Henry Costa’s public lynching of Loraine Anderson- A Domestic Violence Victim

By Moriah Yeakula

Henry Costa HATES Liberian Women. It is no secret that this individual has used his platform to malign, denigrate, insult, blackmail and destroy Liberian women consistently!

The names of his victims are long and today, he added Loraine to his list, publicly victimizing her TWICE.

Costa took Loraine’s name and story to his platform today and gave her a public LYNCHING. But here’s what’s interesting about his method- yesterday he acted like an advocate for Loraine. He went off on Andrew Anderson and said whatever he said. But immediately he got information he claimed as THE TRUTH, he LYNCHED the victim he claimed to have been advocating for yesterday. In fact, he apologized to Andrew and called Loraine the PERPETRATOR.

Why? Cuz he claims he’s about fairness and justice but the truth is, his advocacy for Loraine yesterday was a farce, intended to set the basis for this public lynching today! Now here is what he calls “the truth”:

“Loraine has a boyfriend. She went to Ghana with the boyfriend and her husband followed to beg her. She left her children to go with the boyfriend to Holland. The husband filed a police report in Ghana, and in Liberia and even sued the boyfriend and won the case.

Loraine “abandoned” her home and children for the boyfriend and so Andrew beat her for the first time. Yes, Andrew is wrong for beating her, but Loraine is horrible. She is no victim”.

That is what Costa uses to JUSTIFY Andrew’s BRUTALIZATION of his ex-wife. Do you know what is missing from this story? Whether or not Andrew also cheated on his wife.

The fact that this brutality happened AFTER their divorce. We have not even heard from Lorraine about this- her story has only been about the beating on Thursday.

Several persons even commented under the live video that Andrew has a girlfriend who worked at Lonestar Cell, but Costa didn’t read those messages. Others also commented about Andrew doing the same thing and brutalizing his first wife. He still didn’t read those messages. He was focused on doing what he does best- DEMONZING the victim.

We saw that with the victims of human trafficking who he called prostitutes. The victims of More Than Me who contracted HIV and he called Katie Myers a hero. The victim was sexually abused and impregnated by a white missionary; he called a saviour. Odell Sherman, the victim of an unexplained death in the home of a bishop, Costa idolized. Augustina Gray who he called prostitute in the forced abortion saga involving his friend. The list is LONNNGG. What do these people who incur his wrath, have in common? They are ALL Liberian women and girls.

What Costa did to Lorraine today is DESPICABLE!! So, what if she left her abusive marriage and took a boyfriend? Does that justify being BRUTALIZED by her ex-husband? Beaten with his belt buckle like a rogue and causing severe injuries? According to Costa, yes. “A man’s pride is his woman. And Lorraine hurt her husband’s pride by cheating publicly”.

How STUPID! Whether or not Andrew cheated on Lorraine is irrelevant to Costa, but Andrew’s pride is what matters MOST. Weren’t stark-naked pictures of this same Costa circulating recently while he’s said to be married as well? In Costa’s and Andrews’s world, as well as many other narcissists, Cheating is only for men; a woman who leaves her abusive marriage and finds comfort with another man deserves to be BRUTALIZED.

But there is more. This public lynching by Costa is meant to scare Liberian women from holding their abusers ACCOUNTABLE! For the first time in many years, Loraine braved the storm, challenged the status quo and said to hell with what people will say, I will seek Justice for my abuse at the hands of my ex-husband and father to my children. She gave abuse a name and a face. She said in spite of what will be said about me, I will take this on.

It scares the likes of Costa. So many of them including our friends, fathers, brother, sons, cousins, etc are perpetrators of violence and if Liberian women begin to follow the footsteps of Lorraine, they fear exposure.

This is what his rants today was about – Lynch the one who dares and put fear in others. Bring out the skeletons from her closets, and publicly shame and denigrate her. Turn the public against her and focus the conversation not on her abuse but her being with another man. Vindicate the abuser in the court of public opinion and turn the victim into the perpetrator.

That is what a despicable human being like Costa tried to do today. This how he intended to continue to undermine the fight against Domestic Violence and all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAGW). This is the person who wants to be Senator of Montserrado. God forbid bad things!

Henry Costa, continue perpetuating, enabling and excusing VAWG, but do not you ever forget, your day is reckoning is NEAR.