Today a judge decided that there is enough evidence to proceed with a sexual assault trial against Bill Cosby in Pennsylvania. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
You’ll remember that Cosby is accused of drugging and violating an employee of Temple University, who, fitting with patterns described by literally dozens of women, considered him a mentor. While the trial is a hopeful sign for those of us who refuse to simply “forget these women“, it also feels a bit bittersweet for those of us who hold critiques of carceral politics, and have seen the devastating impacts of the criminal justice system on communities of color firsthand. And of course, there’s the usual fear that comes with any sexual assault case in America: that no matter the circumstances, victims tend to face an unjust measure of scrutiny and slut-shaming in their search for justice.
Breaking News in the Cosby rape trial: the woman Cosby raped is going to be put on trial.
— Jackie Peters (@JaxGotJokes) May 24, 2016
Lest you forget that we live in a victim-blaming society, and that no verdict is a given, consider that it took ten+ years, a male comedian lifting up dozens of women’s accounts, and a firsthand confession for people to pay attention to these claims to begin with. On top of that, the media regularly describes those who raise these allegations as “rude” or out of line, and people somehow still to this day claim his innocence. So while I hope the victim in this case and the rest of his victims receive some measure of justice, I’m unfortunately not holding my breath for justice anytime soon.
