I do not support Mike Nifong.
I do not believe he has handled the lacrosse case with competence. I do not believe he is the ideal district attorney to serve the Durham community.
But here is something I do believe in: due political and judicial process; I believe that there is a right way to get someone out of an elected office and there is a wrong way.
It is right for the local residents of Durham to speak out, as more than 10,000 residents did when they signed their names on petitions in support of DA candidates other than Nifong.
It is wrong for the outside special interest groups and individuals to seek to influence the local democratic process. For example, the Recall Nifong Political Action Committee received three of its first four incubating donations from the New England region. In addition, the parents of a Duke lacrosse player contributed $5,000 to an anti-Nifong PAC.
It is right for residents to actively participate in the political process, as Freda Black and Keith Bishop did when they challenged Nifong for the DA nomination in the Democratic primary. Black, a former prosecutor, received 43 percent of the vote and Nifong won with 45 percent.
It is wrong when Lewis Cheek was recruited as a dummy candidate by Dan Hill, a Duke alumnus and prominent supporter, for the sole purpose of defeating Nifong. Cheek has repeatedly stated in the media that he has no intention to campaign for the election and will refuse the DA position if he is to win. Why? Because he doesn't "feel comfortable" leaving his three-year-old firm.
It is right for some Duke students to rally behind their friends in times of need and to provide moral and public support, as students did when they signed an online petition attesting to the "strong character" of one of the indicted players. It is commendable for students to raise social awareness and to register for the election. They fulfill their duty as citizens when they cast ballots on a substantive issue while having a good knowledge of the background of the candidates. For Nifong, this involves investigating his 27 years of work in the Durham judicial system and his current responsibility for an office that handles more than 50,000 new cases every year.
It is wrong to vote out of personal grudge and spite against an individual.
The independence and integrity of our judicial process hinges on its participants being disentangled from special interest influences, retributions and grudges. Judges and public prosecutors should have the free rein to seek justice against both the street-corner pickpockets and the rich and powerful.
They will inevitably be wrong some of the time. And they should be held absolutely accountable for their mistakes in the due process of the court and the election. The judicial process should be allowed to run its course and through its own mechanisms exonerate the innocent while punishing the guilty.
The political process should be based on evaluating the merit of the full career and background of the candidates, not on one sensational incident. And most certainly not on finessing the probability over the dismissal of a specific case.
A vote for Lewis Cheek-a candidate who has expressed no interest in the DA office-is a destructive vote. It is a purely negative ballot; it stands not for ideas or substance, but is driven by the anyone-but-Nifong fervor. Resist the temptation of easy retribution and do not vote. Do not cross the line of civic activism and cheapen the seriousness of the political process.
Be constructive instead. Duke Students For An Ethical Durham proclaims to "encourage students to fulfill their civic obligation." Indeed ensuring that all University employees are making a living wage or helping the growing Hispanic community to integrate into Durham are much more significant civic issues facing the community.
If the students are truly interested in the ethics of Durham, then I encourage them to invest their efforts in these and other worthwhile causes. And if some New England parents want to donate $5,000, that would go a long way.
James Zou is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Friday.
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