Supporters Abandon The Hoax

Citing a “growing weariness about the integrity of the case,” the administrator of Our Hearts World, a website which had enthusiastically supported Crystal Mangum and Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong for the past nine months of their Hoax, announced yesterday that it's support had wavered and the site had been taken down. The timely decision, made in concurrence with the North Carolina NAACP, the Triangle Urban League, and the three black newspapers that had sponsored the website, signals clearly that support for the dying Hoax no longer exists among even its most ardent supporters. Other factors cited by the administrator in pulling its supportive message include: the accuser’s inability to substantiate her accusations, her refusal to cooperate with the new prosecutors who replaced Defendant Nifong, and the mountain of evidence that failed to confirm her claims.

“OurHeartsWorld.com, the website sponsored by a coalition of community groups across North Carolina, is no more…

“Evidence turned over to the defense attorneys representing three players who were ultimately indicted for three first-degree felonies reportedly failed to confirm her allegations…

“The NCNAACP, the Triangle Urban League and three Black newspapers in North Carolina cosponsored the website…

“In December 2006 it was revealed that the accuser could not substantiate her rape accusations…

“Of course, the allegations against Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong per his handling of the investigation and exculpatory DNA evidence was also a factor in our growing weariness about the integrity of the case.

“And just recently, word that the accuser is not cooperating with the special prosecutors of the State Attorney General’s Office has also concerned us.

“If the essence of our support for her was ensuring her right to tell her story, but she isn’t doing it, then the reasons for continuing that support are fewer and fewer.

“We have consulted with the co-sponsors of the website, and they agree with our assessment that the time has come to pull the plug.”

Yesterday’s announcement echoes recent statements of other local and national black leaders. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), a leading candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, and Durham County Democratic Party Chairman, Floyd McKissick Jr., a candidate in the March 9, 2007 special election to fill the vacant District 20 North Carolina State Senate seat, have both recently taken stands against the Hoax.

Obama:

"Congressman Walter Jones has asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to initiate a federal inquiry into Mr. Nifong's prosecution of three Duke University student athletes accused of an alleged sexual attack on a woman at a party earlier this year. Specifically, Rep. Jones asked the Attorney General to review new evidence that Mr. Nifong withehld exculpatory DNA results from the defendants in order to determine if his conduct has illegally denied the students their civil rights as U.S. citizens under federal law. This independent inquiry is needed, and I will be following its progress closely." Obama Supports Call For Inquiry

McKissick:

"The African-American community of Durham wants fairness, and the view is that if Mr. Nifong was not fair in this case, what's he going to be like in other cases?" DCDP Chairman Turns on Nifong

Obama’s statement was followed by an endorsement from Jesse Jackson; McKissick’s was followed by the announcement that his candidacy was endorsed by the influential Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.

While many have speculated that Attorney General Roy Cooper has delayed ending the Hoax in fear of political backlash from the black community, it appears that making a statement against the thoroughly debunked Hoax holds no danger to an ambitious politician. In light of these recent developments, the hesitant Cooper should now be free to do the right thing.

Additional information:

• DIW: Pulling the Plug
• LS Forum: Goodbye OHW
• OHW: Goodbye, Be Blessed, and Good Luck