Faith Rogers, who testified as Jane Doe during the Federal court case in the case against R. Kelly, spoke this Friday, for the very first time in the aftermath of her conviction. The singer, who is 24, reacted to remarks that were made by the Bill Cosby's publicist Andrew Wyatt, that Kelly was "railroaded."
"It was depressing to witness the years pass and even an additional trial that the abusive person, me, myabuser as well as the victim of a lot of women is being portrayed as a victim, and thought of as being railroaded,'" she said in an appearance at a press conference. Rodgers was sitting alongside her lawyer, Gloria Allred, as her parents sat behind her.
"The women who were victimized by R. Kelly had many nights of being constantly reminded of their own experiences as a result of being sexually abused by him," she continued. "I believe that this conviction makes it easier to remember those moments. If you are experiencing the nights of worry or worry, or being a little unsure due to the fact that you chose to confront your abuser and you feel like it was not a waste of time. I hope instead of accusing the other instead, we will learn to be more mindful and safeguard ourselves and our Black females."
Wyatt who represented Cosby in his now-turned sexual assault trial and said to in the New York Post in September that the comedian's embarrassment was because he thought Kelly "got rail-sacked," and was "screwed" in addition to stating that "he was not going to get an opportunity to make amends." Wyatt also told TMZ that Kelly's conviction was "an attack on the success of Black people who have done incredible things."
Rodgers stated that Kelly 54 was given an impartial trial based on the facts and said that the phrase "railroaded" was "beyond offensive."
Cosby as well as Wyatt haven't been the only people that have expressed sympathy for Kelly. Rep. Danny Davis III (D-Ill.) and Akon, the singer Akon said that Kelly could be able to redeem himself.
On September. 27th, Kelly was convicted on one count of racketeering as well as eight counts of infractions to the Mann Act, which prohibits the transport of minors and women across state boundaries to serve "immoral reasons." Rodgers, who was acquainted with Kelly when she was just 19 and testified that he controlled her, hurt her and was knowingly transmitting sexually transmitted herpes without telling her that the man had an STD.
When Kelly discovered that she would speak out about her abuse publicly The singer threatened to intimidate Rogers and reveal explicit pictures of her she had taken, which he did. Rodgers photos were shared on the account "Surviving Lies," which the prosecution used as evidence during the trial. Facebook was later removed the page..
In the press conference Faith stated that she was harassed and mocked when she started speaking about her abuse. Faith said she had lost friends and felt alone in the months that preceded her federal court trial, which took place in Brooklyn.
"I've been through the whole humiliation. All the gossip is about me. There's nothing else than that you could do to me now," she said. "So the anxiety of all of this obviously created anxiety in me, and every kind of medical issue. I'm in a better state now, but in the midst of it all, at that point I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to make it or how I would make myself feel better after all it ... This is difficult enough to compete with the people who are everyone's favorite."
Kelly was clearly unhappy at the time of Rodgers testimony Shaking his head and getting angry during her testimony. At some point in her testimony, while evidence was being presented that featured the music of Rodgers, Kelly began pretending to play the piano.
At the press conference Rodgers described Kelly's behavior as "childish" as well as "not suitable in court."
Allred who was the lawyer for three of the victims who gave evidence against Kelly Allred said Rodgers testimony was "very influential and vital in finding guilty R. Kelly."
"Throughout the entire process, Faith Rodgers has refused to be intimidated or dissuaded by the prospect of testifying against. Kelly," Allred stated. "She has been determined to stand up for her truth, despite all the falsehoods and attacks on her throughout the lengthy ordeal which included a gruelling interrogation of the defense. She's conducted herself with dignity, grace and confidence."
Rodgers stated that, she is now when Kelly has been found guilty she feels like a burden has been lifted off her shoulders. She also said that she had no words to offer Kelly and added that "the apology is his confession." She hopes that he is feeling some sort of guilt at the time of his sentence to be scheduled for May 4th 2022.
She stated she hopes to heal and move on with her life, and perhaps pursue writing. She says she doesn't see herself to be a victim or survivor but rather an advocate for other people to share their own stories.
"The most meaningful gift was not conviction but the realization that I had helped someone who was in my position," she said.
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