• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Monday, October 2, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

Times up for R. Kelly

by Dwight Hobbes
August 20, 2019
767
SHARES
15.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
MGN Online R Kelly

New analysis

R. Kelly, it goes without saying, is up to his neck in hot water. His nearly three-decades-long trail of sexual abuse allegations has finally caught up with him.

As of August 6, the latest development landed in the Twin Cities’ lap with two sex abuse charges leveled by Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. According to which Kelly, in 2001, paid a young girl to prance around his hotel room nude while he touched her and himself.  This would constitute one, hiring a person for sexual contact and two, engaging in prostitution with a minor. Both felonies.

The latest charges are arguably the least of Kelly’s considerable concerns.  Last month, in Chicago, an unsealed court document claimed he’d filmed sex tapes with a female between 12 and 13 years old — that’s child sex abuse — bribing her and the family to keep it to themselves.

The indictment further accuses him of exposing a different young girl to an STD, paying her off, and sending the whole family on a vacation so investigators couldn’t find them when he was indicted for child pornography charges in 2002. 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

A Brooklyn, NYC indictment, unsealed the same week, alleged in detail that he’d similarly endangered the sexual health of several underage females. At length he was, this February, locked up in Chicago on 13 sex charges, including purchasing his victims’ and their families’ silence. This, while already being out on bail for past sex-related charges.

Freeman will have to get in line. Kelly was arraigned August 2 in federal court sex-crime charges and is behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. And, despite pleading not guilty to everything, won’t get another bail hearing. 

Between the U.S. Department of Justice, the State of Illinois and, now, Minnesota, Kelly’s looking at four sets of separate sex-crime charges — 40 counts, including sex-trafficking, possession of child pornography, obstruction of justice, and transportation of women and girls across state lines for the purpose of prostitution — and facing more time incarcerated than he’s likely to be alive, roughly 500 years if they throw the book at him.

There’s a great deal of they-said-she-said to sift through and no denying that even innocent celebrities draw claims of sexual victimization. Nonetheless, this is an awful lot of smoke for there to be no fire. Which raises the question of why this man has been able to survive sordid scandal after scandal for so long? And why have scores of Black women flocked to his defense? 

The documentary series Surviving R. Kelly (Lifetime, Jan. 3-5) averaged 2.1 million viewers. It highlighted old and new abuse allegations with comment from, among others, #MeToo Movement founder Tarana Burke. On one hand, Kelly’s being publicly depicted as a predator moved still more females to step forward with their stories. On the other, his recordings immediately spiked on Spotify. 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

In February, on his release from Chicago’s Southwest Side jail, three days after being charged with criminal sexual abuse, he was greeted by stalwart, unabashed adoration with shouts of “Free Kells!”  

Valencia Patrice Love, who described Kelly as a friend, provided his bail to the tune of $100,000.  Brittany Martin, a subscriber to the Facebook group, R. Kelly’s Single Ladies (upwards of 11,000 strong) told the Washington Post, “I believe that he is being a target and he’s being set up.” She repeated Kelly’s comments that the charges amounted to a “lynching” and compared his circumstances to the cases against Bill Cosby.

But for others, the documentary was the final straw. Burke, #MuteRKelly Co-Founders Kenyette Barnes and Oronike Odeleye, writer Mikki Kendall, and Time’s Up Women of Color (including Ava Duvernay, Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria), who’d raised concerns about Kelly for years were instrumental in the activism that eventually moved a number of national radio programs to yank his music off their playlists.

Bottom line, barring Johnnie Cochran coming back from the grave, it looks like Kelly’s goose is finally cooked. Considering that federal prosecutors own a 90 percent conviction rate, Chicago trial lawyer Gal Pissetzky, who’s represented clients in plea discussions with the U.S. attorney’s office, told the Associated Press, the best Kelly should expect would be copping to one or two of the most serious charges. “And you’re talking allegations of sex crimes [against] minors. I don’t think any judge will feel any mercy.” 

In Pissetzky’s estimation, he still could get hit with 30 to 40 years. He’d be somewhere around 70 years old by the time he sees daylight again, whereupon the matter of whether R. Kelly is a sexual predator will pretty much be moot.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

WNBA, players negotiations: points of contention are as old as league itself

Next Post

Mpls council should vote down paltry Jamar Clark settlement

Dwight Hobbes

Dwight Hobbes is a contributing writer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He can be reached at dhobbes@spokesman-recorder.com.

You Might Also Like

Don’t forget to check your blood pressure
Health & Wellness

Don’t forget to check your blood pressure

Kamala Harris stands strong against racist attacks, affirms readiness to lead
National

Kamala Harris stands strong against racist attacks, affirms readiness to lead

Women’s History Month Salute: Ruth Richardson
Local

Rep. Ruth Richardson abruptly resigns

Black women weigh emerging risks of hair straighteners
Health & Wellness

Black women weigh emerging risks of hair straighteners

Fearless Fund and allies stand firm against legal challenge
National

Fearless Fund and allies stand firm against legal challenge

Black women make slow progress in non-player roles
Sports

Black women make slow progress in non-player roles

Next Post
Twins kick off Fourth Annual Diversity Week

Mpls council should vote down paltry Jamar Clark settlement

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Sep 12
September 12 @ 6:30 pm-December 18 @ 9:30 pm Recurring

Vic Volare Presents MUSIC FOR MARTINIS ft: Vic’s Fabulous Nightclub Academy

Oct 3
October 3 @ 8:30 am-October 4 @ 5:30 pm

Insects: Little Body, Big Impact | Nobel Conference 59 | Virtual or In-Person

Oct 4
6:00 pm-8:00 pm

An Evening with Liz Cheney

Oct 5
8:00 pm-10:00 pm Recurring

Dianne McIntrye Group In the Same Tongue

View Calendar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Read our latest e-Edition!

PHOTO: Barbie back-to-school party

A Barbie back to school party.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: