‘We are not believed’: For Black women, the ‘Diddy’ verdict is a reminder of justice denied (19th News)

Despite convictions on prostitution counts, Sean Combs’ acquittal on sex trafficking and racketeering sparked outrage — and a painful review of whose trauma is taken seriously.

By Nadra Nittle, July 3, 2025

A raucous scene unfolded outside the New York City courthouse where a jury Wednesday acquitted Sean “Diddy” Combs of the most serious charges — sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy — against him during a six-week trial in which witnesses painted the rap mogul as a monster who preyed on vulnerable women in his orbit and took vengeance on anyone who stood in his way.

Overjoyed that the jury returned a mixed verdict, including convictions on two prostitution counts that carried lighter penalties, supporters of Combs jumped up and down and squirted baby oil at each other outside the U.S. District Court for the Southern District in Lower Manhattan. That emollient was used routinely during the hundreds of “freak-offs” — the extended sexual performances with male escorts — that Combs’ former partner Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura and others said he made them participate in through force, threats and coercion.

For many survivors of sexual violence, particularly people of color, both the verdict and the behavior of fans outside the courthouse in hip-hop’s first major #MeToo trial made a mockery of their trauma and underscored what many Black and Brown women who come forward as victims know all too well: The justice system rarely believes them. 

Read the full story on The 19th News.