Bill Cosby has been a household name for years, the star of a great sitcom raising blatant appraisal from much of the public. However, nowadays, when the name Bill Cosby is mentioned, it typically isn't done so in a positive manner. Unfortunately, in recent years it seems as if the sitcom dad and comedian everyone loved had a double life as a sexual predator. Multiple claims and allegations have been made against the comedian in recent years, some of which could have him behind bars for numerous years.
The first trials
Gaining popularity in around 2014, many women came out making claims and exposing sexual assault that happened to them at the hands of Bill Cosby in their younger years.
Among these women is an individual named Andrea Constand, a former basketball player. When she came forward with her story, she had multiple other women ready to come forward as well. Constand says that after giving her drugs that left her unconscious, Cosby proceeded to perform sexual acts on her without her consent. In June, the case was declared a mistrial when jurors couldn't come to a verdict, but recently, it has come up again at his retrial in Pennsylvania.
The retrial
On April 9th, the case went back to retrial, with seven men and five women on the jury. Outside of the court, however, were protesters from the #MeToo movement and other various affiliations. Among these protesters was a female, who, according to CBS News, was an actress on a few episodes of "The Cosby's." This individual (Nicolle Rochelle), nude with the words "Women's lives matter" written across her body, jumped over a barricade and got near Cosby while chanting.
While the comedian was startled, he was not touched or harmed. The woman, however, was detained and carried away, reportedly being charged with disorderly conduct. She was claimed by a feminist group at the event, who said that they solely wanted to convey how bad the issues of sexual assault were, and how light needs to be shed on them.
Many others were with her, all activists in the #MeToo campaign as well.
The case regarding Bill Cosby continues to go on, but he still says that all of the sexual acts were consensual. Cosby faces the possibility of many years in prison depending on how the case goes. However, it is strikingly clear that the public, specifically American feminists, would have an issue if he were somehow able to walk away from this situation a free man.
