R. Kelly has been banned from the city of Philadelphia
“Today we make a declaration to all predators to say that they are not welcome in this city.”
The Philadelphia city council has passed a resolution that declares R. Kelly unwelcome in the city. The announcement was made yesterday on Twitter by councilmember Helen Gym, who co-sponsored the resolution in response to the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries and the #MuteRKelly hashtag.
Though the ban reportedly won't be physically enforced, it was passed in an effort to set forth a city culture that won't tolerate sexual abuse. “The resolution is about not accepting,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s about being clear that we will not accept a future where rape is accepted...We’re not going to turn a blind eye to pain and we will not allow the silencing of black women in favor of powerful men.”