From "he needs to pay" to "leave him alone" - reaction divided over Cosby release
Record ID:
1624179
From "he needs to pay" to "leave him alone" - reaction divided over Cosby release
- Title: From "he needs to pay" to "leave him alone" - reaction divided over Cosby release
- Date: 1st July 2021
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 30, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL HAMMACK SAYING: "He's rich, he was going to get out no matter what. He's an iconic person and people don't care about sex crimes. That's kind of it. The justice system doesn't care about rape survivors. That's basically my thoughts about it. There's people who think that he did nothing wrong. He's too iconic of a famous person, a famous guy. His image got tainted. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a comeback in a couple of years. That's kind of how things work." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIKE 'R' SAYING: "You can't do that to an old man that's 80 years old and send him to prison for something he didn't do wrong but 40 years ago, they should have got him them when he was younger but why now? I think they should leave Bill Cosby alone. They just want his money. That's all they want. They don't care about him, they don't care about his industry, they don't care about his acting or anything like that or commercial-wise. They just want his money. That's all they want." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TUERE INGRAM SAYING: "My immediately reaction is that something that happened 40 years ago that, being a female myself, I would think that somebody would have spoken up even maybe five years after it happened at the latest, so I think him being released to me, he's been shamed publicly, he's lost everything. I feel like paid his dues." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEETA JOJI SAYING: "Because this was supposed to give other women an opportunity to come out and speak about any kind of abuses or anything that they've been through and, you know, because of this, I don't know if more women would be able to speak up in the future, I don't know, anything that happened in the future so." (SOUNDBITE) (English) GINGER MILLER SAYING: "A technicality is not enough to release anyone with those types of charges. A lot of people are victims and they're really upset, they're really sad and it's ruined their entire lives and he needs to pay. Justice needs to be served. Therefore, I think that he should go back immediately." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MONICA PEREZ SAYING: "Well it could mean possibly that some of them may feel defeated at this point, but it also could pump them up and make them realize 'Hey, we need to keep pushing forward and make sure all our i's are dotted and our t's are crossed so this doesn't happen again, because technicalities can happen with any case and it's happened in major cases before this as well." WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 30, 2021) (REUTERS) WHITE HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEXUS WASHINGTON FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS "I'm happy he's coming home, you know, from the time that he went in, it's been about two and a half years now. It seemed like a takedown on our African American men. And I'm just glad he gets to go home to him family and feel that love and appreciation for a legend like himself. So, yeah, I think it's a very good thing. Happy he's coming home." PEOPLE WALKING PEOPLE TAKING PHOTOGRAPH IN FRONT OF WHITE HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENNA UMANSKY FROM WASHINGTON, DC, SAYING (CONTAINS PROFANITY): "I grew up on Bill Cosby. My father went to Temple the same time he did, and our Sunday mornings were spent listening to his music records. And then I was a Cosby kid. Every Thursday night, we watched 'The Cosby Show'. And to find out what he did to those women, those women who were brave enough to come forward and all those who were living their truth and choose not to, the bastard deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life." PEOPLE TAKING SELFIES (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENNA UMANSKY FROM WASHINGTON, DC, SAYING: "That he got out on a technicality? I don't care. That's lawyers playing lawyer games, which is why they're making, taking all of his money. He knows what he did that many women aren't lying. It was a known fact that he took advantage of women in Hollywood and among the comedians. He deserves to be in jail." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE
- Embargoed: 15th July 2021 01:04
- Keywords: Bill Cosby Bill Cosby court Cosby Cosby goes free crime sexual assault sexual assault allegations
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES/INTERNET
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES/INTERNET
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA002EJLHLJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: CONTAINS PROFANITY
Reaction to Bill Cosby being freed from prison on Wednesday (June 30) after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction ranged from outrage to cheers.
The 83-year-old actor and comedian was freed from prison and returned home less than two hours after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction, saying he never should have faced charges after striking a non-prosecution deal with a previous district attorney more than 15 years ago.
"I was a Cosby kid. Every Thursday night, we watched 'The Cosby Show'. And to find out what he did to those women, those women who were brave enough to come forward and all those who were living their truth and choose not to, the bastard deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life," Jenna Umansky from Washington, DC.
"Being a female myself, I would think that somebody would have spoken up even maybe five years after it happened at the latest, so I think him being released to me, he's been shamed publicly, he's lost everything. I feel like paid his dues," said Tuere Ingram in Los Angeles.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its split decision after Cosby had served more than two years of a three- to 10-year sentence following his 2018 conviction, prompting outrage from sexual assault victims and their advocates.
Cosby is best known for his role as the lovable husband and father in the 1980s television comedy series "The Cosby Show," earning him the nickname "America's Dad."
But his family-friendly reputation was shattered after more than 50 women accused him of multiple sexual assaults over nearly five decades. His conviction was seen as a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement that brought forth an array of allegations against powerful men in Hollywood and beyond.
Cosby was found guilty of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, an employee at his alma mater Temple University, in his home in 2004. Constand's allegations were the only ones against Cosby that were not too old to allow for criminal charges.
The court's decision expressly barred prosecutors from retrying Cosby.
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