R&B singer, R. Kelly has been banned from Philadelphia
following the troubling accusations in the “Surviving R. Kelly,” the
Lifetime docuseries that detailed the artist’s alleged long history of
sexual, physical, and mental abuse of young women and girls
According to CBS Philly, the Philadelphia City Council voted
unanimously to ban the singer from stepping foot in the city as part of
Councilwoman Helen Gym‘s “Mute R. Kelly” resolution.
“We reject a system that silences black women and accepts black
pain,” Gym confirmed on Twitter. “We believe survivors. R. Kelly is not
welcome in Philadelphia. This symbolic act of solidarity puts all sexual
predators on notice.”
She also told the Philadelphia Inquirer, that
‘the resolution is about not accepting. It’s about being clear that
we will not accept a future where rape is accepted, and rapists and
sexual predators get away with their acts. I believe that R. Kelly and
predators like him should be shamed and banished from the public
sphere.”
CBS Philly also revealed that the resolution isn’t enforceable and
Kelly will not be arrested or physically removed from the city if he
tries to perform or just stops by, but Gym sees the resolution as a
statement letting the singer know that the city supports his survivors
and condemns sexual abuse.
Kelly has since denied the allegations against him, and he has not been convicted of any sex crimes.
