The SEP nano-bureaucracy’s strategy of defending the wealthy has backfired as their predatory operations have appeared in the media in the form of Bill Cosby, Robert Kelly, Keith Raniere, Harvey Weinstein, Dr. Larry Nassar, and Jeffrey Epstein. Their criminal associates likely number in the hundreds or thousands, while their victims numbers in the tens of thousands (or tens of millions of if you count their victims’ audiences) making a complete victory impossible without an open war on the capitalist class. Fortunately, the victims have managed to defend themselves despite organized intimidation campaigns and force the issue into the courts. This has as much to do with the George Floyd BLM protests and the #MeToo campaign that recently brought down the Governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo. The press conference allows the government to pose as defenders of the people, but they have as much to do with defending the economic interests of the corporations and other institutions that promoted these criminals above far more competent people. That, however, is another investigation for another time. These advances for justice that cut deeply into the privilege of the predatory oligarchy have only just begun to expose the rot lying beneath the surface. To fully remove the predatory spirit from the ruling class would require removing the capitalist system from power and replacing it with socialism in order end the social divide based on class. As Marx said, “As capitalist, he is only capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital… Capital is dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks.”

The WSWS takes the opposite position, claiming to defend democratic rights through legal procedures within the US criminal justice system. It argues that the best interests of the working class lie in defending their own predators through clever legal defenses and story-telling. This only plays into the hands of conservative politicians who stand with the police through everything and deny that pressure from below forced these arrests and prosecutions, however flawed. Rather than reduce pressure from the movement for social justice, R. Kelly’s conviction has vindicated it, as well the claims of Democratic Power against the Nano-bureaucracy. We must also warn the advanced workers, a legal strategy to exact legal punishments on the capitalist class will never fully solve the problem and only convert the violence into more legal forms like bankruptcies, mass evictions, and war. The capitalists have legal strategies of their own. The workers must also pursue a legal strategy of building a revolutionary political party that defends armed insurrection as a legal means of combating the horrific crimes meant to coverup the economic failures of the capitalists.

Excerpts from the Press Conference after the R. Kelly verdict:

Gloria Allred, attorney for the victims:

“Let this be a message to other celebrities who also use their fame to prey on their fans and others who are unfortunate enough to come into contact with them.”

Allred shares statement of R. Kelly victim “Sonya”:

“I’ve been hiding from Robert Kelly in fear due to threats made against me and I’m ready to start living my life free from fear and to start the healing process. I want to thank the jury for considering the evidence and truly listening to my testimony. I want to thank the US attorney’s office and the federal prosecutors in this case. Thank you for shining a light and helping me to get out from under that rock that I stayed under for far too long. Also, thank you to the federal agents who have listened to my story and for all that you have done to protect myself and others over the last two years. If you’ve been in a similar situation, I urge you to come forward as well. It will be like a weight lifted off of your shoulders. No one should have to live like that.”

Jacquelyn Kasulis, prosecutor:

“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to pray on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification. A predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, an assorted web of sex abuse, exploitation, and humiliation. To the victims in this case, your voices were heard and justice was finally served. This conviction would not have been possible without the bravery and resilience of R. Kelly’s victims. I applaud their courage in revealing in open court the painful, intimate, and horrific details of their lives with him. No one deserves what they experienced at his hands or the threats and harassment they faced in telling the truth about what happened to them.”

Peter Fitzhugh, Investigator:

“Today’s decision demonstrates that our system of justice knows no boundaries and will hold criminals accountable regardless of their fame or fortune.”

“Today, a jury of Mr. Kelly’s peers confirmed what these courageous victims have known for far too long, Kelly is a prolific serial predator. Despite numerous reports of his destructive abuse over the years, Mr. Kelly’s brazen acts of intimidation against his accusers kept him shielded from prosecution. Mr. Kelly had the audacity to engage with his associates to bribe and threaten victims, their families, and witnesses all in an effort to prevent the truth from being told.”

“In their failed attempt to evade justice, Mr. Kelly and his associates made one critical error, they underestimated the resilience and courage of the victims who refused to be silenced. He believed that his fame would drown out the voices, that they would not be believed, and that his notoriety would deter tenacious investigators and prosecutors from taking up their cause.”