Me Too Founder Reacts To Depp-Heard Trial Verdict

Activist Tarana Burke spoke out Thursday to defend the Me Too movement she created after jurors ’widespread support for actor Johnny Depp in a libel suit against his ex -wife Amber Heard.

Some social media commentators responded to the verdict, saying the movement sounded the death knell caused by a viral hashtag in 2017, when Hollywood women began accusing producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment. Burke has been working in Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault since 2005 Use the phrase “I” to emphasize the prevalence of intimate partner violence.

“#MeToo is dead. Helluva job @ACLU, ”Megan McCain said in a deleted message on Wednesday. Tweet.

“The‘ I ’movement is not dead, this system is dead,” Burke said Written in the statement. “It’s the same legal system you’ve trusted for decades for justice and accountability, but to no avail.”

A Virginia jury of five men and two women unanimously ruled that Herd defamed his ex-wife by publishing editorial in 2018, in which he accused Depp of being abused during their difficult relationship. , although the article does not mention his name. The jury said Herd was acting “really bad,” which means they believe he knew what he was writing was wrong.

The jury wanted Herd to pay $ 15 million in total damages to Depp, but Judge Penny Azkarat slightly reduced the amount to $ 10.35 million under state fine laws.

Following the verdict, some legal experts said U.S. courts relied on the Jury of Normal People Not designed to weigh little questions about intimate partner violence, considering how they might be influenced. of delusions and emotions.

Burke continues the message:

“When you get the verdict you want, the ‘movement works’ – if not, it’s dead. When Weinstein was imprisoned, it was: “I won too!” When Cosby came home, it was: “Shocking, I’m going to lose too!” Meanwhile – millions of people who never uttered the words “this happened to me” let out a shame that they shouldn’t have brought in the first place, we developed the country’s first political agenda, created only by survivors. And for the first time since Anita Hill took office three decades ago, we have had an ongoing national dialogue not only on sexual harassment, but also on the specter of sexual violence in this country. This is in addition to various laws and policies adopted, etc. This movement is very much alive.

You all want to play ping pong and have a hashtag because it means nothing to you, so try to turn it off once every few months. But it makes sense to millions of people. It means freedom. It means society. It means salvation. Meaning strength. I can’t kill you. We are beyond the hashtag. We are a movement. “

Many domestic violence advocates and sexual assault survivors have also complained that the brutality with which Depp fans were treated by Heard online – along with the highly publicized nature of the trial – is deterring other women to tell stories. . For more than six weeks, the proceedings have been broadcast live online. Although the jury was told not to read the case, they were also not arrested.