spot in Durham. It appears that if there were such a gentleman's agreement that DA Nifong clearly broke it.

For those not familiar with the Duke Lacrosse case it started when an exotic dancer who was hired to dance at party at the house where the Lacrosse team stayed complained that she was raped.

It might have been handled better but DA Nifong started holding press meetings on the case. The press had a field day and told every thing they could from the dancer's side of the story.

During the process DA Nifong had three Duke students indicted for rape. Some people at North Carolina Central University took the position in the press that this was a racially motivated thing.

The president of Duke ended the lacrosse season and fired the coach.

This all happened without any actual open hearing on what had happened.

The story got more interesting when it was found that DA Nifong may have evidence that exonerates one or more students.