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R. Kelly was the honorary grand marshal of the Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago last weekend (August 13, 2011)
Not a big deal right? Well apparently it is to some, considering that the parade is a Chi-town tradition since 1929 AND the event celebrates the importance of family, community and also encourages the youth of Chicago about education.
In other words, Robert Sylvester Kelly was front and center at Chicago’s annual back to school parade!
A man who admits he cannot read and famously beat child-porn charges might not seem the most obvious honorary grand marshal of a children’s back-to-school parade.
But there was nothing but love for superstar R&B crooner R. Kelly at the Bud Billiken parade. Families cheered for Kelly — who has been recovering from throat surgery last month — the entire parade route. As his sexually charged tunes blared from a sound system, he smiled and waved back.
“You’re still my baby, no matter what you did!” yelled one fan, Leslie Kaizer, 36.
Video below:
VIDEO: R. Kelly @ Bud Billiken Parade (8/13/11)
Most parade-goers agreed, maintaining that charges that Kelly filmed himself having sex with and urinating on a 14-year-old should have been forgotten after 2008, when jurors couldn’t be sure it was him on the infamous tape.
“Isn’t that what justice is in the United States?” said Tiffany Levy, 38, a mother of two girls.
Back in 2009, Kelly acknowledged he was illiterate, telling an audience at the time:
“I don’t even read really, and I’m not afraid to say that. My cousins and brothers used to tease me ‘You can’t even read right.’ ”
But his supporters Saturday said that lil tidbit didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things regarding Kelly’s role in the pro-education event.
“He used his God-given talent,” said Chris Bertram, 36. “That doesn’t mean he can’t tell the kids to go to school and do something he didn’t do.”
Kelly actually asked to participate in the parade, said Beverly “Earth Momma” Reed-Scott of Chicago Defender Charities. And while most celebrities “wave from a float and go home,” Kelly visited with youths whose training in green technologies is supported by the parade.
But not everyone was on the R. Kelly support train. 55 year old Gladys Sumerall said it just didn’t sit right with her that a man who’d been in trouble with the law over sex with an underaged girl could be so close to kids these days.
It doesn’t seem right. I don’t think I’d have picked him.
What do you guys think?
Was it appropriate for R. Kelly to lead a back-to school parade?
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Wooooooow
NO!!!!!!
Hell NO!
as long he is not a registered sex offender (if he got accquitted) then the man is allow to do that – hopefully they would give him a chaperone with a ruler. i j s
hell to the no wtf for???
@ Duane ok I agree…
pedophile!
I thought I was the only person who still felt some kind of ways about him. His image to me will NEVER be the same regardless. *shrugs*
Was he not Acquitted??
WT????
Lol! He is old now and chitown will always love and respect KELS! Do you KELS!
you know he was on the hunt for some young booty! nasty a**
O_o legally acquitted-yes! Court of public opinion says stay away from the chirren please and thank you!
Oh I know y’all ain’t going HAM on R.Kelly…1st off…those groupies and still groupies of today throw themselves at him…and yes even the underage looks can b very deceiving….just because he’s R.Kelly doesn’t mean he should made out an example of…any plain Joe should put n the forefront for the same thing…Chi-town stand up…#teamR.KELLY
Kinda scary ………is back to the schools prowling?
Why not they are shooting each other to death not sexing each other to death
I dont see nothing wrong with him supporting the kids!
Who wuz the genius that came up with this ideal? I don’t care what the court says he’s a pedophile, hell no he shouldnt be around young teenage girls!!!
hell no, he needs to be in prison
I bet the City of Chicago take every dime he gives to them. I don’t see a problem with it. He was acquitted. We Americans are so judgemental and so unforgiving, oh yeah except to all the B.S. they are saying and doing to the President, get a grip people.
Chitown is my hometome and I am #teamKelly! Pointblank!
They can’t get Obama r Oprah and not even not even J-hud lol….oh well lol.
*hometown
@ Mzbozz Ha…point blank period!!!!
NEWFLASH! HE PAIED FOR HIS FREEDOM….IF IT WAS ANY ONE OF US…WE WOULD BE IN PRISON!!! SOME PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK…I SAY IF YOU SUPPORT HIM YOU CAN NEVER LOOK YOU CHILDERN IN THE EYE!
Where is Chris Hanson? Smh
Wow! Talk about enabling….Smdh….
I like his music and all but this is bullshit! This is like allowing a child predator to be a babysitter. Clearly stars think they are above the law.
Let him live, afterall he WAS found not guilty.
You have got to be kidding me!!!
absolutely not..but blk folks r wayyy to forgiving…we dont care what crime u did as long as u can keep us entertained smh
They setting this man up for failure. Now they know he is weak behind young girls. And he should of told them NO!
Dislike! Whose idea was that? How can this be ok.
Regarding whose idea it was… And I quote.. “Kelly actually asked to participate in the parade”
yes i do its nothing for him to be the grand marshall wha ppl think he going to be looking at the little young girlzzzzzzzzz them !!!!LOL LOL LOL
NO. Hes a chester(child molester) he should not be aloud around young girls period. I know he’s a very talented singer and I used to love me some R. Kelly 12 play, but he has issues with young girls and he should stay away from them. Peace yall
Everytime I here him sing a freaky song it makes me wanna throw up. all I see is him singing to a young girl, telling her what hes doing to her is ok. As a victim of molestation it outradges me that he got away with what he did.
in the words of Dave Chappelle…… “skeet skeet skeet, drip drip drip” LOL
It is what it is.
No indeed.
agree with @Octavia Mztrudeeva Jones… #TeamChiTown #TEAMRKELLY for life… Get off him we over and past that stage… Let that man BE
You know, all this judging is 4 what!!! After all that BS his still made plenty off money off y’all asses the ones that super hating. Only GOD can judge plus y’all old hoes just mad that when y’all was young y’all had a chance now since y’all asses old and antique now you want to hate. Shut the fuck up, If he made peace with GOD that all should matter. Who are y’all!I still love you R Kelly! GOD is watching all y’all haters!
WTH?!?!?!
i bet if he pissed on your daughter you wouldnt be #teamRkelly… sick is as sick does. (smh)
i love his singing voice…
Priceless! God, ho* and f**k in the same sentence(s). That darn irony escaped again…
[...] This post was Twitted by Latasha7703 [...]
hell no!
A shame before the Lord..Irony, yes indeed.THe PEE PEEING PIPER STRIKES again.I don’t understand some of the black communities facination with this guy, I can’t…Obviously, this dude has serious issues and I believe he also has children…question:are they safe around him?Everytime I hear him on the tele I hurry up and change the channel..I will not uphold wrong doing and sick crimes against children.And, if it is good for Eddielong, it is also good for RKelly.SMH This is my opinion and I don’t agree with everything that is posted on here, but I have a right to say:Say NO to child abuse.
Another video should be surfacing in a few weeks. You know RKelly panty freak can’t keep his hands off no kiddie veejayjay. He’s like the hetero Bishop Eddie Long of R&B music.
It’s a job. Nobody cares about the past.
Had there been outrage when he married a child this wouldn’t be an issue. I still love his music tho
I love R. Kelly’s music and all but associating him with anything that deals with underage children is a NO-NO and bad PR. He can’t even read can he?
I’m completely confused as to how so many women in particular could continue to embrace a man (and his music) who raped/sexually abused little girls. Talk about the decay of Blacks in America, damn.