One of Bishop Eddie Long's accusers decided to grant Fox 5 News in Atlanta an on-camera interview about his relationship with the mega-church preacher. Jamal Parris gives a harrowing and emotional account of accepting Long as a father figure while still a young teen, only to have his trust betrayed by the older man. Parris is one of four young men who have filed lawsuits claiming that Long coerced them into sexual relationships. "You finally have a father that you've always wanted for and always dreamed of," Parris told Fox 5's Dale Russell. "He would just walk away from you if you don't give him what he wants. So you end up turning into something you never thought you would be, which is now a slave to a man that you love."
It's a tough interview to watch, whether you believe him or not. Parris ends it by looking directly into the camera as if speaking to Long and saying, "You are not a man, you are a monster."
More below and on Fox 5 Atlanta's Web site.
Sheryl Huggins Salomon is senior editor-at-large of The Root and a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based editorial consultant. Follow her on Twitter.