Next for Bill Cosby: Town halls on how to avoid sexual assault accusations
Barely a week after Bill Cosby’s rape case ended in a mistrial, the comedian is said to want to “get back to work” by launching a town hall series to teach young people about how to avoid pitfalls that lead to sexual assault accusations.
“This is bigger than Bill Cosby,” his representative Andrew Wyatt in an interview with Alabama-based WBRC-TV. “This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today. And they need to know what they’re facing when they’re hanging out and partying when they’re doing certain things that they shouldn’t be doing.”
“And it also affects, you know, married men,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt and Cosby’s other representative, Ebonee Benson, announced the comedian’s plans now that the trial is over. Last week, a jury deadlocked on a verdict to convict Cosby of any of the charges he faced stemming from allegations brought on by
Cosby faced three counts of aggravated indecent assault for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Constand in his home in 2004. After the mistrial, prosecutors vowed to retry the case but no timeline has been set.
RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, on Thursday offered a statement when it heard about Cosby’s town hall idea. “It’d be more useful if Mr. Cosby would spend time talking about how now to commit sexual assault in the first place,” said Jodi Omear, RAINN vice president of communications.
News of Cosby’s town hall series triggered other immediate reactions on Twitter where some people were left incredulous about the whole thing. Here’s what some of them said.
Some people on Twitter had advice of their own for Cosby.
Benson, one of Cosby’s representatives, explained that sexual assault statute of limitations for victims are being extended and that young people need to be educated about those and other laws.
“A brush against a shoulder, anything at this point, can be considered sexual assault,” Benson said. “And it’s a good thing to be educated about the laws.”
No additional details about those town halls were provided, other than Wyatt saying that one would be held as soon as July, but based on reactions from people reading the news it sounds like an idea that might need more explanation for everyone to fully understand Cosby’s intentions. Many questions remain about these forums.Could the town halls include education on what’s considered inappropriate behavior and how to take responsibility? Could they teach young people on how to report an assault? Could they include a session on how to support victims of assault? Would Cosby be personally leading these town halls in light of the trial and in the face of a new trial renewing in court at some point?
This is obviously a new development to a sensitive story, but it’s one that’s already triggering a lot of reactions and intense debate about sexual assault in America. Please share your thoughts with us.
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