Diddy Supporters Camp Out In Front of NYC Courthouse
Sean “Diddy” Combs is at the center of one of the most high-profile celebrity court cases in recent memory. The hip-hop mogul’s trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges is currently underway in New York City. But despite the media frenzy surrounding the case, there’s no way for people to watch what’s happening in the courtroom live, as cameras are banned from the courtroom in federal criminal cases.
To get a front-row seat to witness the dramatic and disturbing testimony in the case, people must snag one of a limited number of spots in the courtroom each day. Doing so requires dedication, with some people sleeping outside on the streets of Manhattan in the hopes of claiming a spot.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs supporters try to get a seat inside the courtroom
After a week-long jury selection process, Diddy’s trial officially got underway on Monday, May 12, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in lower Manhattan. The rapper, who has pleaded not guilty, is facing five criminal counts. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted.
While cameras and recording devices are not allowed inside, the trial is open to the public. On Sunday night, at least 20 of Diddy’s fans camped out on the street hoping to be let inside when the court’s door opened at 8 a.m., NBC reported. Some entrepreneurial individuals even set up business as line-holders, advertising their services on a tent set up on the sidewalk.
The courtroom where Diddy’s trial is being held holds about 100 people, according to the New York Post. But many of those seats will be taken up by Diddy’s family (his mother and six of his children have been present so far during testimony) and members of the media. Some people who are admitted to the courthouse will be allowed to watch the trial from overflow rooms.
Of course, not everyone waiting in line to get a seat inside is a Diddy supporter. One woman told The Washington Post she had a “love-hate” relationship with the hip-hop artist. And a photographer covering the activity outside the courthouse said fans of the Bad Boy Records founder were in relatively short supply.
“I expected it to be kind of like it is — a large media content, and people waiting in line to be in the courtroom, but I did not expect a large crowd of support,” Mike Segar told Vulture.
Cassie Ventura testifies about freak-offs at Diddy trial
Those who are able to watch the trial may hear testimony from celebrities. They will also hear accounts of Diddy’s alleged activities, including sex parties known as “freak-offs.”
On Tuesday, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura testified that Diddy would watch as she had sex with male escorts at his request, and that he sometimes recorded those activities. Some of the sex acts he asked the escorts to perform were “disgusting” and left her feeling “humiliated,” she said, according to NBC News.
The disturbing description of events was too much for some people. One woman watching the trial from the overflow room was asked to leave when she yelled out “that’s disgusting” during Ventura’s testimony.
Ventura said she went along with Combs’ demands because he frightened her. (Footage of him violently attacking her in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel was shown to the jury on day 1 of the trial.)
“I didn’t want him to be upset or not trust me,” she testified. “He was a scary person, he would be violent.”
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