This year, Chicago’s top prosecutor, Kim Foxx, took the unusual step of asking women to come forward with allegations against the musician R. Kelly. In an interview, she explained that decision. Guest: John Eligon, a national correspondent for The New York Times, spoke with Ms. Foxx. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
From the New York Times are Michael about this
earlier this year, Chicago's top prosecutor came from
took the unusual step of asking women to come.
Forward with allegations against the musician arc help. Today she expects,
in that decision, it's Thursday March. Twenty, yes, we're here to get a so don't want. Did you call
is prosecutor Kim Fox, so our Kelly's one of these entertainers, whose had these allegations of sexual misconduct,
going around him for a long time, but he's always seen
to be able to elude the most serious consequences. John L ago is a national correspondent for that.
But word in a moment where the tide seems to be turning against him. And I wanted to talk to the person who has the most power to do something:
It is only about brought up and then cut out. What might look like we ve grown up and say yes
I warn you re here, then I found out that, in a way, Kim Fox is actually a background and of a pedigree that would make her the perfect person that you would expect to look into this, our Kelly situation. What do you mean? Who is she thought? She's, a born and bred Chicago and just like our Kelly, she's black? She grew up on the north side with her mother, reliable complaining
through that seven days until the early eighty, they lived in the notorious screening, green housing project and then moved about a mile nor to more affluent neighbourhood called Old Hound Lincoln Park. But my brother and I could go to the grammar school that within the neighborhood
our surround different houses annually. We were either on section eight or some other type of Burma
It was just Turner mom a lot of work the entire time, but it will certainly not enough for us to live there. Remember too large and waited table. She Barth ended shoes, always working to jobs at a time, and so other family members would take care of her and it was the older folk pattern.
The younger one. If I had a cousin who is responsible for what
we sometimes some comes house- sometimes my she explained to me. Then
when she was a child. She actually had cousin who she spent a lot of time with the sea would catch me and it actually turned out that cousin with sexually assaulted, and this was for a couple of years and the cousin essentially told Her- don't tell anybody, don't tell anyone. This is this between you and I can tell the one you're gonna be in trouble. If you tell granting my grandmother who was the most important person in my life at that time, Grannie would be disappointed for that
were hurt. I guess he. I'm gonna hurt her and then, just a year later, when she was a second grade
she was assaulted. Again,
on my way home from school,
there house, on a corner and old victorian and, as I was turning in front of it all
Your honor boy grab me.
And said hey come up. I want to show you,
something in me, Saint Luke's right. I had a second graded at this point
I think this boy maybe
greater, maybe a little older, I getting everyone all
and now you're gonna with us.
Took into this house upstairs,
I love window facing where I can still school. She recalled
looking out the window, and essentially the boys were taking turns assaulting her
and around the same time, she's dealing with the trauma.
She is another defining moment in her life. I think I was between five and my mother took me to court at the first time as a child, she actually went to court with her mother ones, who was seeking child support payments from her father. All my mother was upset. I couldn't comprehend what was added to her and when we get to the court room, I think,
with during my apprehensions, I was trying to explain to you who our lawyer was a lawyer was, and there was very simple- it was their here to help us, and I was impressive everyone's do they were using language? Tat seemed to really stands day and at the same time,
we're talking to my mother, and I like we were the most important people in the room, and I said I wanted,
that I wanted. I want to do that and my mother said, then you will be a lawyer, so only a- and she doesn't
she does well in school of both the college and the Moscow and what kind of legal work does she do? Initially she does insurance defence workin, as you might expect that absolutely hate it
found that pretty boring and pretty dry headed though I was looking to get out
before another guy soon she found out that there was the opening it could county public Guardian office. I wasn t quite sure what the curtailment of gardening adopted. What I do know is that they were hiring.
LO and behold what she actually does there? She works with young children, children who may have experienced some of the same things that she experienced experience, whether it be sexual assault or other trauma growing up.
We were lawyers on behalf of children who were in the catch. The eye had client who were sexually and physically abused. I had clients whose parents could not care for them because they were dealing with addiction or mental health issues, and this will we hope, to see how the system maybe doesn't treats these young fish.
The wage should maybe dismisses them, because these were grow. Awaited directive I had heard over and over again were broken for damage. So she says you know hey, this is,
I want to do. I wanna bring the trauma that I felt in my life and use that hope. Children who might lead us
life to me or might be living a similar to what I lived and
she user experience to help each other, she becomes the sex crimes.
Prosecutor, so now she's, essentially going after some of the people accused of sexual assault, something
women in boys and men and she's actually working with some of these victims. People whose experiences stories looked
like hers and then in the early two thousands a case comes into the very same office working foxes working ended. China rocks Chicago because the charges one of sugar
most beloved black celebrities. Sacks lies and videotape aren't be. Superstar are Kelly videotaping himself having sex with an under age. Girl affects ape, emerges, dramatic and having set young girl, everyone sees it
the graphic, gruesome tape and apparently and ends with him. Your native on the girl, after having second strategy, is one of our greatest Addis Ababa dummies among you looked up to use ie, so I just know it is not. Our Kelly is ultimately charge the child, pornography and Kim Fox she's actually in the sex crimes division while her office, this brain charges against our colleague it will affect crimes, the innovative capacity of gold position of trust in the thirty or engaging attacks from its conduct children. So she now
has a first hand view over this prosecution as it's going on. She wasn't directly involved in the case, but hey she was in the office when prosecutors will talking about, but outside the office, Chicago and love. I cannot now he didn't do it. I know it s. Now, perfectly black sheep
ones were not necessarily convinced that herculean done this. Many of them were coming through the fence he's not guilty. I just wanna pouring down actually is damage. We need that attack because he's
Good man he's now people back in time,
Why was there this push back to the allegations, because back in the early
Thousands you have to remember our Kelly was Chicago. I mean he was everywhere. He's back again tried to perform the track number one hit. Please
are you know, use on the radio moving up do not use here is our Kelly with his number one on the are Legion
button bright,
was the euro in the clubs ours too young- to go to the courts the time, but here he was there and analyse the pipeline.
Why bother to step in town? That's the culture of the two step, then still step in the name of world. They don't do this
the music was the and you would go to a barbecue.
Seven in the name of love or at a wedding or go to any graduation post that song and people were believe and make a fly. It was part of the fabric of their ten would add a family barbecue having this conversation in their camels in the office, knowing that this is an actual person, so Kim foxes, hearing to different time positions, one inside the office and went outside in the man at the bar with you it, while you're here,
the guy's a height of his career, and hear these allegations right. Why are they taken down this black men and it was in some of my personal. This wasn't about sex abuse at the thought of her. Now repeat, it was an attempt to take a hometown. He rode in tarnished image, and so she had
can't live with these two worlds: the reality that at work. She sees this tape and she understands the legal case against him, and at home she's run
by people who think that he may be unfairly persecuted here. Love is mute.
And think of him as a local hero. Exactly it's the difference between you know her job and her profession and
through legalise worth looking at it through the emotional eyes that a community had for someone who produce great music
and so what happens with the case. The prosecution essentially tried to prove that the
young girl in the video was actually a minor
was under and there are no use having sex with her, but it turns out that that girl- she would
not cooperate with prosecution. She did that testify and at the end of the day the jury says: hey, we can't know for certain
who was in that video, whether was a minor that our Kelly was having sex with and so our Kelly's acquitted and what
and after the trial after our Kelly is acquitted. It certainly does not the railways.
Prayer. In fact, he goes on. It continues to make music, you know his big, do it.
You know it's. Lady Gaga. He really
J C makes television appearance.
Can climb. I, for one, am inclined to take his word for it. Please welcome our kids,
in some ways the accusations become just a big job. Britain dates the dispute about him, you believe
Here are needed on a fifteen year old girl,
Maybe I don't say all that you know what these tapes they can do. A lot of things for one piece was digital. They take you crazy, but then in two thousand seventeen a damning story comes out and Buzzfeed. We were horrified at a Busby report detailing
nations that are Kelly, was holding women against their will and what parents of one of the women described as a cult. It basically accuses our Kelly of running a sexual cabal.
And this is happening right before the meeting movement starts to take shape about time.
Warning that for a long time ago, and when it takes off people, really seize on the story and fear
bag, Saint Euro Tele sides talking about time's up,
and so on.
Oh you finally have this kind of time. That seems to be turning against our carrying away that this public opinion, maybe always festering a little bit beneath the surface,
week starts to rise and then
the difference between originally allow you see this
he meant reading drop called surviving our Kelly Archer. This fine laugh in loving guy
but rather is the death. Is the deal can tell me about this documentary. So, essentially, is a tv documentary, six parts that aired on my
and it s actually laid out allegation after allegation against our Kelly, told by several woman who say that they were victimized by him and went to the national domestic violence, aware this hotline and their seventeen questions
there was only two things on that list. There, Robert Enemy
Elsa payback behind. You had these women who describing all these different ways
you had these women who are describing all these different ways in which he not only solve them, but he also control their lives, is how lobbies
described it, I can control what you do, who you do it with how long you do where you going what you were when you eat, when you sleep and how he would face
his fair and intimidation to control them.
Parents were trying to get a hold of me and they couldn't. I did not know that
My cell phone number was being changed. Controlling
other access, the using their cell phones. They said that he made them column daddy. It was instructed call him daddy during sex. It went from that
all the time he began and I heard a lot about rob going to care what high school to day
now, I always wondered what the heck is he doing
hanging around my school and one thing that was so remarkable about it. It was not just the woman speaking, but it was also you know, handlers bodyguards and a lot of other people who were part of his life at the time who were laying out some
he's very damning allegations in Ireland,
and to say that our Kelly is vehemently denied doing any of that these women, MS lawyers,
Fourthly, denying the allegation that saying basically that all the women are not telling the truth and what's the reaction to the documentary
things are Kelly, might finally have to face. The music reaction was masses, the fall out for singer. Our Kelly appears to be expanding. His
heard label RCA owned by Sony, has dropped him. Lady Gaga is apologizing to fancy for heard you work with our talent. You had people talking about it. All over social media are Kelly is not us so
The black man after you are killing. You had passed
the news outlets writing about it. I know you wrote this. I've had foreseen and dot com titled the messages surviving our Kelly. First and foremost. What is the message? It was really a part of the day.
We discussion, really, especially among black, mean these people watching them
we're really wondering where the cover
was when they were happening. You had a lot of people say:
you know. Why didn't we really see this before and away, and obviously there always been these allegations against him, but somehow they were just kind of
miss because we didn't do nothing about it the last year and react amount of the less. I didn't say anything you can defend and protect women praise low.
The thing was well, you know
seventeen they will. I was there was even some black women. I talked to Chicago who said that, in a whether Europe, black personal falls on the side of things
hey, I'm cylinder, listen to music or you're some who's, not they were all united in saying that they felt that they feel their girls. Meanwhile, Kim Fox she's actually now become the states attorney, meaning that top prosecutor in Chicago and after this documentary jobs, people are calling her office they're asking. What are you gonna do about it? What are you gonna do? How do you see? They could not do anything. You want
Commissioner, you like now do something. People are so that you can watch something on television and then the criminal justice system, old men and she wanted to explain to people that that's not exactly how it works. I've been part of this was explaining that, in order for the criminal justice system to be involved, it requires victims and witnesses. I do
can't what something and say I now believe that and then that person- that's not that that is not american jurisprudence at all, and soon
He decides to do this really unusual thing. You offer gather behold the press conference, the recent allegations against entertainer our Kelly and the recent left hand act. We series are deeply deeply disturbing
I am here today to encourage victims of sexual assault or domestic violence related,
these allegations to please get in touch with our office, asking for any woman or anyone else who may have information on the sexual assault allegations against our Kelly two basic come forward and tell their stories please come
forward. There is nothing that can be done to investigate these allegations without the cooperation of both victims and witnesses. We can.
Seek justice without you. So essentially you had a prosecutor asking the public to come forward if they had accusations of sexual assaults against a man.
Who was not under indictment or under any charges in her office at the time it stressed that it takes the courage to relive and repeatedly re experience trauma by telling your story
sexual victimization, but we rely heavily on victim accounts and witness statements to prosecute cases involving sexual assault and a mess.
Violence, and why is that unusual? Well, first off
prosecutors, Genoa. We respond to specific complaints that they get so some of the critic see it as a sort of
fishing expedition. You knowing our fellows lawyer, said it basically opens the door for people to come forward with false allegations. So it's rare and that at such a proactive tactic by a prosecutor to issue a broad
been call for anyone who has been abused or know something about alleged
views by our Kelly, to come forward to her so that she could make a case in point
and given that, why do you think that she did this issued this very public call for victims to come forward? I think we're
she says that she really wanted to make her office more cesspool, because she understands how difficult it is to get sexual assault victims to come forward, let alone to testify, and one who didn't say something. It is the under reported cases. They often up at night it in the belief that the system is not up to welcome those who have been harm because they are not perfect because there,
themselves in circumstances where they believe that they are somehow it, but that doesn't mean that I believe the allegations to be true. There are allegations. None the less poor guy is an that's our job. Our obligation is to make sure that the justice system is available to everyone who may have believed that they cannot speak their true. So don't you spoke with her after this press conference. What was the result of the press conference? So after the press conference, several families call
the king Foxes Office with allegations were concerns about their loved ones. Some of them say that their loved ones may have been under our Kelly's control and
another sex tape emerges. It again allegedly shows our Kelly having sex with an under age girl.
And not long after that good afternoon can fox steps to make again has another press conference. Earlier today, Robert Kelly was indicted before Cook county. When this time she announces that ten counts of our Kelly was being charged with ten pounds of sexual abuse aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a class to felony what the sentencing range of three to seven years for account. It is also in this case there
for women who are said to be the victims. In that case, three of those women said they were under seventeen when it happened. The offences happened between ninety ninety eight and two thousand, and ten will appear in Bonn court tomorrow after Anko. What specific difference to think it makes the king Fox had this personal history. How do you think it actually played out in the way that these women came forward? I think they know that they have someone who is not going to be so quick to judge them because oftentimes sexual assault, these are complicated cases.
Not so its black or white. You know there's relationships that STAR Office, consensual and then they may change, and also this tricky dynamic here when you're a prosecuting sex crime, where the facts are not always clear
The victim may not always have the most perfect history, but I think you know someone like him Fox, whose kind of made that empathy in that she's had from having spears the stuff herself has made that kind of one
other things that she is known for one thing that she really puts out there. I think that that's gonna naturally make people more comfortable that they're gonna be heard. If they talk to her to it makes sense that women would respond specifically to came Fox and decide to come forward, given who she is. But I wonder if, on the flip side, that a prosecutor with a personal history of abuse, who might be seen as having some kind of it,
and will end up making the case more legally vulnerable and open to charges, which I think of already materialised from our Kelly's defenders. This is some kind of a crusade. I asked her about that and she pushed back and said so that stimulates have effects of my life as a woman is a woman of color in a city that informs who I am, but it does not in any way, which is why I have been extraordinarily clear came that I am able gave back back evidence and the mob,
my having gone through. This has nothing to do with whether I am going to follow the facts where they led me. I've never Harding decision that I may have to be bought with that to bear. She said it definitely did not led her to make any sort of legal decisions,
shut up
What is going to happen to our cause he's got these very serious charges over his head he's got a prosecutor who
I believe, strongly in them and who will be pursuing them vigorously, but he's also himself been maintaining as defence, so it seems we have two sides Enfer clashing. What that means is this is
very likely headed toward another trial, but this time it's can became Fox on the other side.
John. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'll be right back.
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Transcript generated on 2020-06-26.