Protesters seek justice after Black woman alleges she was raped on Facebook Live at Atlanta nightclub
After a Black woman was allegedly drugged and raped on the dance floor at an Atlanta nightclub, and the assault was streamed on Facebook Live, dozens of protesters took to the streets outside The Opera on Wednesday to demand justice.
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“The gentleman that perpetrated the crime is still at large,” said Sabrina Peterson over a PA system at the rally, according to WSBTV.
Peterson says she organized the event at The Opera nightclub after seeing the disturbing video of the alleged sexual assault on social media.
On the video, the woman is seen dancing with a man who is holding her from behind. Moments later she starts screaming “No” and “Stop and “Help” numerous times as she stares into her cellphone and it records the attack in real time.
Although the original video has been taken down, it was shared hundreds of times and several versions of it still exist, according to WXIA-TV.
Sexual assault attorneys, Joshua Palmer and Chris Stewart, have reportedly been hired to represent the victim and plan to conduct an independent investigation.
“Stewart has represented numerous women who’ve been victims of sexual assault including Hope Cheston, who was awarded a $1 billion jury verdict against a security company following her assault,” reads the statement shared by Stewart Trial Attorneys.
“No woman should go through something like this,” reads a statement posted on Facebook by Palmer. “The facts will be discovered and how this happened will come to light.”
In addition to seeking an investigation into the attacker, the lawyers want Opera nightclub to be held responsible for lack of security.
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Since the backlash,DJ Zedd has canceled his upcoming Feb. 1 performance at the club, Billboard reports. He has not cited the reason why.
On Monday, Opera announced that they were cooperating with Atlanta police and “have provided them everything they have requested” and “will continue to aid and support their investigation in any way we can.”
Authorities announced on Monday that they had identified the man seen in the Facebook Live video and reached out to him for questioning.
Another rally is planned for tonight outside the nightclub.
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