What most people used to consider when thinking about Bill Cosby is his comedy. Now, people should be thinking about how the infamous actor, producer, and comedian has allegedly sexually assaulted more than fifty women.
Because of certain procedural laws are in Pennsylvania, only one woman has been able to come forward and try Cosby in criminal court: Andrea Constand took her case to court before PA's legal timeframe to present a case expired.
This is not Cosby's first rodeo. Although Constand's is the first criminal case, Cosby has been civilly tried for sexually in court before. Women who say they have experienced have eerily similar stories about how Cosby, 79, raped them.
Following the deliberation in the case against Bill Cosby, the jury reached deadlock, meaning they were split evenly and would come to no conclusion. The jury consisted of four white women, six white men, one black woman and one black man.
Although the prosecution will proceed to try the case again, I find it appalling that, even with overwhelming evidence, half a jury could not be convinced of the crime Cosby has repeatedly committed.
Oh, did I mention? Bill Cosby admitted to using Quaaludes, a depresent, to "help women sleep," and even apologized to Constand's mother for being "a dirty old man with a young girl."
Imagine how empowered the women felt as, one by one, they began to feel comfort in speaking out about Bill Cosby. There truly are powers in numbers.
Imagine being told, one by one, that they were lying.
Violent crimes are an often-repeated offense and the throngs of women speaking out about the sexual violence, along with the PTSD, pain, and fear that Cosby has cast upon multitudes of scarred victims says a lot about how Americans view sexual assault.
People do not make rape accusations in America for fear of being told they are wrong.
Incredulously, half of a jury and many others question the accountability of not one, not a few, but dozens of women. If a woman cannot find comfort in reporting a violent crime with 50+ other women, how can a single woman come forward and speak about the horrors she has experienced? If we continue to shame and discredit women who have experienced rape, women will stop coming forward all together, and sexual assault could very well become the new norm in America.
Do not justify his actions with money, fame, or power. Do not tell these women they are lying, or over exaggerating, or wrong.
Cosby is a powerful figurehead in the world of comedy. This does not give him a free pass to rape women, and I hope the next group of jurors see that they are deliberating not only for Andrea, not only for the dozens of women Cosby has assaulted but for victims of sexual assault everywhere.
