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‘Silence Breakers’ sound off about Harvey Weinstein
LOS ANGELES - "The balance of power is now survivors and silence breakers 10, abusers and predators zero," said former Weinstein employee Lauren O’Connor.
O’Connor is among this group of women who call themselves the "Silence Breakers." These women say they are victims of sexual assault or sexual misconduct by disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
"The outcome is the result of the voices of over 100 women who refuse to be silenced anymore," said actress and writer Sarah Ann Masse.
One-by-one on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, they bared their souls and shared their reactions to Weinstein’s rape conviction.
"A reporter asked me yesterday how do you think Harvey Weinstein will be remembered, what do you think his legacy will be and I said it certainly won’t be for the movies that he made it will be as a convicted serial rapist," said actress Caitlin Dulany.
Some 3,000 miles away on Monday, the 67-year-old sat in a New York courtroom as a jury found him guilty on two of five counts of sexual assault. It was an outcome actress Rosanna Arquette didn’t think would happen:
"Very surprised by the verdict because I thought he was going to get off and buy his way out of it... Like he’s done for years," Arquette said.
Arquette says Weinstein tried to force himself on her in a hotel room in the early 1990s but she got away.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Oscar-winning Actress Meryl Streep was also mentioned. Streep once called Weinstein “God” in 2012 but changed her tune when abuse allegations began to surface.
"To think that because she did a movie with him means that she knew all of his gossip... Is preposterous," said actress Katherine Kendall.
Now, as the focus shifts to Los Angeles where Weinstein is also facing sex assault charges, these women hope his conviction will continue to spark change in Hollywood and beyond.
“It’s a win for all of us because no one should get away with what he’s done in the last 30 years without accountability... And now it looks like the tide has turned,” said former FOX 11 reporter Lauren Sivan.
The L.A. case is not expected to get started until after Weinstein’s sentencing next month. We reached out to the District Attorney’s office and while they are not commenting, they did tell me that prosecutors are definitely proceeding