WAFF TV was criticised by viewers complaining that broadcasting the interview stereotyped the black community. The station replied that to censor Dodson would have been "far worse". "The fact is Dodson is a victim and, just like any victim, has the right to speak out," Gentle said.
Interviewed on NPR, national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States, Dodson backed up the TV station's case, alleging that the housing officer to whom the assault had been reported next morning treated the allegation as a joke. "She was making fun of us, she was actually laughing in our face. So we just left. We got back to the apartment, called the investigators and the news people, asking 'Is anybody taking this seriously?'"
When the news team came, Antoine let off steam. Events then took an extraordinary twist. Captivated by Dodson's outburst, The Gregory Brothers, a New York band who run a popular YouTube channel, AutoTune The News, transformed the interview into a song called "Bed Intruder". Almost overnight, it became YouTube's number one video. Last week it was watched more than 30m times.
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Understandably, Dodson is keen to make the most of his sudden celebrity. He has hired an attorney to help him conduct his burgeoning media and business dealings. A Twitter account has been set up, followed by a Facebook page and an Antoine Dodson official website asking people to "Help the Dodson family" and donate via PayPal.
Merchandise containing some of Dodson's catchphrases like "Hide yo kids" and "We gon find you" has already gone on sale, the profits of which "will go to helping Antoine's family get out of the projects".
I wonder if they've found the rapist yet. It's almost been 2 months. Considering all the evidence the jerk left behind, you'd think it wouldn't be too difficult. I see them do it all the time on CSI.
