Jan 26, 2015 3 min read

Bill Cosby was once beloved and believed to be almost beyond reproach, but for the last couple of months an odor as overpowering as a rendering plant on a July afternoon has followed him around, thanks to the increasing number of allegations that the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted women at various times over the course of his long career.

Cosby has largely remained mum on the accusations, with his lawyers issuing heated denials. The 77-year-old continued to appear at auditoriums and concert halls throughout North America, although some venues pulled the plug on Cosby’s performances. Cosby is due back in this region Feb. 21 for a show at Heinz Hall, and some observers are urging the show’s promoters and the managers of Heinz Hall send Cosby packing.

Murrysville resident Diana Fletcher launched a petition drive on the site Change.org asking that Cosby’s appearance, at the very least, be postponed until the assertions made against him are addressed. Until then, she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “he should not be welcome in this city.”

Chrissy Costa, a Pittsburgh comedian, went a step further and said the show should be canceled. She told Pittsburgh City Paper that allowing it to proceed would send “the wrong message that it’s OK to violate women, especially if you’re a celebrity or a powerful male figure. Nothing will change if we just stand back.”

While the repulsion many feel toward Cosby is understandable, he was not charged with any crime as yet, and there’s a strong possibility he never will be, thanks to the statute of limitations having long run out on some of the claims, and there being little or no evidence in others. Even when it doesn’t involve the rich, powerful and well-connected, sexual assault remains one of the most under-reported of crimes, with 68 percent of assaults not being reported, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. And even when they are reported, the advocacy group reports, an arrest or prosecution is, more often than not, unlikely.

There’s solid reason to believe Cosby was up to no good, given the sheer preponderance of accusations. Unfortunately, it’s also probable that all of them will remain in the murky, unresolved realm of he said/she said.

Also, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra could be forced to pay off the promoters and Cosby if they walk away. Considering the symphony, like its counterparts in other cities, was beset by budget shortfalls and layoffs, the ultimate losers in dollars-and-cents terms could well be one of the region’s most esteemed cultural institutions, not Cosby.

Perhaps the best way for people to register their feelings about the performance is to simply not attend it. It’s reportedly far from a sellout, with fewer than half the available tickets sold, and any Cosby fans who have already purchased tickets but are now having second or third thoughts can get a refund.

A stronger message would be sent if the show goes on, to borrow the showbiz maxim, and Cosby emerges from the wings and finds he is facing row upon row of empty seats. For someone who has taken decades of adulation and applause for granted, that would perhaps be the hardest of all messages to receive.