briefs

(U-WIRE) DURHAM, N.C. – Lawyers representing former Duke University lacrosse players… (U-WIRE) DURHAM, N.C. – Lawyers representing former Duke University lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Durham and former Durham district attorney Mike Nifong on Friday.

The suit, which also names police investigators and an independent lab director involved in the investigation, asks for compensatory and punitive damages plus reforms to the Durham Police Department.

The three, all members of the 2005-2006 men’s lacrosse team, were under indictment for nearly a year in connection with rape charges from a March 2006 party. Charges were dropped and Nifong was disbarred because of problems in the investigation.

-Staff report, The Chronicle (Duke)

(U-WIRE) NEWARK, Del. – Although many students consider Facebook a guilty pleasure, the website has now been labeled “guilty” – of allowing sexual predators to go after young users.

Andrew Cuomo, attorney general of New York, found evidence that sexual predators target young users on Facebook, that pornographic content is accessible on the website and that Facebook does not respond quickly to user and parental complaints.

The attorney general is issuing Facebook a subpoena because of these issues.

Reshmy Vasist, deputy press secretary for the New York Attorney General’s office, said the office set up profiles of 12- to 14-year-old girls on Facebook to test the website’s security settings.

Cuomo stated in a letter to Facebook that these underage profiles received numerous sexual solicitations within days, including messages such as “I’d love to get off on cam for you hun.”

He said the social-networking site ignored repeated complaints regarding sexual content from undercover investigators posing as users or parents.

Facebook spokeswoman Brandee Barker stated in an e-mail that Facebook is concerned with security on its website.

“We strive to uphold our high standards for privacy on Facebook and are constantly working on processes and technologies that will further improve safety and user control on the site,” Barker said.

-By Jennifer Heine, The Review (U. Delaware)

(U-WIRE) HOUSTON – Four out of the five University of Houston students who have been in police custody since Oct. 1 for a string of vehicle burglaries have been released on a $10,000 bond.

Friendswood, Texas police charged the students with engaging in organized criminal activity, a felony, for 12 vehicle burglaries dating back to Aug. 7.

The students are 19-year-olds Austin Burchett and Randle Umeh and 18-year-olds Ryan Guillory, Dideon Udo and Mandela Scipio.

Burchett turned himself in to Galveston County jail on Tuesday after hearing of the warrant out for his arrest, Friendswood Police Department Public Information Officer Karen Peterson said.

FPD also charged a sixth suspect and former UH student James Ivy, 21, who was arrested by UH Police Department and transported to a Harris County jail, Peterson said.

Among the items stolen from the vehicles were credit cards, which the suspects were caught on video using at a local Wal-Mart, according to FPD.

Although Friendswood police suspect that the men charged might also be linked to other vehicle burglaries in the Houston area, UH police department Capt. Brad Wigtil refused to comment on whether the department is investigating a connection with burglaries on campus.

A Facebook group called “Free the Friendswood Six” has been created by UH student Walter John Barta, who wrote, “We are dedicated to freeing these six black men from the clutches of the bigoted, racist authorities. Knowing these men, I affirm their benevolence and recommend that all anti-racists do the same.”

-By Nada Elsayed, The Daily Cougar (U. Houston)