Protests Planned to Have R. Kelly’s Atlanta and Alabama Shows Canceled
Despite the backlash he’s been receiving for his alleged "cult," R. Kelly is still moving forward with two concerts set for Atlanta and Alabama this weekend. However, a group of protesters are hoping they can stop the veteran singer from performing altogether.
According to a press release, protesters from Care2 and the #MuteRKelly campaign will rally outside the Wolf Creek Amphitheater in College Park in Atlanta on Friday (Aug. 25) to demand that Live Nation cancel the rest of his tour and not allow him to profit while he continues to allegedly victimize women. R. Kelly is set to perform at the venue this Friday despite Georgia legislators' attempt to shut down his show.
The rally follows a Care2 petition demanding that Sony Music drop R. Kelly from the label. The petition has gathered over 36,000 digital signatures.
In addition, another protest rally will be held in Pelham, Ala., on Saturday (Aug. 26) at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre where R. Kelly is scheduled to perform.
Oronike Odeleye, one of the co-founders of the #MuteRKelly campaign, told Mic that the protests are necessary in order to protect the community from R. Kelly who has a nefarious past with preying on underage women.
“How long are we going to put up with this behavior from this person with no repercussions?” he asked. “I just felt that if law enforcement couldn’t seem to get it together to stop him, we would need to find another way — and that way is economic.”
On the eve of the rallies, another alleged victim, Jerhonda Pace, came forward to detail how she met R. Kelly at the age of 16 and eventually engaged in a sexual relationship with the singer while she was still underage. R. Kelly has since denied Pace’s allegations, according to his publicist, Trevian Kutti.
As for the Atlanta protest this Friday, Odeleye is hoping their voices will convince organizers to shut down R. Kelly's show. “I don’t think we should be putting ourselves in any danger for this man," he said. "But we’re serious in our initiative that we’ve got to stand up for young women. Because it’s up to us to decide what we allow in our communities.”