Tracey Cline's Legal Career Hangs In The Balance: Keeping NC BLACKS "In Their Place"

This entire Unfortunate, Legal Situation which Divides North Carolina's WHITE Citizens against BLACK Citizens, is directly related to the Duke LaCrosse Case.

In fact its Institutional Backlash because Tracey Cline was involved with that case. (whether anyone else cares to admit it or not!)

Its also another example of North Carolina's Racist, WHITE Establishment using a BLACK Citizen as a Scapegoat to Keep other BLACK, North Carolina Citizens "In Their Place"!!!

This Legal Situation is also directly related to North Carolina's WHITE Leaders being Angry about passage of the Racial Justice Act because it prevents them from being able to send Thousands of BLACK Men each Year to Death Row or LIFE in North Carolina's Privatized Prisons.

So YES Tracey Cline is the Scapegoat to appease their (North Carolina's WHITE Leaders) Anger!

Please understand I am in NO way Implying that ALL of North Carolina's WHITE Leaders are RACIST because such a Characterization would be an Unfair Generalization.

You know like how many Southern WHITE People Falsely label All BLACK People as being on Food Stamps???

However since North Carolina is demographically located in the Deep South, and since the Klu Klux Klan is Still in full force here, I would be Naive not to read the Writing on the Wall.

Many of North Carolina's WHITE Leaders, including many Democrats, are NOT Pleased with the Very likely Possibility of President Barack Obama being Re-elected.

Democrats?

Yes Democrats because in North Carolina the Democratic Party is Racially Divided.

All of North Carolina's WHITE Democrat Leaders Rule, while All of North Carolina's BLACK Leaders do as they are TOLD & Ordered to DO!

However if Erskine Bowles or Pat McCrory (both WHITE NC Citizens) campaign for NC Governor, I WILL support Erskine Bowles.

If Mr. Bowles declines to run, I WILL support Pat McCrory.

Why?

Because I don't believe either of them are RACIST.

This is why I am now a Registered, Independent Voter.

A Registered, Independent Voter who fully Supports Pres. Barack Obama's Re-election this Fall.

A Registered, Independent Voter who refuses to allow North Carolina's SCARED, BLACK Leaders tell me how to THINK!

As I was saying there are some Racist, WHITE North Carolina Citizens displaying their Anger regarding Pres. Obama's Re-election in ALL kind of ways, including some WHITE Drivers Intentionally hitting Innocent BLACK Citizens (Pedestrians) with their Vehicles. i.e, Hit & Run!

Or Trying to remove from Office a BLACK, Female District Attorney who became "Too Uppity"!

"Uppity" is the Term many Southern WHITE People call BLACK people who are Confident, Intelligent & Aware of their Legal Human Rights.

And why haven't any of North Carolina's BLACK Leaders come to Tracey Cline's Rescue?

They are SCARED!!!

It takes REAL COURAGE to be a Real BLACK Leader in 21st Century North Carolina!

COURAGE!!!!

If they refuse to Comply with North Carolina's WHITE, Racist, Institutionalized Establishment those BLACK Leaders who choose to speak up against the Establishment will:

Be Financially Destroyed,

Have their Professional Careers Destroyed,

Have their Families Destroyed,

End up Missing,

Their Homes or Businesses may be intentionally set on Fire (ARSON),

Either they or their Families could End up DEAD or Seriously Ill via Mysterious Circumstances,

Either they or their Families could End up Declared Mentally Unstable or placed in a Mental Institution.

THIS IS A FACT!!!


Why?

To inflict FEAR into the Hearts of North Carolina's BLACK Citizens so they won't Speak up or buck against North Carolina's RACIST, WHITE Establishment!

But Wait a minute!

Is this the 21st Century?

YES!

Is this North Carolina in the 21st Century?

YES!!!


ATTENTION ALL TOURISTS:

Please Beware!!!

North Carolina is a Beautiful State which still Reeks of the Klan's Ugly, Hateful Presence!

21st Century JIM CROW in the Dirty South!!!

The "Biblebelt" = The Dirty South!


Dear God Let Us Pray.


BARACK THE VOTE IN NOVEMBER!



Interim DA could be appointed during Tracey Cline's Suspension

With Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline suspended from office, many are wondering who's in charge and what comes next?

So far, Gov. Bev Perdue has yet to appoint an interim D.A. ABC11 was told the D.A.'s office is functioning much like it would when Cline is simply out of the office.

However, by law, Perdue must appoint an interim D.A. in Cline's absence. It's unclear if that will happen before the scheduled removal hearing where Cline will get the chance to defend herself.

Right now, the governor's office will only say it hopes to make an interim appointment as soon as possible. There's a lot of speculation about what will happen, but legal experts caution Cline's future is still uncertain.

"This is historic, in a sense. It's sad we're coming after the Nifong situation into this," said North Carolina Central University Law Professor Irv Joyner. "Durham hasn't healed from that and now Durham is having to deal with this situation which is obviously embarrassing to a lot of people and probably unnecessary."

Cline's removal hearing is set for Monday, Feb. 13.







Duke LaCrosse Case vs Tracey Cline: NC Holds Grudge Against 1st BLACK, Female D.A. (Extreme Racism!)


Why is North Carolina's First BLACK, Female District Attorney (Tracey Cline) being attacked by the regional Legal System she works for?

Is it due to Tracey Cline's ties to the infamous Duke LaCrosse Case and because she dared to help a troubled, BLACK, Young Woman who in fact may have actually been Sexually Assaulted but did NOT have the Money, nor the Political Connections to Accurately & Properly defend herself Legally?

Possibly.

The Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum is now Imprisoned in North Carolina for LIFE, probably being Drugged daily by State Penal Officials so she won't TALK and... is also probably being Raped by Men (Prison Guards) & Female Inmates.

I was NOT at the location in North Carolina several years ago when & where the Alleged Sexual Assault of Crystal Mangum took place.

The ONLY people who REALLY knows what actually occurred that night are Crystal, her Female Friend, the College Students present & more importantly GOD!

For Everyone else its just Mere Speculation & Heresay.

Its also NO Secret that North Carolina's SBI DNA Lab was later discovered to be Extremely Corrupt due to Witness Tampering by Racist SBI Lab Employees.

So we may NEVER know what REALLY happened.

Just because a North Carolina Court cleared those Duke LaCrosse Players, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Just because NC Attorney General Roy Cooper cleared those Duke LaCrosse Players, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Just because those Duke LaCrosse Players won a Civil Lawsuit, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Those Duke LaCrosse Players were Young, WHITE Guys from Very Wealthy East Coast Families.

They had the MONEY to Clear their names.

The Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum did NOT have such Luxury.

Am I implying NOTHING happened that night of the Alleged Incident/ Crime?

NO.

SOMETHING Did Happen but ONLY God & the people involved will EVER know the REAL Truth!

However what is True is that EVERYONE involved with the Duke LaCrosse Case with the exception of the Players, has been Destroyed or is being Destroyed.

Former NC District Attorney Mike Nifong is ruined for LIFE!

Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum is ruined for LIFE!

Now North Carolina's Extremely Biased Leaders (Including Many Very RACIST Democrats) are attempting to ruin Tracey Cline for LIFE as well.

Tracey Cline is being Retaliated against & Victimized by SCARED, BLACK, North Carolina Leaders.

As it relates to Tracey Cline’s situation local BLACK Leaders are secretly complying to the desires & orders of North Carolina’s WHITE, Racist Establishment.

You see if those BLACK Leaders refuse to Comply with NC's WHITE, Racist Establishment, they too will be ruined for LIFE!

This entire situation further proves North Carolina's Institutions (Legal, Education, Finance, Tax Revenue, Medical, etc.,) are still being ruled by the Klu Klux Klan and 21st Century Extreme RACISM!

Another example:

For Decades North Carolina's Social Workers & Physicians Forced BLACK Women & Girls To Suffer Unnecessary Illegal Sterilization.

As a Resolution to that Heinous practice how do North Carolina's Leaders (including Bev Perdue) plan to Remedy this problem?

By Offering the Survivors a measly $50,000!

$50,000 for Racism, Being Used as Medical Guinea Pigs, Humiliation & Physical HELL!

What A Shame!

Whenever BLACK People in North Carolina attempt to Speak out against that State's Historic, EXTREME Racial Injustice those Outspoken BLACK Citizens lose EVERYTHING Materially, they go Missing, end up DEAD, are thrown in Mental Institutions or they are Sentenced to Prison for LIFE on Trumped up Criminal Charges!

Is This The 21st Century? YES!

Is This North Carolina In The 21st Century? YES!

This is why I am Supporting BARACK OBAMA again this FALL!

God Help Us All!

For We Shall All Reap What We Have Sown!

Please Continue to Pray for Me, Pray for God to Expose the TRUTH about North Carolina’s Institutionalized Racism & for God to remove those Leaders who are practicing or allowing Racism to continue in that state.

In Jesus Name. Amen.







Durham DA suspended from duty

A Franklin County Judge decided Friday to suspend Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline from her duties pending a hearing next month.

Cline's accusations of bias against Durham County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson put her own performance under scrutiny in recent months and led one defense attorney to push for her ouster.

Defense attorney Kerry Sutton filed an affidavit that alleges Cline has "brought the office of the Durham County District Attorney and the entire Durham County justice system into disrepute."

The filing is the first step required by law to remove Cline from office.

On Friday, Sutton said, “It’s an on-going process, and by the time we get to the end everyone has a chance to make their case.” She and Cline will get that opportunity Feb. 13.

Cline has repeatedly accused Hudson in recent months of bias against her and has asked to have him barred from handling criminal cases in Durham County. Two other Superior Court judges have found Cline's complaints to be groundless.

Hudson, the chief judge in Durham County, handed the complaint over to Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood, who on Friday suspended Cline with pay.

Marcia Morey, a former assistant district attorney in Durham and current District Court Judge, said “It’s a sad day for Durham. The justice system is supposed to be working for the people of this county."

The clash not only puts Cline on the sidelines, it could cause chaos in her office, according to Irv Joyner, a law professor at North Carolina Central University.

"You have a feud or an attack involving the top two elected officials in our court system here, and that does not look good," Joyner said. "It's not good for our profession nor is it good for Durham County."






Prosecutor in Duke Case Is Suspended

Michael B. Nifong, the disbarred district attorney of Durham County, N.C., was served an order at his home yesterday that suspended him from office and was told to turn in his parking pass and office key.

The suspension order, served by the county sheriff, cut short Mr. Nifong’s plans to stay in office four more weeks. On Friday he announced plans to resign, and on Saturday he was disbarred by a state ethics panel. He then told the governor he would resign July 13.

The ethics panel ruled that Mr. Nifong had made inflammatory remarks, withheld DNA evidence and misled a judge in the case of three Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of sexual assault.

The county’s senior judge, Orlando F. Hudson Jr., said Monday night that those findings allowed him to suspend Mr. Nifong immediately, with pay, for willful misconduct and bringing the office into disrepute.

Beth Brewer, a Durham resident who led a campaign opposing Mr. Nifong in the 2006 election and who had filed a petition for removal with Judge Hudson, said she was “flabbergasted” and “appalled” that Mr. Nifong had showed up for work Monday and tried to delay his departure.

Mr. Nifong declined to comment. His wife, Cy Gurney, said in a telephone interview that Mr. Nifong, 56, would have left earlier if Judge Hudson had talked to him. She said he learned about it from a newspaper and was stunned and further humiliated. She said Mr. Nifong had wanted to stay until July 13 to assure an orderly transition.

“I think it’s the end,” Ms. Gurney said. “He understands that and he wants that.”

Gov. Mike Easley will appoint a successor. Also, the state House of Representatives voted unanimously yesterday to allow the governor to remove a disbarred judge or district attorney from office.





Cline takes reins as Durham DA

A longtime NC Prosecutor took the oath of Durham County district attorney Monday, becoming the first black woman to hold the post.

Tracey Cline, a sex crimes prosecutor in the 14th Judicial District for more than a decade, won the district attorney position during the May primary with 46 percent of the vote, beating out three other Democratic challengers.

Because no Republican sought the position, she ran uncontested during November's general election.

Cline replaces David Saacks, whom Gov. Mike Easley appointed to the position in September 2007 to serve out the remainder of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's term.

Nifong, who was at Monday's ceremony, resigned two months earlier in July after being disbarred for breaking more than two dozen rules of professional conduct for the way he handled the Duke University lacrosse case.

It centered on three players of the school's highly ranked men's team who were accused of raping an exotic dancer.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper later dismissed the case and declared the three men "innocent victims" of a prosecutor's "tragic rush to judgment."

Cline said Monday that she is ready to take on the challenge of overcoming the scandal, which put the Durham District Attorney's Office under public scrutiny.

Durham County, she said, is ready to move forward and as district attorney, she said she can help do that.

"Being a prosecutor is not about power, it's about doing the right thing," Cline said. "You don't have to be popular to be DA. You have to do the right thing, and that's what people are looking for. And I'm going to do that."

During her campaign, Cline said the Duke lacrosse case was one of thousands the district attorney's office handled and that although it did not define the office, it is a part of the city's history.

"I don't think we can separate ourselves from it," she said in an April interview. "I think we can learn from it and move on."

Among her family, friends and colleagues were Superior Court Judge Jim Hardin, who served for 11 years as district attorney before being appointed to a judgeship in 2005.

Hardin said Cline – his first hire as district attorney – is hardworking and that he is very pleased that she will serve in the position.

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, who administered the oath of office, said Cline, as a young public defender in Fayetteville, stood out to her when she served as a District Court judge because of her thoroughness and ability to think on her feet.

Meanwhile Monday, Saacks was also presented with an award from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys for what director Peg Dorer said was bringing an even keel to the job.


View Larger Map

Sources: ABC News, Fox News, HuffPost, McClatchy Newspapers, NY Times, Wikipedia, Winston-Salem Journal, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Duke LaCrosse Case vs Tracey Cline: NC Holds Grudge Against 1st BLACK, Female D.A. (Extreme Racism!)

Why is North Carolina's First BLACK, Female District Attorney (Tracey Cline) being attacked by the regional Legal System she works for?

Is it due to Tracey Cline's ties to the infamous Duke LaCrosse Case and because she dared to help a troubled, BLACK, Young Woman who in fact may have actually been Sexually Assaulted but did NOT have the Money, nor the Political Connections to Accurately & Properly defend herself Legally?

Possibly.

The Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum is now Imprisoned in North Carolina for LIFE, probably being Drugged daily by State Penal Officials so she won't TALK and... is also probably being Raped by Men (Prison Guards) & Female Inmates.

I was NOT at the location in North Carolina several years ago when & where the Alleged Sexual Assault of Crystal Mangum took place.

The ONLY people who REALLY knows what actually occurred that night are Crystal, her Female Friend, the College Students present & more importantly GOD!

For Everyone else its just Speculation & Heresay.

Its also NO Secret that North Carolina's SBI DNA Lab was later discovered to be Extremely Corrupt due to Witness Tampering by Racist SBI Lab Employees.

So we may NEVER know what REALLY happened!

Just because a North Carolina Court cleared those Duke LaCrosse Players, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Just because NC Attorney General Roy Cooper cleared those Duke LaCrosse Players, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Just because those Duke LaCrosse Players won a Civil Lawsuit, ONLY God knows what REALLY Happened!

Those Duke LaCrosse Players were Young, WHITE Guys from Very Wealthy East Coast Families.

They had the MONEY to Clear their names.

The Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum did NOT have such Luxury.

Am I implying NOTHING happened that night of the Alleged Incident/ Crime?

NO!

SOMETHING Did Happen but ONLY God & the people involved will EVER know the REAL Truth!

However what is True is that EVERYONE involved with the Duke LaCrosse Case with the exception of the Players, has been Destroyed or is being Destroyed.

Former NC District Attorney Mike Nifong is ruined for LIFE!

Alleged Victim/ Accuser Crystal Mangum is ruined for LIFE!

Now North Carolina's Extremely Biased Leaders (Including Many Very RACIST Democrats) are attempting to ruin Tracey Cline for LIFE as well!

Tracey Cline is being Retaliated against & Victimized by SCARED BLACK, North Carolina Leaders.

As it relates to Tracey Cline’s situation local BLACK Leaders are secretly complying to the desires & orders of North Carolina’s WHITE, Racist Establishment.

You see if those BLACK Leaders refuse to Comply with NC's WHITE, Racist Establishment, they too will be ruined for LIFE!

This entire situation further proves North Carolina's Institutions (Legal, Education, Finance, Tax Revenue, Medical, etc.,) are still being ruled by the Klu Klux Klan and 21st Century Extreme RACISM!

Another example:

For Decades North Carolina's Social Workers & Physicians Forced BLACK Women & Girls To Suffer Unnecessary Illegal Sterilization.

As a Resolution to that Heinous practice how do North Carolina's Leaders (including Bev Perdue) plan to Remedy this problem?

By Offering the Survivors a measly $50,000!

$50,000 for Racism, Being Used as Medical Guinea Pigs, Humiliation & Physical HELL!

What A Shame!

Whenever BLACK People in North Carolina attempt to Speak out against that State's Historic, EXTREME Racial Injustice those Outspoken BLACK Citizens lose EVERYTHING Materially, they go Missing, end up DEAD, are thrown in Mental Institutions or they are Sentenced to Prison for LIFE on Trumped up Criminal Charges!

Is This The 21st Century? YES!

Is This North Carolina In The 21st Century? YES!

This is why I am Supporting BARACK OBAMA again this FALL!

God Help Us All!

For We Shall All Reap What We Have Sown!

Please Continue to Pray for Me, Pray for God to Expose the TRUTH about North Carolina’s Institutionalized Racism & for God to remove those Leaders who are practicing or allowing Racism to continue in that state.

In Jesus Name. Amen.







Durham DA suspended from duty

A Franklin County Judge decided Friday to suspend Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline from her duties pending a hearing next month.

Cline's accusations of bias against Durham County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson put her own performance under scrutiny in recent months and led one defense attorney to push for her ouster.

Defense attorney Kerry Sutton filed an affidavit that alleges Cline has "brought the office of the Durham County District Attorney and the entire Durham County justice system into disrepute."

The filing is the first step required by law to remove Cline from office.

On Friday, Sutton said, “It’s an on-going process, and by the time we get to the end everyone has a chance to make their case.” She and Cline will get that opportunity Feb. 13.

Cline has repeatedly accused Hudson in recent months of bias against her and has asked to have him barred from handling criminal cases in Durham County. Two other Superior Court judges have found Cline's complaints to be groundless.

Hudson, the chief judge in Durham County, handed the complaint over to Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood, who on Friday suspended Cline with pay.

Marcia Morey, a former assistant district attorney in Durham and current District Court Judge, said “It’s a sad day for Durham. The justice system is supposed to be working for the people of this county."

The clash not only puts Cline on the sidelines, it could cause chaos in her office, according to Irv Joyner, a law professor at North Carolina Central University.

"You have a feud or an attack involving the top two elected officials in our court system here, and that does not look good," Joyner said. "It's not good for our profession nor is it good for Durham County."






Prosecutor in Duke Case Is Suspended

Michael B. Nifong, the disbarred district attorney of Durham County, N.C., was served an order at his home yesterday that suspended him from office and was told to turn in his parking pass and office key.

The suspension order, served by the county sheriff, cut short Mr. Nifong’s plans to stay in office four more weeks. On Friday he announced plans to resign, and on Saturday he was disbarred by a state ethics panel. He then told the governor he would resign July 13.

The ethics panel ruled that Mr. Nifong had made inflammatory remarks, withheld DNA evidence and misled a judge in the case of three Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of sexual assault.

The county’s senior judge, Orlando F. Hudson Jr., said Monday night that those findings allowed him to suspend Mr. Nifong immediately, with pay, for willful misconduct and bringing the office into disrepute.

Beth Brewer, a Durham resident who led a campaign opposing Mr. Nifong in the 2006 election and who had filed a petition for removal with Judge Hudson, said she was “flabbergasted” and “appalled” that Mr. Nifong had showed up for work Monday and tried to delay his departure.

Mr. Nifong declined to comment. His wife, Cy Gurney, said in a telephone interview that Mr. Nifong, 56, would have left earlier if Judge Hudson had talked to him. She said he learned about it from a newspaper and was stunned and further humiliated. She said Mr. Nifong had wanted to stay until July 13 to assure an orderly transition.

“I think it’s the end,” Ms. Gurney said. “He understands that and he wants that.”

Gov. Mike Easley will appoint a successor. Also, the state House of Representatives voted unanimously yesterday to allow the governor to remove a disbarred judge or district attorney from office.





Cline takes reins as Durham DA

A longtime NC Prosecutor took the oath of Durham County district attorney Monday, becoming the first black woman to hold the post.

Tracey Cline, a sex crimes prosecutor in the 14th Judicial District for more than a decade, won the district attorney position during the May primary with 46 percent of the vote, beating out three other Democratic challengers.

Because no Republican sought the position, she ran uncontested during November's general election.

Cline replaces David Saacks, whom Gov. Mike Easley appointed to the position in September 2007 to serve out the remainder of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's term.

Nifong, who was at Monday's ceremony, resigned two months earlier in July after being disbarred for breaking more than two dozen rules of professional conduct for the way he handled the Duke University lacrosse case.

It centered on three players of the school's highly ranked men's team who were accused of raping an exotic dancer.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper later dismissed the case and declared the three men "innocent victims" of a prosecutor's "tragic rush to judgment."

Cline said Monday that she is ready to take on the challenge of overcoming the scandal, which put the Durham District Attorney's Office under public scrutiny.

Durham County, she said, is ready to move forward and as district attorney, she said she can help do that.

"Being a prosecutor is not about power, it's about doing the right thing," Cline said. "You don't have to be popular to be DA. You have to do the right thing, and that's what people are looking for. And I'm going to do that."

During her campaign, Cline said the Duke lacrosse case was one of thousands the district attorney's office handled and that although it did not define the office, it is a part of the city's history.

"I don't think we can separate ourselves from it," she said in an April interview. "I think we can learn from it and move on."

Among her family, friends and colleagues were Superior Court Judge Jim Hardin, who served for 11 years as district attorney before being appointed to a judgeship in 2005.

Hardin said Cline – his first hire as district attorney – is hardworking and that he is very pleased that she will serve in the position.

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, who administered the oath of office, said Cline, as a young public defender in Fayetteville, stood out to her when she served as a District Court judge because of her thoroughness and ability to think on her feet.

Meanwhile Monday, Saacks was also presented with an award from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys for what director Peg Dorer said was bringing an even keel to the job.


View Larger Map

Sources: ABC News, Fox News, HuffPost, McClatchy Newspapers, NY Times, Wikipedia, Winston-Salem Journal, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Tracey Cline: 1st BLACK, Female NC District Attorney Retaliated Against After Filing Complaints

Durham DA suspended from duty

A Franklin County Judge decided Friday to suspend Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline from her duties pending a hearing next month.

Cline's accusations of bias against Durham County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson put her own performance under scrutiny in recent months and led one defense attorney to push for her ouster.

Defense attorney Kerry Sutton filed an affidavit that alleges Cline has "brought the office of the Durham County District Attorney and the entire Durham County justice system into disrepute."

The filing is the first step required by law to remove Cline from office.

On Friday, Sutton said, Its an on-going process, and by the time we get to the end everyone has a chance to make their case. She and Cline will get that opportunity Feb. 13.

Cline has repeatedly accused Hudson in recent months of bias against her and has asked to have him barred from handling criminal cases in Durham County. Two other Superior Court judges have found Cline's complaints to be groundless.

Hudson, the chief judge in Durham County, handed the complaint over to Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood, who on Friday suspended Cline with pay.

Marcia Morey, a former assistant district attorney in Durham and current District Court Judge, said Its a sad day for Durham.

The Justice System is supposed to be working for the people of this county."

The clash not only puts Cline on the sidelines, it could cause chaos in her office, according to Irv Joyner, a Law professor at North Carolina Central University.

"You have a feud or an attack involving the top two elected officials in our court system here, and that does not look good," Joyner said. "It's not good for our profession nor is it good for Durham County."







Cline takes reins as Durham DA

A longtime NC Prosecutor took the oath of Durham County district attorney Monday, becoming the first black woman to hold the post.

Tracey Cline, a sex crimes prosecutor in the 14th Judicial District for more than a decade, won the district attorney position during the May primary with 46 percent of the vote, beating out three other Democratic challengers.

Because no Republican sought the position, she ran uncontested during November's general election.

Cline replaces David Saacks, whom Gov. Mike Easley appointed to the position in September 2007 to serve out the remainder of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's term.

Nifong, who was at Monday's ceremony, resigned two months earlier in July after being disbarred for breaking more than two dozen rules of professional conduct for the way he handled the Duke University lacrosse case.

It centered on three players of the school's highly ranked men's team who were accused of raping an exotic dancer.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper later dismissed the case and declared the three men "innocent victims" of a prosecutor's "tragic rush to judgment."

Cline said Monday that she is ready to take on the challenge of overcoming the scandal, which put the Durham District Attorney's Office under public scrutiny.

Durham County, she said, is ready to move forward and as district attorney, she said she can help do that.

"Being a prosecutor is not about power, it's about doing the right thing," Cline said. "You don't have to be popular to be DA. You have to do the right thing, and that's what people are looking for. And I'm going to do that."

During her campaign, Cline said the Duke lacrosse case was one of thousands the district attorney's office handled and that although it did not define the office, it is a part of the city's history.

"I don't think we can separate ourselves from it," she said in an April interview. "I think we can learn from it and move on."

Among her family, friends and colleagues were Superior Court Judge Jim Hardin, who served for 11 years as district attorney before being appointed to a judgeship in 2005.

Hardin said Cline his first hire as district attorney is hardworking and that he is very pleased that she will serve in the position.

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, who administered the oath of office, said Cline, as a young public defender in Fayetteville, stood out to her when she served as a District Court judge because of her thoroughness and ability to think on her feet.

Meanwhile Monday, Saacks was also presented with an award from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys for what director Peg Dorer said was bringing an even keel to the job.


View Larger Map


Sources: Winston-Salem Journal, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Nafissatou Diallo's PR Campaign Garners Public Support; Stops Character Assassination

Let's Hear It For Nafissatou Diallo! Alleged Rape Victim Of Former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Ms. Diallo's Decision To Come Forth To The Public, Defend Her Name & Give An Extremely Detailed Account Of What Happened In DSK's Lavish Manhattan Hotel Room Has Garnered Her Much Support From Women & Common, Everyday Citizens Well Aware Of How Frequently People With Great Wealth Are Allowed To Simply Walk Away After Committing Crimes.

I Admire Ms. Diallo For Boldly Speaking Out Despite The Manhattan D.A.'s Office Attempt To Destroy Her Character.

Had She Not Come Forth To The Public Soon, Cyrus Vance's Office Would Have Totally Destroyed Her & Dismissed The Case Like Yesterday.

Just Because Ms. Diallo Is A Victim Of Life's Circumstances, Does NOT Mean She's A Liar Or Gold Digger!

You Go Girl!!




The Real DSK Maid Tape

The lawyer for the hotel maid who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault tells The Daily Beast that tape recordings in the possession of prosecutors capture her describing her alleged attack to an incarcerated friend less than 24 hours after it occurred in a manner consistent with what she told police and prosecutors.

The tapes also show a much different conversation about lawyers and money than what was leaked by authorities earlier this month in a newspaper report, attorney Kenneth Thompson said late Wednesday night after listening to the audio recordings for the first time.

Thompson and the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, 32, met Wednesday with the New York District Attorney’s Office for the first time in nearly a month after the relationship between the alleged victim and prosecutors fell apart over questions about her credibility.

The meeting came just days after Diallo described the attack in an exclusive interview with NEWSWEEK.

Strauss-Kahn was the head of the International Monetary Fund and a leading candidate for French president before Diallo accused him of attacking her and forcing her to have oral sex after she entered his luxury suite to clean it May 14 at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan.

After being arrested, Strauss-Kahn resigned his IMF post and has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and attempted rape in a case that has fascinated two continents and taken several dramatic turns.

After steadfastly standing by Diallo, prosecutors disclosed late last month they had serious reservations about her credibility after learning she lied to them about an earlier rape in her home country of Guinea, filed a false tax return, and lied on her application seeking asylum in the United States.

During an eight-hour session Wednesday, the prosecutors grilled Diallo about her conduct and contacts after the alleged attack, and they allowed her to listen for the first time to a tape-recorded conversation she had 24 hours after the alleged attack with Amara Tarawally, an illegal immigrant convicted on drug charges and being held in an Arizona detention center.

The call became a critical and tantalizing piece of evidence in the case after The New York Times reported July 1 that law-enforcement sources claimed the tape captured Diallo making a comment to the effect that her alleged attacker was rich and she knew what she was doing. The leak has since been used to suggest that Diallo may have schemed with her incarcerated friend to make money off Strauss-Kahn.

Diallo and Tarawally, in interviews with , also disputed the leaked version of the call.

Thompson said the tape was played Wednesday for Diallo in her native Fulani language and an interpreter explained what was on it. In all, the imprisoned friend called Diallo at least three times in the aftermath of the attack, according to Thompson.

“The tape they played today does not capture Nafi Diallo being recording as saying, ‘He has a lot of money and I know what to do,’ as was leaked to The New York Times,” Thompson said. “Instead it shows there were at least three calls over several days.

“In the first call on the day after the attack, Ms. Diallo clearly reported to her friend in prison that ‘a man tried to rape me on my job. He is big and powerful. I did not know who he was when he attacked me. Because he couldn’t take off my clothes, he put his penis in my mouth.’ And she explained she tried to stop him,” the lawyer said in an interview.

Thompson said that in a later call, the prisoner called back to check on his friend after learning more about the man who allegedly attacked her. During that call, there were discussions about Strauss-Kahn’s wealth and the fact that Diallo had gotten a lawyer, but the quote attributed to Diallo in the leaked report was not on the tape, he said.

At one point, the tape shows Diallo learned after the fact that the man she accused was politically powerful and wealthy. She also acknowledged hiring an attorney, Thompson said.

“Later in the call the prisoner makes a statement like ‘you could get money from this.’ I take this to mean he was referring to a lawsuit,” Thompson explained as he related what the translator told him was on the tape. “Nafi Diallo’s first reaction is ‘wait, wait, wait,’ suggesting she wasn’t worried about that. She then makes a comment like ‘he can deal with it,’ which I took to mean her lawyer could deal with the issue.”

Thompson said he was angry after learning the tape recordings are different from what was leaked and that he conveyed his concerns to prosecutors during Wednesday’s meetings.

“For nearly a month, information has been leaked to the media that falsely portrays Ms. Diallo as scheming to take Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s money a day after he attempted to rape her,” Thompson said. “But what I heard today shows that Ms. Diallo has been telling the truth from the very beginning, that she was sexually assaulted by Strauss-Kahn while doing her job at the Sofitel.”

Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment late Wednesday. They are continuing to investigate the evidence in the case as they try to determine whether to proceed to trial despite their concerns about the maid’s credibility or drop the charges. A decision is expected in weeks.






Strauss-Kahn’s Accuser Meets the Press and Thanks Supporters

Nafissatou Diallo continued her transformation from anonymous accuser in a headline-grabbing criminal case to a public figure, making a brief statement on Thursday afternoon at a Brooklyn church.

Ms. Diallo’s appearance came just days after she first revealed her identity to the public, and the day after she walked past reporters to discuss the case with lawyers at the Manhattan district attorney’s office. While brief, her comments suggested that she was prepared to be a highly visible presence as the case moves toward possible resolution in the coming weeks.

Before a throng of journalists and supporters from her native Guinea, Ms. Diallo, who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, thanked supporters and spoke about her case in the lobby of a megachurch in East New York, Brooklyn, shortly after noon.

“I’m here because I had people call me a lot of bad names,” Ms. Diallo said softly at the Christian Cultural Center on Flatlands Avenue. “A lot of things they said about me was not true.”

Before being introduced by the Rev. A.R. Bernard, senior pastor at the center, Ms. Diallo, 32, dressed in a dark suit, rubbed her fingers together slowly, blinking often as she gazed out the windows of the lobby, past the bank of cameras and reporters.

“Me and my family, we are going through a lot,” she said. “We cry every day.”

Ms. Diallo, a housekeeper at a Midtown hotel, made her accusation in May against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, but has watched the case crumble around questions of her credibility. She said her 15-year-old daughter had seen her crying recently, prompting a plea from the girl.

“She said: ‘Please stop crying. Be strong for me,” Ms. Diallo said at the church. “I told her, ‘I will be strong for you and for every other woman in the world.’”

Ms. Diallo, working without a script or notes, spoke for less than five minutes at the event on Thursday and did not take questions from reporters before being escorted from the lectern. Her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, and other supporters remained at the microphone and spoke with reporters, as did Mr. Bernard.

Khadijah Shakur, a member of the New Black Panther Party, was among the roughly two dozen supporters who joined Ms. Diallo near a small stage in the lobby, assembled behind red velvet rope.

“She is being blamed, but she is the victim,” Ms. Shakur said before the news conference.

Ms. Diallo broke her public silence last week, granting interviews to Newsweek and ABC News.

At another prominent house of worship on the other side of Brooklyn, the Rev. Herbert Daughtry stood in the pulpit of the House of the Lord Church on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill and called for prosecutors to aggressively pursue charges against Mr. Strauss-Kahn.

“I urge District Attorney Cyrus Vance not to drop the case but to pursue truth and justice and let the chips fall where they may,” Mr. Daughtry told a handful of reporters in an otherwise empty house.

In meetings on Wednesday at the district attorney’s office in Manhattan, Ms. Diallo and her lawyer, Mr. Thompson, listened to recordings of conversations Ms. Diallo had with a fellow African immigrant in an Arizona prison after the alleged attack.

Last month, law enforcement officials told Mr. Thompson and The New York Times that Ms. Diallo could be heard saying on the tape “words to the effect of: ‘Don’t worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I’m doing.’ ” After hearing the recordings on Wednesday, Mr. Thompson said his client’s statements, which were made in her native language, Fula, had been mischaracterized.


View Larger Map


Sources: ABC News, AP, Atlantic Wire, Daily Beast, Newsweek, NY Times, Youtube, Google Maps

Roy Cooper's North Carolina SBI Lab Changes Yet To Come: Imprisoning Black Men

North Carolina's SBI Lab Transformation Moving Far Too Slowly


One day last summer N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper faced a bank of cameras and vowed to make reforms and change practices to restore the reputation of the State Bureau of Investigation and in particular to clean up significant problems at the SBI crime lab.

It was an impressive performance. Cooper had commissioned an audit of the agency's practices, brought in former FBI agent Chris Swecker to examine the lab's blood analysis unit and released information that showed hundreds of defendants may not have gotten a fair chance in court to prove their innocence. The audit's findings backed up investigative reporting by the News & Observer of Raleigh, and Cooper vowed to act on a number of fronts to fix the problems. Now there is new leadership at the crime lab and at the head of the SBI.

Yet an update last week indicated that the SBI's transformation has moved slowly. Some of the changes Cooper promised, including posting SBI lab policies on the Internet, have yet to be made. Other promised reforms now appear to be under internal debate, the N&O said. And state prosecutors who had asked for a full-scale audit of the crime lab are disappointed with the slow response.

What's more, an SBI lab analyst who has been suspended from case work said in court last week she had little interest in the FBI agent's scathing report on lab practices, including the withholding of test results favorable to defendants in more than 200 investigations. She described them only as one person's conclusions, and declined to say why she had not read the report.

Her testimony came in a hearing for Derrick Allen, who had served 12 years in prison on murder, sex assault and child abuse charges. Allen has always maintained he was innocent. He said he agreed under pressure to a plea deal only because he feared the death penalty. Allen's lawyer argued the state withheld blood test results, polygraph tests of a witness and other information that would have helped Allen defend himself.

Last week Superior court Judge Orlando Hudson dismissed the case against Allen and threw out all charges. He said the SBI's withholding of evidence was "extremely disturbing" and said Allen's rights had been violated by the crime lab's work.

While Cooper has taken steps to restore the SBI's reputation and make sure that its practices are based on a pursuit of truth and not just on convictions, Allen's story and those of other defendants wrongly convicted in North Carolina's courts demand swifter and firmer action. We must not tolerate a criminal justice system that condones withholding evidence, tampering with confessions, manufacturing of bogus scientific tests to support predetermined conclusions and otherwise trampling on the rights of the accused to defend themselves in court.






Fixing North Carolina SBI Lab Will Cost Money


Restoring the credibility of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory after a blistering review of the lab's policies and procedures will cost the state, officials said Thursday.

An independent review found 190 cases that resulted in convictions from 1987 to 2003 in which SBI agents in the crime lab's blood-stain analysis unit omitted, overstated or falsely reported information about blood evidence.

Since the report was released last month, the crime lab director has been replaced, and Attorney General Roy Cooper has ordered audits of other parts of the lab. Defense attorneys say they will question the credibility of the SBI in court, and some lawmakers have said that they lab might need to be removed from SBI control.

"I was heartened by the actions that were taken, but it's also clear we have a long way to go," Rep. Rick Glazier, co-chairman of a special legislative committee looking into policy and procedure issues at the SBI, said Thursday.

The Joint Select Study Committee on the Preservation of Biological Evidence was formed last year to examine more technical evidence-preservation procedures. The committee, which also includes current and former district attorneys, court administrators and law enforcement authorities, heard Thursday from Cooper, new SBI Director Greg McLeod and Chris Swecker and Mike Wolf, the two former assistant FBI directors who conducted the independent review.

The committee expects to recommend changes in SBI operations to the General Assembly, which reconvenes in January. Glazier, D-Cumberland, said lawmakers should be prepared to spend money to carry out any needed reforms.

"The costs of not doing that are far greater than whatever those costs are going to be," he said.

McLeod said more training and more personnel will probably be needed to correct the deficiencies.

Cooper said it's too early to address the issue of an independent crime lab.

"I think that's an issue for tomorrow. That's an issue for the next legislative session. Today, I'm concentrating solely on fixing the problems," he said.

"We don't have all of the facts yet," he continued. "We haven't looked at all the other states and compared it to what North Carolina is doing. The key right now is for us to concentrate on the problems and get those problems fixed as quickly as possible and making sure the work that is done at the SBI is accurate and fair."

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers say, however, that making the crime lab independent could remove perceptions that lab workers are aiding prosecutors seeking evidence to build their cases. Twelve other states already have independent crime labs.

“There is a cloud hanging over the SBI, and the only way to remove that cloud is to remove the crime lab from the SBI,” Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight said in a statement this week.

"This is simply inexcusable," Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, said when the report was released in August. "We have to consider whether or not the SBI should remain under the Attorney General's Office or whether it should be an independent agency."

The special committee's co-chair, Sen. Ed Jones, said that quality control is his top concern. He suggested that another approach could be for other people in the SBI lab to double-check reports for accuracy.

“I’m open to any suggestions,” Jones, D-Bertie, said Monday. “I’m going in with an open mind to find out what happened and to keep it from happening again.”

House Minority Leader Paul Stam, R-Wake, a committee member, said he wants more information before deciding on lab independence but said there has to be some working relationship between lab workers and law enforcement because their charge is to solve crimes with integrity.

“These are the practical problems,” Stam said. “We want the final work product of the SBI lab to be beyond reproach all the time.”







North Carolina's SBI Lab Culture Resists Change


After an Independent Audit found that the North Carolina State Crime Lab had withheld or misreported test results in more than 200 cases, Attorney General Roy Cooper promised to change the culture at the State Bureau of Investigation.

"The lab cannot accept a lack of thoroughness,"Cooper said in August. "It cannot accept attitudes that are not open to the possibility that a mistake has been made. It cannot ignore criticism and suggestions from the outside." He and SBI Director Greg McLeod have vowed to fix problems throughout the bureau highlighted by a News & Observer series.

Cooper has a long way to go, as shown by the events that unfolded late last week in two courthouses across the state.

In Durham, a lab analyst testified that she viewed the state as her client, casting doubt on assertions that the lab serves both the state and the defense.

A defense lawyer complained that the SBI lab refused to answer a simple question in a 12-year-old murder case: Did the SBI lab still have possession of critical evidence?

In Charlotte, lawyers for the SBI downplayed allegations that an SBI agent had caused a mentally disabled man to be jailed for 14 years on a fabricated confession; they said it really didn't matter whether the SBI agent "elaborated" or "augmented" or even "smoothed out" the alleged confession.

But perhaps the biggest challenge toCooper's call to accept criticism and suggestions from outside the bureau came from testimony given by one of his agents.


No admission of error

SBI agent Jennifer Elwell, testifying in Durham about the case of Derrick Allen, rejected the audit that Cooper has embraced while admitting she had only read bits of it. She criticized the two former FBI supervisors who did the work, saying they didn't understand forensic science.

She refused to acknowledge that either she or SBI policy was in error, but Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson ruled otherwise. He threw out charges that Allen killed and sexually assaulted 2-year-old Adesha Artis and specifically cited how Elwell's report was used to extract a guilty plea from Allen.

In 1998, Allen was charged with the murder and sexual assault of his girlfriend's daughter. The lead prosecutor said in court that the "most significant" piece of evidence in the case was the girl's "bloody panties."

Elwell conducted presumptive tests that indicated the stains could be blood. She ran two confirmatory tests on the underwear. In a positive test, microscopic crystals form on the item to confirm the presence of blood.

Sometimes tests were inconclusive, Elwell said: "Crystals did not form; they tried to form, but nothing happened."

And sometimes the tests were negative, as in Allen's case.

Her report did not say the test was negative. It said her test "gave chemical indications for the presence of blood."


Audit's criticism rejected

Elwell rejected all criticism of her work, saying the audit was just one person's opinion and not the opinion of the scientific community.

Allen's lawyer, Lisa Williams, asked whether the attorney general had hired two incompetent auditors.

"I am not going to speak for the attorney general," Elwell said. "If you like, you can call him and subpoena him and ask him."

During the hearing, Williams complained about how the SBI lab refused to answer simple questions.

Earlier this year, a private investigator for Allen called the lab to ask whether it still possessed evidence collected in 1998: the rape kit items collected from the girl and samples taken from Allen.

Williams said employees at the lab refused to answer.

The hearing in Durham also touched on the issue of whether the laboratory is independent or whether it tips the scales of justice in the courtroom by favoring prosecutors and police over defendants. A benchmark national report on forensic science has recommended that labs be removed from the control of police or prosecutors.


Different views of Agency's role

Joe John, interim director of the SBI crime lab, said his impression after a month on the job was that lab workers were not puppets of law enforcement. Lab analysts universally told him they believed "their customer was the criminal justice system as a whole."

But Elwell identified a different client Friday. She said the lab was drawing new guidelines to provide "a stricter standard of customer service for our client, that being the state of North Carolina."

Williams, Allen's lawyer, said the misconduct in Allen's case hurts everyone: Her client didn't get his day in court and neither did the victim and her family.

"If everyone does their job well, 12 jurors get to decide," Williams said. "Mr. Allen will not get an opportunity to be declared innocent by a jury" and Adesha's family won't know who's responsible for her death.

On Friday in Charlotte, lawyers for the SBI tried to win dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Floyd Brown, a mentally disabled man jailed for 14 years on murder charges. Brown's lawyers contend that SBI agent Mark Isley fabricated an elaborate six-page confession.


Defense says SBI Leaders Failed

If the state gets the case thrown out, Brown's attorney cannot inspect internal records at the Attorney General's Office to determine exactly what former SBIDirector Robin Pendergraft and other supervisors knew about Isley's actions, and when they knew it.

David Rudolf, Brown's lawyer, said the SBI had a track record of ignoring problems with agents and promoting them instead. He said that reflects a failure of leadership from Pendergraft and others.

"This went on for years under her watch," Rudolf said. "She enabled this kind of conduct to go on by not taking steps to stop it." Attorney General Cooper removed Pendergraft as director in late July, moving her to another job. Isley, the agent in Brown's case, hasn't seen any change in his job as a result of the lawsuit.

Last week, SBI leaders reiterated that they are moving methodically to carry the changes recommended in the audit.

After the audit, which included 32 of Jennifer Elwell's cases, she was prohibited from examining more cases at the lab. She is now helping rewrite lab policies.


View Larger Map


Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WRAL, Google Maps