Despite all of the delay attempts by his defense team, the case against singer Chris Brown has continued with a preliminary hearing scheduled for later today in Los Angeles. Rihanna had to be subpeonaed but she will testify about the events that lead to her attack this past February. In case you've been living under a rock, the two singers got into some type of altercation where Brown proceeded to talk with his fists instead of you know, agreeing to disagree. Based on the police report filed we now know that Brown is adept at driving a car with one hand while using the other to punch, bite and choke a woman. I'd say it wasn't his first time doing it then.
I wrote a post after it was reported the two had reunited here where I was critical of the idea that Rihanna would return to the arms of her (alleged) attacker and how certainly more abuse would be coming. Some think it's blaming but I look at it from a strictly non-emotional place: if a building is on fire you don't walk back into it once you've gotten out. The average woman who's in an abusive relationship needs several attempts before she successfully disengages herself - if she ever does. Often it is when the woman finally decided she's had enough that the man she was with decides to kill her.
I don't want to split hairs with this scenario but I would like to acknowledge there are distinctions between dating violence, domestic violence, rape, molestation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, etc but that it all starts out in one or two seemingly harmless scenarios. The men do things to test the women they decide to abuse long before it actually starts. Be it an insult passed off as a joke, approaching a woman on the street, luring a child with a puppy or online contact there's a pattern of learned and practiced behavior on the part of the perp who's looking for a victim. It's cold, it's calculated and it's usually successful.
Now as far as Rihanna is concerned I hope Chris Brown goes to prison. Anyone who hires Mark Gerragos is guilty of something as far as I'm concerned. Any attorney that would (unsuccessfully) defend a man who decapitates his pregnant wife (Scott Peterson) is someone who enjoys a certain amount of celebrity. I'm not always the most pragmatic I realize, but I wouldn't trust them. I also don't know the inner company machinations going on right now as the two are signed to the same record label and were (allegedly) paired together by them in the first place to draw attention away from their other relationships. They certainly seemed like media darlings at the time.
Despite all the protestations to the contrary it will be good for people to actually watch someone be forced to take responsibility for their crimes. It's just too bad that some other men - R Kelly comes to mind - had their crimes supported by people who should really know better. After all isn't this what some want over the Mehserle/Grant shooting? You can't cry out for "justice" in one scenario while ignoring the wrong-doing of another. Race and gender can't be ignored nor can the protection of any Black man no matter what his crime go on unchecked.
Update: Why do I ask these "silly" questions? Of course not! Chris Brown accepted a plea deal and will get 5 years probation. He also has highway cleanup duty for 180 days. Rihanna did not testify. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in that room as you know some wheels were greased in the case. I'm also certain he won't look as cute as Naomi Campbell does in orange. Somehow I'm still thinking one of the messages we're being sent is that because some white people like pets a Black man got several years in prison for abusing dogs, while another just gets....the chance to abuse another woman. #Priority Fail.
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