L ast week, videos of Ian Connor, who is Kanye West’s creative consultant, surfaced on Twitter. In these videos, Ian Connor is seen sucker-punching rapper, singer, and Kanye collaborator, Theophilus London.
In case you don’t know who Ian Connor is, he’s been accused of rape by at least six women. It was covered in major outlets like Global Grind and The Daily Beast. People knew. But it went largely ignored — until Friday (June 24) when Theophilus released a series of tweets calling Ian Connor a rapist. Then, Ian posted a tweet of his own, accusing Theophilus of being a child molester.
Now, you would be perfectly within your rights to ask who these guys are and why we should care that this is happening. Sure, they’re “famous” and Kanye-affiliated — but the real reason we’re talking about this is because if their tweets are to be believed, both Ian Connor and Theophilus London knew the other was a sexual predator and said nothing. They waited until they were no longer friends, and only when the opportunity to embarrass or shame came did they tweet accusations with no concern for the victims.
What does this have to do with you? With 1 in 5 women experiencing rape in their lifetime, there could be someone in your crew who has committed a sexual assault. Maybe there’s not, but if you ever find out that there is one, it’s so vital not to be silent. Say something to them. Say something and save a would-be future victim.
With 1 in 5 women experiencing rape in their lifetime, there could be someone in your crew who has committed a sexual assault.
The hard truth is, not speaking up makes you complicit in rape culture. You make it possible for rapists like Brock Turner to hide in society and be generally well-liked while you remain quiet. This, is rape culture. Those who deny the existence of rape culture are always asking for examples, and here is one clear as day: Until it suited their random needs, Ian Connor and Theophilus London remained silent about the others’ supposed sexual assaults.
During the 2016 BET Awards, while Maxwell performed, Theophilus London tweeted, “Maxwell taught me how to love woman [sic] more than my father”. To which I tweeted, “you were quiet while someone you know (Ian Connor) is a rapist. You don’t love women.”
It’s important to remember that just last week Theophilus London tweeted a series of statements about Ian Connor being a rapist and a story about Ian hiding his dirty underwear under a sink. They made this public and it is only right that they answer for their heinous accusations.
Theophilus responded in a now-deleted tweet, “@MichelleHux you were quiet when I blocked u, besides I have no idea who you speak of.” Theophilus London claims to not know a man he publicly called a rapist just a few days prior. Maybe sexual assault is a joke to him. Maybe he thought nobody would followup on Ian Connor’s claim that London molests children. But these are very serious allegations that they declared publicly.
And we deserve answers.
