Chris Brown "Graffiti" Album Lyrics and Media Statements Are Offensive Follow-Ups to His Rihanna Assault Guilty Plea

In his new song, "Crawl," Chris Brown sings, "But now I can't touch your face." If you are Rihanna, that's a good thing.

Singer Chris Brown entered a guilty plea in June of 2009 to assault with the intent of doing great bodily injury to his girlfriend, singer Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty), as the result of a beating he gave her inside a car in Los Angeles in February of 2009.

Brown's sentence included probation for 5 years, 6 months' worth (1,440 hours) of community labor, counseling for a year, and an order to keep away from Rihanna for the next 5 years.

"Details Should Remain Private" ?

Brown apparently was not happy with some statements Rihanna made in a televised interview on ABC's "20/20" program in November of 2009. "While I respect Rihanna's right to discuss the specific events of February 8," Brown said in a written statement he sent to MTV, "I maintain my position that all of the details should remain private."

When Brown makes these kinds of comments directed toward Rihanna, it only looks like he is trying to intimidate and control his victim. A victim he has admitted beating.

I don't follow the careers of either Brown or Rihanna closely. But I found it extremely distasteful when I saw a televised report of Brown's MTV statement while in the waiting area of an auto service center in November . The implication that Brown believes he is entitled to control what his victim says about his crime after entering a guilty plea is inaccurate as well as offensive.

Now, Mr. "details should remain private" has been talking about Rihanna on ABC's 20/20 program and in the lyrics of his latest album, "Graffiti."

Chris Brown's Guilty Plea is a Conviction

Here are some facts Chris Brown should keep in mind: A guilty plea is a conviction. It resolves criminal charges, not a private civil dispute. The name of the criminal case is "People "against Chris Brown. Not "Rihanna vs. Chris Brown"; "People." That makes the details of the assault the business of the citizenry, not a private matter. And Brown was convicted of a felony offense. A felony is serious; that's why felons typically lose their right to vote along with other consequences that follow a conviction.

As Justice William O. Douglas explained in a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court case: "A plea of guilty is more than a confession which admits that the accused did various acts; it is itself a conviction; nothing remains but to give judgment and determine punishment."

Put another way, in a later case: "A plea of guilty is the equivalent of admitting all material facts alleged in the charge."

Domestic violence is an issue that affects us all. Prior to the last few decades, it was treated as a "private matter" far too often. That is changing, slowly. It is not a simple change, but it is a necessary one.

Following the Pattern of an Abuser

Information posted online by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) indicates that some of Brown's statements in the Graffiti album follow the predictable pattern of abusive partners. For example, "After a battering, the abuser often is extremely penitent." Note these lyrics from "So Cold":

And I know I was dead wrong
But if you you
If you
See her soon
Ask her will she forgive me

CPEDV also indicates that a battered woman may believe that her partner is "sick" and/or needs her help; so the idea of leaving can produce feelings of guilt. Brown is certainly playing on this theme in "So Cold":

And tell her I miss her
Tell her I need her
Tell her I want her
I really want her to come back home, back to keep me warm
Tell her I'm sorry, I'm really sorry
Can you forgive me?
Please forgive me
And come back home, keep me safe and warm

And Then There is This From Chris Brown:

Brown's Graffiti album song, "I Can Transform Ya," is just a shocking choice for inclusion on his first album after his conviction for felony assault:

I can transform ya,
I can't dance but I can dance on ya

Chris Brown can "transform ya," alright. The police affidavit in support of a search warrant related to Brown's case in February of 2009 stated, among other things, that:

Brown shoved Rihanna's head against the passenger window of the car causing a raised circular contusion; Brown punched Rihanna in the left eye with his right hand; Brown drove while steering the car with his left hand and continuing to punch Rihanna in the face with his right hand; Rihanna's blood was spattered all over her clothing and the interior of the car; Brown placed Rihanna in a head lock, bit her left ear, bit her left ring and middle fingers, and applied pressure on her throat that caused her to be unable to breathe and to begin to lose consciousness.

Time to Stop Talking About Your Victim, Mr. Brown

If Chris Brown's music career fades away as a result of his status as a convicted felon, he has no one to blame but himself. If he truly wants to redeem himself, he needs to stop "commenting" about Rihanna.

You had your day in court, Mr. Brown. You can stop talking, complaining and singing about your victim now.

Sources:

ABC, 20/20 Interview, Diane Sawyer and Rihanna

MTV,Chris Brown Responds To Rihanna Interview, 11/06/09

ABC, 20/20 Inteview, Robin Roberts and Chris Brown

Affidavit and search warrant in Chris Brown case

Boykin v. Alabama 395 U.S. 238 (1969)

U.S. v Powell, 159 F3d 500 (10th Cir. 1998)

LA Times Blog, Chris Brown Escapes Time Behind Bars in Rihanna Assault

LA Times Blog, Singer Chris Brown Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Rihanna

California Partnership to End domestic Violence (CEPDV)