When we talked about the lacrosse case the other day, we mentioned corruption
in Durham in general. We'd
forgotten a couple of recent things: a fire in a city landfill which hadn't
had a state license in over two years and issues in the solid waste department
lead the list. And also, as we linked the other day, positive tests for
lead in houses were not reported. In this case, a child actually suffers from
lead poisoning.
The problems in the justice system are part of a bigger picture, both in
Durham and the state: Mike Nifong is not the only prosecutor to be caught
abusing the system.
For North Carolina, a state known once-upon-a-time as a good government state
and seen by other states as a model, the decline is significant. The Jim Black scandals are the most obvious. For
Durham, corruption and incompetence leads to the sort of things we lead here.
Many in Durham treat Duke resentfully, like a rich uncle who will bail you
when you need it, out but whom you will hate for so doing. But Duke can't
bail Durham out; only the voters can do that by insisting on clean and
transparent government, which certainly includes the fair administration of
justice.