(26 Apr 2024)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York – 25 April 2024
1. Tarana Burke posing for photogrpahers
2. Tarana Burke talking to reporter
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarana Burke, MeToo founder, on the New York court overturning Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction:
(Reporter: What is it that angers you about this, because a lot of people are angry today?)
"I’m angry, but I don’t call it a setback, right. Again, I think it’s a clarion call. I think it’s a setback for the judicial system. I will say that. It’s not a setback for the movement, and we need to be clear about that. Our judicial system should be much further along by now. They’ve had a lot of lessons, a lot of learning, a lot of lessons. They’ve had a lot of time to understand the life cycle of survivors, and they clearly don’t get it. We get it. So, it’s not a setback for us. We’re doing our work. We’re out here every day doing our work. We are disappointed, for sure, but it’s definitely not a setback.”
4. Tarana Burke talking to reporter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarana Burke, MeToo founder, on worrying if Harvey Weinstein gets away with charges:
(Reporter: Are you worried that he’s going to get away with it?)
"You know, how many – do you know how many predators and perpetrators get away with it? Sexual assault and rape has the lowest conviction rate of any every violent crime in this country. They get away with it all the time. What does it signal, him getting away with it? I don’t know. I know that we’ll keep doing this work, because I believe that we could live in a world free of sexual violence. One singular man getting away with it doesn’t mean that that’s not true. It means that we have more work to do. So, I’m not worried about one single man. I’m worried about what our judicial system is going to do, what our culture’s going to do. What are we going to do? I think we’re asking the wrong questions."
5. Taraji P. Henson talking to reporter
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Taraji P. Henson, actor:
(Reporter: "The reversal of the Weinstein thing. How does that make you feel and how do we move past that after we made all of this work and all these strides towards justice?")
Henson: "It just means we have more work to do. That’s all. You can’t give up. You just got to keep working. You know, life is spiritual warfare. It’s always good versus bad. Light versus dark. That’s life. Don’t get mad about it. Get mad to do something to make change. That’s what we’re here for. Humans need humans. Sorry. We need each other."
7. Don Lemon talking to reporter
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Don Lemon, Host of The Don Lemon Show/former CNN anchor:
"I’m not a fan of Harvey Weinstein. It doesn’t mean that I think that he’s innocent. But everyone deserves equal and fair treatment under the law. If there was something that was wrong with his trial, then they said it should be adjudicated properly. The same thing, Donald Trump is downtown in a courtroom. I feel the same way about him. He should be, he should get, every American deserves a fair trial and he should get one. Harvey Weinstein should as well. Again, that doesn’t mean that I think they’re innocent, but they are Americans, and that’s how our system works."
9. Billy Porter talking to reporter
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Billy Porter, actor:
(Reporter: Today’s overturning of the Weinstein verdict…)
"I haven’t really been paying attention, so I can’t really comment on that. But you know, it’s not – I’m not surprised."
11. Tarana Burke talking to reporter
STORYLINE:
The 72-year old Weinstein will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape.
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