By Cheyene Miller

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Compassionate Kentucky, an organization that encourages businesses to place community over profit, is campaigning against the Singletary Center’s decision to move forward with comedian Bill Cosby’s scheduled performance in March.

Alli Sehon, organizer for Compassionate Kentucky, said that the organization understands that the Singletary Center is under a contractual obligation with Cosby’s promoter National Artists Corporation, but that they should still look into an alternative direction.

“We feel that they still have a responsibility to the emotional and physical well-being of the students that help support their facility and they need to cancel this show or find a way to postpone it indefinitely like many, many other theaters have done in response to this outcome,” Sehon said.

According to Sehon, Compassionate Kentucky, which has 10 organizers and a network of over 2,000 supporters, is conducting an effort with other organizations in the Lexington area to lobby for a cancellation of Cosby’s performance.

They are calling the effort the “Cancel Cosby Coalition,” in which organizations can sign a letter requesting that the Singletary Center cancel the event.

“We’ve had experience with this type of campaign before,” said Sehon, who noted that Compassionate Kentucky was instrumental in the cancellation of Hunter Moore’s scheduled DJ performance at Art Bar in Lexington. Moore became the center of social media controversy when he founded a website that featured “revenge porn,” where people can post explicit photos of others without their consent. Sehon said that while the Singletary Center has “a wonderful role on campus,” they must be held responsible for their decision.

“They are the other name on this contract and that makes them responsible for the performances they bring onto this campus and into the community,” Sehon said. “It’s not that we want to shut down the Singletary Center, or make them lose money.”

Sehon said that the organization has yet to decide whether or not they will orchestrate a physical protest, and that it will depend on how discussions go with the Singletary Center.

“We’re not planning on being really abrasive and aggressive if they are willing to sit down and speak with us,” Sehon said.

She noted that Cosby has faced allegations of sexual assault in civil lawsuits before, and has settled out of court.

“Thirty women don’t make something up independently across the nation,” Sehon said. “This is not a court of law, so we don’t have to follow the ‘innocent until proven guilty (motto).’”

Singletary Center director Michael Grice said in a public statement that the center has a contractual obligation to NAC, and that they are only serving as a venue for the event.

“The developments are ongoing regarding this tour, so things could change,” Grice said.

Cosby is scheduled to perform his standup special “Bill Cosby 77” at the Singletary Center on March 15 at 7 p.m.