The co-founder of a social media hashtag group has reached out to the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi in hopes of stopping R&B singer and accused child molester R. Kelly from performing in the city Sunday night.

The letter, written by #MuteRKelly co-founder Oronike Odeleye, was sent to members of the Jackson city council, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and the media today imploring officials to stop Kelly from performing at the Mississippi Coliseum on Sunday. The venue is owned and operated by the state.

"To Whom It May Concern:

I am reaching out to understand why a documented child molester, sexual and domestic abuser is performing at the government-run Mississippi Coliseum. Is there no morality clause outlining who the facility is rented out to?

Across the nation, women and men have called for the cancellation of R. Kelly’s concerts – glorified sex trafficking fundraisers – rooted in public disgust for Kelly’s use of sexual manipulation, abuse, harassment, and coercion of young black women.



It is unacceptable that in a day and age where powerful men are able to lose their careers behind the sexual assault of white women, the abusers of black women still get carte blanche to profit from and keep committing their crimes unchecked."

The Clarion Ledger has reached out to Mississippi State Fairgrounds Executive Director Steve Hutton for comment.

The R&B singer has a decades-long history of alleged sexual misconduct, settling numerous lawsuits out of court. In 2002, he was acquitted in a child pornography case stemming from an anonymous sex tape. He continues to be embraced by some fans, critics and the music industry and has never been found guilty of any charges related to sexual misconduct.

Although Kelly has admitted to liking younger girls and rough sex in his lyrics, he has denied he is a pedophile and pushed back against allegations that he operated a sex cult, as Buzzfeed reported in 2017.

Kelly's concert is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Keyshia Cole.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.



