ENDORSEMENTS ARE HEAD. BLACK LIVES MATTER CO-FOUNDER
PATRISSE CULLORS, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> WE TURN NOW BACK TO THIS
BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN VERDICT, THE
JURY FINDING HIM GUILTY TODAY ON
BOTH RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
CHARGES. ASSAULT CHARGES, MANY
CALLING IT A WATERSHED MOMENT IN
THE #METOO MOVEMENT.
THAT WAS NOR THAN A DECADE AGO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. WE WANTED TO GET YOUR VIEWS ON
WHAT THIS MEANS TODAY.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME.
ME. I DO THINK THIS IS A HISTORIC
DAY.
DAY. I THINK IT’S A REALLY IMPORTANT
DAY.
DAY. AND SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SO MANY
FEELINGS, INCLUDING MYSELF,
ABOUT WHAT WE SAW HAPPEN IN THE
COURTROOM EARLIER THIS MORNING.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, HOW
IMPORTANT WAS IT TO NOTE THAT
MR. WEINSTEIN’S WITNESSES AND
ACCUSERS DIDN’T FEEL THEY COULD
GO EVEN TO PROSECUTORS, D.A.s,
THE GOVERNMENT?
THE GOVERNMENT? MANY FIRST WENT AS DISCUSSED, TO
ONLINE AS A PLACE TO PUSHBACK
AND TO JOURNALISTS, MEGAN TOOEY,
CANTER AND OTHERS.
>> WE SHOULD LOOK AT OUR
JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
JUDICIAL SYSTEM. WE HAVE NARROW LAWS AROUND
SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND NOT A LOT OF
SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO FIND
ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM SO WE HAD TO
CREATE OUR OWN FORM OF
ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA AND THESE EXPOSES THAT
CAME OUT.
CAME OUT. >> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COVERAGE
TODAY, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU
HEARD WEINSTEIN WAS CONVICTED?
>> I WAS AT HOME.
I WAS AT HOME THIS MORNING AND
GOT A TEXT MESSAGE SAYING THE
VERDICT IS COMING.
>> WHAT DID YOU DO THEN?
>> I TURNED ON MSNBC.
>> AND THEN YOU STARTED HEARING,
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS,
PARTICULARLY FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. YOU HEAR HE WAS SITTING THERE,
ACCORDING TO THE ACCOUNTS, HE
SAID, I’M INNOCENT.
HE DIDN’T MOVE.
HE SEEMED IN SHOCK.
DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE WERE
ALSO IN SHOCK THAT THIS COULD
EVEN HAPPEN?
EVEN HAPPEN? >> OH, I THINK THAT SO MANY OF
US WERE IN SHOCK.
I’M SURE HE WAS IN SHOCK BECAUSE
HE’S NEVER HAD TO BE ACCOUNTABLE
FOR HIS BEHAVIOR.
HE’S NEVER HAD TO ANSWER FOR THE
WAYS IN WHICH HE’S MISUSED HIS
POWER AND PRIVILEGE FOR THE LAST
20 OR 30 YEARS.
I’M SURE IT’S SHOCKING WHEN YOU
HAVE TO BE FACED WITH THE
REALITY OF YOUR CRIMES.
MANY OF US WERE SHOCKED BECAUSE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS,
MOST SURVIVORS NEVER GET TO SEE
THE INSIDE OF A COURTROOM.
FOR EVERY 1,000 SEXUAL ASSAULT
CASES, 995 OF THOSE PERPETRATORS
WALK AWAY.
WALK AWAY. MOST SURVIVORS NEVER SEE WHAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. MOST OF US ARE USED TO SEEING
PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM CRIMES
LIKE THIS.
LIKE THIS. >> WHEN WE REPORT ON IT AND THE
SYSTEMIC DISPARITIES OF JUSTICE,
WHEN YOU GET A CASE YOU NORMALLY
WOULDN’T GET, THERE ARE ALL
THESE EXTRA THINGS AND BENEFITS
AFFORDED TO THE POWERFUL AND
OFTEN TO WHITE DEFENDANTS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU IN
NEW YORK, THIS D.A. WHO OTHERS
NOTED EARLIER IN OUR BROADCAST,
MAY HAVE BEEN SLOW TO THIS TO
BEGIN WITH.
BEGIN WITH. THAT’S IMPORTANT ON THE RECORD.
BUT TODAY THE D.A. AND THE JUDGE
SAID, UNLIKE SAY SOME OF THE
MUELLER DEFENDANTS WE’VE SEEN,
THAT MR. WEINSTEIN WAITS IN JAIL
TO BE SENTENCED, THAT HE IS FOR
THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT, HARVEY
WEINSTEIN SPENDS A NIGHT IN
JAIL.
JAIL. >> I THINK IT SENDS A IMPORTANT
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE. REGARDLESS 6 YOUR MONEY OR YOUR
WEALTH OR YOUR RACE YOU HAVE TO
ANSWER AND BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR
THE CRIMES YOU COMM.
I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT HE WAS
REMANDED.
REMANDED. SYMBOLICALLY FOR MANY SURVIVORS,
PARTICULARLY SURVIVORS, HIS
SURVIVORS, SEEING HIM BEING
CARTED OUT AND HANDCUFFED AND
KNOWING HE’LL SPEND THE NIGHT
AND SEVERAL MORE NIGHTS IN JAIL,
HOPEFULLY SEVERAL YEARS AFTER
THAT IN JAIL.
SO WE KNOW THEY ARE FOCUSED ON
WHAT’S IMPORTANT HERE AND WE
HAVE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HE
WITH NEED TO SLEEP WELL TONIGHT.
I’M HOPING THOSE SURVIVORS SLEEP
WELL TONIGHT KNOWING THAT.
>> FINAL QUESTION IN THIS CASE,
WE’VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE THAT
AROUND MR. WEINSTEIN AND AROUND
THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WENT
THROUGH THIS, IT WAS A SO-CALLED
OPEN SECRET.
OPEN SECRET. IT WAS KNOWN, IT WAS DISCUSSED.
IN YOUR WORK, HOW SKMON IS THAT,
THAT IN A GIVEN COMMUNITY OR
SITUATION MANY PEOPLE DO HAVE
SOME INKLING OF ALLEGED
MISCONDUCT, AND IN THE PAST
NOTHING’S DONE, WILL THAT
CHANGE?
CHANGE? >> I HOPE IT CHANGES.
SOME OF US ARE ONLY PROTECTED BY
THE WHISPER SYSTEM.
DON’T GO IN THAT OFFICE, DON’T
BE ALONE WITH THAT PERSON.
WE NEED THIS TO CHANGE.
WE NEED OPEN SECRETS TO BECOME
OPEN INFORMATION SO THAT PEOPLE
CAN BE ACCOUNTABLE, BUT ALSO SO
PEOPLE CAN BE SAFE.
I HOPE THIS IS THE START OF ALSO
SEEING THINGS LIKE THAT CHANGE.