After reading Beverly Johnson's first-hand account of how Bill Cosby drugged and attempted to assault her —- and please, if you haven't read it yet, stop reading this and go read it — it's almost as if Johnson heard every bullshit-ass defense people have argued for Bill Cosby, and said "Fuck this. I'm refuting all of this bullshit right now."
To wit,
To those who think this is a conspiracy to bring a Black man down:
Johnson's words:
"Still I struggled with how to reveal my big secret, and more importantly, what would people think when and if I did? Would they dismiss me as an angry black woman intent on ruining the image of one of the most revered men in the African American community over the last 40 years? Or would they see my open and honest account of being betrayed by one of the country’s most powerful, influential, and beloved entertainers?
As I wrestled with the idea of telling my story of the day Bill Cosby drugged me with the intention of doing God knows what, the faces of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and countless other brown and black men took residence in my mind.
As if I needed to be reminded. The current plight of the black male was behind my silence when Barbara Bowman came out to tell the horrific details of being drugged and raped by Cosby to the Washington Post in November. And I watched in horror as my longtime friend and fellow model Janice Dickinson was raked over the coals for telling her account of rape at Cosby’s hands."
To those who asked why some of these women took so long to speak up:
Johnson's words:
"At a certain moment it became clear that I would be fighting a losing battle with a powerful man so callous he not only drugged me, but he also gave me the number to the bedroom he shared with his wife. How could I fight someone that boldly arrogant and out of touch? In the end, just like the other women, I had too much to lose to go after Bill Cosby. I had a career that would no doubt take a huge hit if I went public with my story and I certainly couldn’t afford that after my costly divorce and on going court fees."
I really have nothing else to say, because there's really nothing else to say.