The most thunderous booms of the #MeToo movement have come when clusters of women all point at the same powerful men. A chorus of allegations rises from a Chicago music studio or a Palm Beach mansion, and accusers are finally heard.
R&B star R. Kelly faced new federal charges last week alleging he schemed to sexually exploit young girls, paid to recover child-sex tapes and pressured witnesses before a trial that ended in his acquittal a decade ago. Dozens of women have accused Jeffrey Epstein of rape and assault in a bombshell case that led to the resignation of U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta on Friday, following outrage over his handling of a plea deal with Epstein years ago when Acosta was a U.S. attorney in Miami.
Both Kelly and Epstein say they are not guilty of the accusations against them.
The dramatic developments in these long-running sagas offer yet another sign that #MeToo has upended the imbalance of power that long kept men on high perches and their victims in the shadows. Accusers say these men used money and fame to lure girls who were troubled, homeless or who needed money, only to rape and otherwise abuse them. The Miami Herald reported that most Epstein accusers came from disadvantaged families, single-parent homes or foster care, and some had experienced tragedy and abuse at tender ages. “We had no family and no guidance,” one said. Kelly’s alleged victims have been described as “among the most vulnerable in our society.”
#MeToo prepared the ground for these women to be taken seriously. Their stories have rocked the halls of power amid a cultural shift in how revelations are received by the public and prosecutors.
No one is hanging a Mission Accomplished banner. Accusers still face harassment. The new allegations against Kelly identify a victim named only as J.P., though Jerhonda Pace has spoken publicly. “His fans were livid when they saw ‘J.P’ on every count,” she tweeted. “They already started bothering me.”
While #MeToo has helped bring men to account for crimes and misdeeds in many arenas, it’s clear women still need the support of one another. One more voice really does matter against attempts to shush, bully, rationalize or shame their stories away.
“This was not a ‘he said, she said’ situation,” retired Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter told the Miami Herald of the earlier Epstein case. “This was 50-something ‘shes’ and one ‘he’ — and the ‘shes’ all basically told the same story.”
That ratio shouldn’t be necessary, yet today it’s undeniably powerful. Each high-profile conversation presents another chance for the public to recalibrate its attitude toward accusers — and for survivors to see that they can seek justice without having to go it alone.
— Chicago Tribune