Jonathan Dienst of NBC New York seems to stick to the facts and yet seems to have no real answer of what will happen to singer R. Kelly after his most recent arrest. Being fair though this is still pretty recent and it’s hard to say what’s really going to happen, so reporting on the arrest and the possible outcome is about as close as anyone is going to get. What does seem to be agreed upon is that this matter needs to be settled finally since it’s been ongoing since the 90s, and the narrative has become quite old since quite honestly it seems as though money and reputation have saved Kelly more than once and might even be able to do it this time. In a way it feels as though it should be taking a toll on more people than just R. Kelly since if he did manage to pay people off then those people in question should be made to pay for the cover-up that was initiated, despite the crimes that Kelly has been accused of. That might sound controversial but those that are complicit in the abuse that he’s been accused of need to be made to realize that simply taking a payment for their silence so that Kelly wouldn’t be found out. Trading the dignity of your family for a payout needs to be punishable, but perhaps not to the degree that should be experienced by Kelly.
Don Lemon of CNN writes that Kelly’s lawyer seems to think that he’ll be vindicated and released since to this point it’s apparent that for all that he’s been through it still seems as though he’s not going to see any real prison time. The freak out interview that he conducted a while back shows that Kelly has been quite unsettled by this and that his mental state has been seriously declining throughout the years in response to the allegations that have hounded him for so long. At this time it seems kind of amusing to think that some of us might have been in high school or just entering college when Kelly was first accused of having sex with young girls and trafficking in child pornography. How he’s managed to escape justice, if he is indeed guilty, then it’s a question of what has happened at this point when it comes to gaining enough evidence to put him away for his crimes.
The reason why he hasn’t been punished, and might not be if things don’t go the way the prosecutors want, is pretty simple. Celebrities aren’t always made to pay. That’s not an attitude, it’s a fact that’s been played out more than a few times in the history of the movie and music industries. Their money can hire high-priced lawyers that can find loopholes and defenses that can allow them to walk or endure the lightest of sentences, or their money can buy the silence of those they’ve wronged, thereby insuring that trouble is averted and any prison time is avoided. It’s a constant argument that seems to hold little to no water with some people but it is very evident when sentences are handed down. Rarely when celebrities are brought to court will a prison sentence be on the table, or enforced in any way. While some celebrities have done their time and haven’t managed to escape justice, Kelly seems to be among the norm when it comes to celebrities that can break the law and get away with it through an application of money and reputation. In many cases it would appear that a celebrity’s contribution to society is more than enough to assure them house arrest or probation rather than an orange jumpsuit, three hots and a cot as the saying goes. Even in prison it would seem that some celebrities are afforded an easier stay than many others, as their money is still allowed to buy them luxuries that others aren’t afforded.
All in all the predictions for Kelly’s chances are this: he’s going to walk again. No matter how it happens, no matter if he is indicted and found guilty this time, he’s going to keep on living his life because our justice system is, quite honestly, skewed towards the application of the almighty dollar. While he might not be as affluent as he used to be, Kelly can certainly continue to grease a palm or two and make certain that he’s not going to be housed where he should be, in general population with those that might be interested in making him feel every bit of humiliation that he’s allegedly visited upon so many. Without anger, without rancor and without support in any way for Kelly, it would seem that he still has enough pull to be ‘vindicated’ as his lawyer seems to think will happen.
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