You might remember Jerhonda Pace, the young woman who came forward last year with horrific stories of being abused by R&B singer R. Kelly. Well now, Pace is speaking out yet again, to discuss how life has been since the news surfaced.
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When Pace learned of the allegations against Weinstein, it had been only six weeks since she had come forward about R. Kelly, born Robert Kelly, physically and sexually abusing her when she was underage.
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“I was livid because when their stories came out, they received so much attention. It was just crazy, and I was like, ‘What about R. Kelly’s victims? What about us?’ Nothing happened for us.”
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Last summer, BuzzFeed News broke the story after two investigations alleged that Kelly had been abusing underage girls for years in both Atlanta and Chicago.
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When Pace came forward, she broke a non-disclosure agreement that she had with the singer. Pace details instances of her accepting cash settlements from the star as a result of signing the nondisclosure agreements. However, it is these same agreements that have forced many women to fall silent about Kelly’s allegedly abusive ways.
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While Kelly’s team has formally denied the claims, Pace says she has not heard anything from them personally, including any pushback from his legal team about the non-disclosure. She also says after hours of investigating and interviewing with police, she has not heard anything back from them either.
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“I haven’t heard anything back from them at all,” Pace says with disgust. “I really think that it’s something that has not been taken as seriously as it should … I didn’t feel that [any of the investigators] were passionate about it and that they were going to pursue it the way that it needed to be pursued. I was told that they want more witnesses to corroborate my story, which makes no sense: I’m the victim; I have the proof: He was paying me, I have the contract he signed, I gave them the DNA T-shirt, I gave them everything proving I was there, and they were like, ‘We need more people to say that they saw you [with Kelly].’”
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After a nationally televised appearance on ‘The Real’, Pace has received a lot of love from people who have also experienced abuse at the hands of the singer, along with support from prominent figures like Ava DuVernay and Tarana Burke, who launched #MeToo in 2006. However, she also received hate from fans and those who find it hard to believe that the Chicago native would commit such gruesome acts.
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“I think in order to change it, the victims that he has currently need to speak out. I think that would make a huge difference. … I don’t want these girls being abused by him anymore. I really want the girls to get some form of counseling because I do believe they will need it,” she said. “When someone makes you feel worthless, then turns around and makes you feel loved, it’s mentally draining. It damages you in the worst way possible.”
Jerhonda Pace Says She Was “Livid” When Outrage Over Harvey Weinstein Surfaced: ‘What about R. Kelly’s victims? What about us?’
