Bill Cosby Breaks Silence And Shows No Remorse In Interview: My Prison Cell Is A "Penthouse"
Bill Cosby has broken his silence from behind bars, and not only is he not showing any remorse for his actions, he actually describes his cell in prison as a "penthouse."
Cosby granted the interview from his new home at SCI-Phoenix, a maximum-security Pennsylvania penitentiary near Philadelphia, where he is serving a 3-10 year sentence for sexual assault charges.
The interview was conducted by BlackPressUSA.com and touched on a number of issues including prison reform and the impact of "The Cosby Show." But, many are questioning his firm stance on not showing any remorse for the comedian's many alleged victims.
“I have eight years and nine months left,” Cosby said.
“When I come up for parole, they’re not going to hear me say that I have remorse. I was there. I don’t care what group of people come along and talk about this when they weren’t there. They don’t know.”
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The "Penthouse"
Cosby claimed in the interview the trial was a sham and unfair. “It’s all a setup. That whole jury thing. They were imposters,” he stated.
“Look at the woman who blew the whistle,” he said, referencing a report of woman overhearing a juror state, “he’s guilty, we can all go home now."
“Then she went in and came out smiling, it’s something attorneys will tell you is called a payoff,” Cosby said.
But, Cosby admitted he is a "privileged man in prison," and during the phone call described his cell in the prison as "my penthouse."
Cosby Joins 'Mann Up' Prison Reform Group
Bill Cosby described his involvement in a prison group called Mann Up, a reform program, where he is often a featured speaker. According to the site, "The program serves to encourage and empower African American men to strive for self-respect and dignity, and to put their family first."
“I don’t belong to the Mann Up Association, but it’s a privilege to come in and speak,” Cosby said in the interview.
“I never wanted them to lord me up (be put on a pedestal). This is a great privilege.”
As for why he is qualified to hold these discussions, he claims “I’m not a psychiatrist, and I’m not a psychologist. I’m an educator, and what I look forward to is talking to this group of 400 or so men. Some of them here are in their 70s, in their 50s, their 40s, 30s, and 20s. I tell them what I know and what I feel. I feel that everything that I said in 2004, there is a light."
Right Place, Right Time...
Cosby also believes he is the right place to be serving out his sentence based on the prison population.
“I’m looking at a state [Pennsylvania] that has a huge number of prisons, and the one I’m in, thankfully, has the largest population of African Americans...These are guys who are also from Philadelphia, where I grew up. Many of them are from the neighborhood. Michael Eric Dyson said ‘Bill Cosby is rich and forgot where he came from," he stated.
“That’s not true. I’m not calling him a liar; I’m saying that’s not true. What I’m saying is that it’s not the same neighborhood as it was when I was coming up," Cosby says in reaction.
To complete the entire interview, several calls had to be connected based on the prison's policy of each call having a 15-minute maximum time limit.
People Have "Rejected" The Truth, It's "Political Imprisonment"
According to the report, Cosby's last call was to make a statement about his case, and the allegations against him. It is clear, he is standing by his belief he is not only innocent of all charges, but his conviction is a racial issue.
“Sixty-five years from now, they will be quoting what you’ve written about your fellow journalists. [Andrew Wyatt] has information on how these people have rejected the truth. You have the information too because you were in that courtroom,” Cosby said.
“I’m a privileged man. You talk to [NNPA President and CEO] Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., and he will tell you that there is a history of Black political imprisonment in America, and it’s repeating itself in some kind of way.”
Bill Cosby was found to have drugged and sexually assaulted a woman in his Philadelphia home in 2004. Since the story went public, over 60 women have come forward with allegations against the comedian for similar acts.
