Black Twitter Reacts to Bill Cosby’s Release from Prison
Bill Cosby was released from prison on Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that previous testimony during a civil case led to his subsequent conviction during the criminal trial.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction on a legal technicality but did not vindicate Cosby from guilt.
The news of his release has sparked a wide range of reaction from the cultural juggernaut that is Black Twitter on social media with even some of Cosby’s closest celebrity allies also posting their own comments.
While some feel that Cosby has been vindicated, others are split over his release. See what folks had to say below.
Black men defending Bill Cosby today I see you. We all see you
— Lashanda Walker (@majesticbeauty5) June 30, 2021
BILL COSBY IS NOT INNOCENT. HE HAS NOT BEEN EXONERATED. His release means that Cosby, a sexual predator, was incarcerated within a criminal legal system that has as little regard for its own rules and procedures as Cosby does for his victims.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) June 30, 2021
The 5th Amendment is an essential tool to protect the rights of the powerless in America against the powerful. Please don’t blame the Constitution for the Bill Cosby decision. Blame the prosecutors who violated the Constitution.
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 30, 2021
How come systemic racism didn’t keep Bill Cosby behind bars?
— Lavern Spicer (@lavern_spicer) June 30, 2021
Bill Cosby is free but Britney isn’t, something is wrong with this #FreeBritney
— Britney Fan (@BritneyEscape) June 30, 2021
For the record #BillCosby has NEVER admitted to either rape or drugging anyone against their will
— Dr Boyce Watkins (@drboycewatkins1) June 30, 2021
Rape apologists right now trying to become legal experts and talk their way through making Bill Cosby innocent without any new evidence that dispute his sworn deposition where he admitted to drugging women.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) June 30, 2021
We said #FreeBritney not Free #BillCosby!! We can’t do anything right! pic.twitter.com/w9sZQvLwem
— Evan Quinones (@Evan_Quinones) June 30, 2021
Let’s go Bill!! Hot boy sumner has started #BillCosby pic.twitter.com/3IUrakMJLR
— Erick Dawson (@MrDawson101) June 30, 2021
Actual footage of #BillCosby leaving jail pic.twitter.com/EUiJ153GEq
— Huba (@HUBA) June 30, 2021
At his first trial, the judge allowed just one other accuser to testify before the jury deadlocked. During the retrial, he then allowed five other accusers to testify about their experiences with Cosby during the 1980s.
According to the New York Post, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that testimony tainted the trial, even though a lower appeals court had found it appropriate to show a signature pattern of drugging and molesting women.
“In light of these circumstances, the subsequent decision by successor D. A.s to prosecute Cosby violated Cosby’s due process rights,” the appeals ruling said, according to the NY Times. “No other conclusion comports with the principles of due process and fundamental fairness to which all aspects of our criminal justice system must adhere.”
Prosecutors didn’t clarify on Wednesday if they would appeal or seek to try Cosby a third time nor was it clear on when Cosby would actually be released. The question also remains on what legal resources he will take as a result of the decision.
