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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2018)
September 26, 2018 Page 5 Judge Sentences Cosby to Prison C ontinueD from p age 2 while he appeals his conviction, but the judge appeared incredu- lous over the request and ordered him locked up immediately, say- ing that “he could quite possibly be a danger to the community.” The comedian removed his watch, tie and jacket and walked out in a white dress shirt and red suspenders, his hands cuffed in front of him. He must serve the minimum of three years before becoming eligible for parole. “For decades, the defendant has been able to hide his true self and hide his crimes using his fame and fortune. He’s hidden behind a character created, Dr. Cliff Hux- table,” Montgomery County Dis- trict Attorney Kevin Steele said at a news conference, referring to Cosby’s best-known role. But “now, finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we have seen the real man as he is headed off to prison.” Constand stood at Steele’s side but shook her head to say she had no comment. Former model Janice Dickin- son, who was among the 60 or so women who have come forward to accuse Cosby of drugging and violating them over the past five decades, looked at him in the courtroom and said: “Here’s the last laugh, pal.” Another accuser in the court- room, Lili Bernard, said: “There is solace, absolutely. It is his fame and his fortune and his phony philanthropy that has allowed him to get away with impunity. Maybe this will send a message to other powerful perpetrators that they will be caught and punished.” The punishment, which also in- cluded a $25,000 fine, came at the end of a two-day hearing at which the judge declared Cosby a “sex- ually violent predator” — a mod- ern-day scarlet letter that subjects him to monthly counseling for the rest of his life and requires that neighbors and schools be notified of his whereabouts. The comic once known as America’s Dad for his role on the top-rated “Cosby Show” in the 1980s was convicted in April of violating Constand, Temple University women’s basketball administrator, at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. It was the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. Cosby faced anywhere from probation to 10 years in prison. His lawyers asked for house arrest, saying Cosby — who is legally blind — is too old and vulnerable to do time in prison. Prosecutors asked for five to 10 years behind bars, saying he could still pose a threat to women. The sentencing came as anoth- er extraordinary #MeToo drama unfolded on Capitol Hill, where Supreme Court nominee Brett Ka- vanaugh stands accused of sexual misconduct more than three de- cades ago. Sonia Ossorio, president of the National Organization for Women of New York, credited Cosby’s ac- cusers with helping pave the way for the #MeToo movement. “Bill Cosby seeing the inside of a prison cell sends a strong mes- sage that predators — no matter who they are, from Hollywood to Wall Street to the Supreme Court — can no longer be protected at the expense of victims,” she said. The judge ruled on Cosby’s “sexually violent predator” status after a psychologist for the state testified that the entertainer ap- pears to have a mental disorder that gives him an uncontrollable urge to have sex with women without their consent. When the ruling came down, a woman in the courtroom shot her fist into the air and whispered, “Yessss!” In a statement submitted to the court and released Tuesday, Con- stand, 45, said that she has had to cope with years of anxiety and self-doubt. She said she now lives alone with her two dogs and has trouble trusting people. “When the sexual assault hap- pened, I was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities,” she wrote in her five-page statement. “Now, almost 15 years later, I’m a mid- dle-aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward.” She also wrote of Cosby: “We may never know the full extent of his double life as a sexual preda- tor, but his decades-long reign of terror as a serial rapist is over.” College Fund Night Celebration C ontinueD from p age 3 with the tools to get to college and be successful. Dr. Karin Edwards, president of the Portland Community College Cascade Campus; Dr. Michele Cruse, dean of students at the PCC Cascade Campus; Joy Fowler, vice president Umpqua Bank; and Ruth Williams Brinkley, president Pacific NW Region Kaiser Foun- dation Hospitals & Health Plan will be honored for their outstand- ing support of the UNCF Portland Portfolio Project. For more information, visit uncf.org/pnweoto. In his testimony, Cosby de- scribed sexual encounters with a string of actresses, models and other young women and talked about obtaining quaaludes to give to those he wanted to sleep with. Cosby’s first trial in 2017 ended with a hung jury. He was convicted at a retrial that opened months after the #MeToo movement had taken down such figures as Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein, NBC’s Matt Lauer, actor Kevin Spacey and Sen. Al Franken. Constand said Cosby gave her what she thought were herbal pills to ease stress, then penetrated her with his fingers as she lay immo- bilized on a couch. Cosby claimed the encounter was consensual, and his lawyers branded her a “con artist” who framed the comedian to get a big payday — a $3.4 mil- lion settlement she received over a decade ago. Five other accusers testified at the trial as part of an effort by prosecutors to portray him as a predator. Cosby, whose estimated for- tune once topped $400 million, broke barriers in the 1960s as the first black actor to star in a net- work show, “I Spy.” He went on to superstardom as wise and un- derstanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” a sitcom that showed America a new kind of black TV family: a warm and loving household led by two pro- fessionals, one a lawyer, the other a doctor. Portland Trail Blazer and three-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard will once again interact with fans when the Portland Trail Blazers host a free fan night on Sunday, Sept. 30. (Photo from NBA.com) Blazers to Host Fans Preseason showcase has new start time The preseason showcase that Portland Trail Blazers fans eager- ly await is back with a new, later 7 p.m. start time. The 14th an- nual Blazers Fan Fest presented by Wells Fargo is set for Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Moda Center fea- turing new entertainment and fan engagement in the arena’s lower bowl, alongside a first-look scrim- mage by the new 2018-19 Trail Blazers roster. The free event features first- come, first-served general admis- sion seating, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Special front-row seating in select courtside areas will be reserved for kids from communi- ty-based organizations. Parking on the Rose Quarter campus will be free, subject to space availability. Fans can download their free digital tickets online at trailblazers. com/fanfest. The scrimmage will include four quarters of competitive, in- tra-squad NBA action. Three-time All-Star and All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard returns for his seventh season with teammates CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and more. Fans will get to interact with the Trail Blazers television and radio broadcast teams in- cluding Kevin Calabro, Lamar Hurd, Brooke Olzendam, Jordan Kent, Brian Wheeler and Michael Holton as they interview players and coaches on the new endzone entertainment stage. Fans will also see performanc- es by this year’s BlazerDancers and Stunt Team; and have loads of chances at free prizes and other giveaways from team mascot Blaze the Trail Cat.
