By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on May 18, 2024
An Editorial Opinion
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ violent 2016 beating of CassieVentura, his former girlfriend, at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City in Los Angeles is horrific, sickening, and inexcusable. The beating was captured on the hotel’s security cameras from multiple angles.
The video was suppressed from public view for 8 years because Diddy allegedly paid the hotel $50,000 to obtain the footage immediately after the incident occurred.
Yesterday, CNN released the horrific video. Viewer discretion is advised.
The hotel failed to report this violent assault to Los Angeles police, even though Ventura is seen talking to the hotel's front desk from the lobby phone on her floor immediately after Diddy's violent attack on her.
Diddy has denied engaging in the violent assault on Ventura, as depicted on the video.
No one has challenged the authenticity of the video.
Black "Celebrity" Privilege
If a white police officer was seen on video beating, kicking, and dragging Cassie Ventura, Rev. Al Sharpton, Attorney Ben Crump, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and a host of other Black Lives Matter activists would be all over TV condemning this senseless and violent abuse of a defenseless female victim.
With tears in his eyes, Attorney General Merrick Garland would be announcing a federal criminal investigation into the incident as part of a Department of Justice effort to calm the nation.
President Joe Biden would invite Ventura, Sharpton, and Crump to the White House to publicly console Ventura and her family.
Because Ventura's beating was administered by Diddy, these traditional protectors of female victims of physical abuse are profoundly silent. To me, their loud silence regarding Diddy’s violent attack on Ventura is more sickening than the beating itself.
Their collective silence amounts to hypocrisy on steroids.
Condemnation of Diddy’s Violent Attack
I strongly condemn Diddy’s violent attack on Ventura. I have zero tolerance for the physical, sexual, and/or the emotional abuse of women, children, and the elderly. I do not recognize any “celebrity” exception to this viewpoint.
Diddy is lucky that Ventura is not related to a person who practices the administeration of private justice whenever there is a failure of the public justice system. The administration of private justice is often swift, effective, and impactful. The outcome in private justice cases is not influenced by judicial philosophy, the backbone of a prosecutor (or lack thereof), courthouse politics, political party affiliation, or campaign contributions to judges.
Regardless, Diddy can expect to see this horrific video again in a courtroom if Merrick Garland has the balls to indict him on federal conspiracy, racketeering, sex trafficking, drug dealing, money laundering, witness tampering, and related offenses.
Diddy's apology today is too little, too late! He denied beating Cassie Ventura until the video of the beating incident was released Friday. Diddy had 8 years to apologize and never did so until the video was aired. Now we know Diddy is a vicious woman beater and profound liar. He's going to catch hell in federal prison, assuming he is able to survive his first week of imprisonment.