I spotted the fans, mostly Black middle-aged women in jeans and hoodies, from their banter with each other as they patiently awaited for security to give them the go-ahead they clearly had a rapport built up over weeks together, waiting for the trial to begin every morning, as they passed brushes back and forth and checked in with each other to make sure they had placed their names on the check-in list. When I arrived at the courthouse at 7:30 last Monday morning, a small queue had begun to form of no more than ten people, including local court reporters. It all made for an unforgiving portrait and one that I had to see for myself to try and understand. A search of the #FreeRKelly hashtag brought up small stan accounts dedicated to his exoneration, dissecting and interpreting information in real time, part of it via filtered reporting provided by the loyalists in attendance at the court proceedings. Disputes reportedly broke out over access to the limited space within the viewing rooms, leading to intervention by U.S. Over the course of the trial, which began in mid-August, the reports and clips of their behavior became more extreme images circulated on social media of fans gathering in Cadman Plaza to blast music and make clear their vitriol for the prosecution and support for the defense. I was irate about the continued support for a man who has used his extensive resources to harm Black girls and boys for decades without accountability.
Kelly’s fans showing up to his trial in Brooklyn, I swung between disbelief and disgust.
Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images Kelly supporter outside one of the singer’s hearings on sexual abuse charges at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago, June, 2019.