Friday, February 6, 2015

Are Cosby Abuse Allegations True?

By Beryl Dalton


Over decades, Cosby has cultivated a father figure image besides being an entertainer. Cosby abuse allegations have dealt this image a major blow. Everyone considered him a father figure and has participated in numerous mentorship programs for young boys. His moral authority is now in question as the list of accusers grows.

Andrea Constand came to the limelight in 2005 when she alleged molestation by the comic. She once directed operations for the girls basketball team at Temple University. In the accusations, she was molested after drugging in 2004 in Pennsylvania. She claims that her statement was rejected by the police. This allegation opened the floor for others to emerge.

Tamara Green is another accuser who claims that she was groped after being drugged into unconsciousness. The twelve women who have come forward mention being drugged. The seasoned actor has refuted all the accusations.

According to Philadelphia Daily News, one of the anonymous women in the papers filed by Andrea Constand is Beth Ferrier. In her words, the comic drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1980s inside a car in Denver. The story is said to have surfaced in 2005 but was killed by the tabloid after lawyers pressured them. Andrea is said to have settled her lawsuit out of court in November 2006.

Barbara Bowman met the comic in 1980 as an upcoming actress. He was her mentor for several years. In a story published in 2006, she was molested several times in Reno and New York City. She joins the list of anonymous accusers.

The reprinting of the stories of Barbara and Tamara in 2014 trained focus on the comic. Gawker and Newsweek run the stories on several occasions. At the time, different media outlets were planning to feature the comedian or rerun his shows. Netflix has lined a stand-up comedy appearance on November 28th while NBC was preparing a show on an extended family where he would be the patriarch.

Mark Whitaker, formerly of CNN and Newsweek, wrote a biography Cosby, His Life and Times. While the comedian is said to have cooperated, the book did not mention any of the allegations. In his defense, the writer cited lack of evidence and inability to independently verify the claims by accusers. According to Whitaker, even the courts have not been able to verify them which means that they did not meet his threshold.

The rapist mention in a comedy show by Hannibal Buress in Philadelphia made the clip to go viral online. The renewed attention saw Daily Mail publish the original allegations made by Barbara Bowman where she refers to him as a monster. Buress told reporters that he has mentioned the case on several shows but these instances did not attract any attention.

Negative attention has affected an apparent return to comedy as well as appearance on popular shows. NBC had been planning a comedy that would have featured the comic as a patriarch in an extended family. Netflix and TV Land have also cancelled their shows. Appearances on Queen Latifahs show and Late Night with David Letterman were also canceled. Support has been scarce but the most notable is Whoopi Goldberg and Phylicia Rashad, a member of his team in the years.




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