Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

R. Kelly’s reputation has taken another hit, with the controversial rapper being symbolically from the US city of Philadelphia.

Over the last few weeks, R. Kelly has undoubtedly been feeling a lot of pressure. Following the premiere of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly documentary, numerous artists have come forward to sever their ties with the controversial rapper, including Lady Gaga, who removed her collaboration with the artist from streaming services.

The documentary itself provides an in-depth look at the accusations made against the controversial artist, including such claims that he has had sex with underage girls, has physically abused numerous women, and even ran a “sex cult” from his Chicago home.

Incidentally, the documentary also featured interviews with a number of people who had worked with R. Kelly, including Chance The Rapper, who explained that their 2015 collaboration was “a mistake”.

While Kelly was dropped from his record label, the 2018 campaign of #MuteRKelly has again resurfaced, with a number of radio DJs in the US coming together to drop the artist’s music from their playlists.

Now, an entire city has taken it to the next step.

As CBS Philly reports, the city council of Philadelphia passed an unanimous motion on Thursday to symbolically ban R. Kelly from their city.

Check out the Tweet from Philadelphia council-member Helen Gym

Introduced by council-member Helen Gym, the motion was designed to send the message to R. Kelly and other alleged offenders that they and their music are not welcome in the city of Philadelphia.

“This resolution is about fundamentally stating a public declaration that R. Kelly and sexual predators like him don’t belong in a public sphere, with public support,” Gym explained of the motion.

“This symbolic act of solidarity puts all sexual predators on notice.”

“The resolution is about not accepting,” Gym explained to The Philadelphia Inquirer recently. “It’s about being clear that we will not accept a future where rape is accepted, and rapists and sexual predators get away with their acts.”

“I believe that R. Kelly and predators like him should be shamed and banished from the public sphere.”

As Billboard notes though, this motion is not a legally binding one, meaning that he is technically allowed to enter and move around Philadelphia without being arrested or charged.

However, the message sent by this motion is clear, and intends to serve as a reminder to any alleged sex offenders in the future.

Check out part of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary:

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