MeToo founder Tarana Burke insists Harvey Weinstein reverse conviction ‘not a blow to the movement’

#MeToo founder Tarana Burke insists Harvey Weinstein reverse conviction ‘not a blow to the movement’

#MeToo founder Tarana Burke couldn’t hide her disappointment Thursday in a hastily arranged press conference following the news that once powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s sex crime conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals. But his determination is just as strong.

On a day when the reaction from survivors, including Weinstein’s accusers, has largely conveyed frustration and anger, Burke chose to deliver a call for unity among them.

“We ride the wave when we have big moments and when we have low moments, we get low and we get dirty and we do what we have to do. We got in the trenches and we did our job, and we will continue to do it,” he said. “The outcome of this case does not change that.”

Burke, who led the charge for the #MeToo movement before it became a viral hashtag, added that he was “devastated for the survivors associated with this case and the survivors who have found some solace and catharsis in the original verdict surrounding Harvey Weinstein.”

Burke spoke at a press conference after actress and activist Ashley Judd, who called the court’s decision “an act of institutional betrayal.”

“I stand in brotherhood and solidarity with all victims of male sexual violence,” Judd said. “Today is a day, like every day in the lives of American women, when male sexual violence has invaded and disrupted our lives. This is what it feels like to be a woman in America, living with men’s rights over our bodies.”

The New York Court of Appeals decision comes more than six years after reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017 revealed Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual abuse, harassment and secret settlements as he used his influence as a Hollywood power broker to take advantage of young women. The revelations led to a wave of women speaking out about the prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment in what is known as the #MeToo movement.

Judd was among the first women in Hollywood to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment when she told her story in a 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning report by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

She sued him for defamation and harassment in 2018.

Before the start of Weinstein’s downfall, he was one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood producing films like “Pulp Fiction,” “Clerks” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

Case and next thing
Weinstein, 72, was convicted in New York in 2020 of first-degree felony sexual assault and third-degree rape. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Weinstein has maintained his innocence and denied any non-consensual sexual activity.

In its ruling, the court said witness testimony of “prior bad acts” should not be allowed because “it is not necessary to prove the defendant’s intent and is only intended to prove the defendant’s propensity to commit the crime charged.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Thursday said it plans to retry the case.

Weinstein is being held at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, New York, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The department said it was reviewing the appeals court decision.

He is unlikely to be released because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison last year in Los Angeles on charges of rape and sexual assault. The trial also used “prior misdeeds” witnesses and has also been appealed.

At the end of his speech on Thursday, Burke acknowledged that the court’s decision will raise questions about the future of the #MeToo movement but explained “this decision actually means we have a movement.”

“Ten years ago we couldn’t get a guy like Harvey Weinstein into a courtroom and you have to be clear about that,” he said.

He added later: “This is not a blow to the movement. It’s a clarion call, and we’re ready to answer that call.”