N.Y. community groups, activists unite to support Strauss-Kahn accuser

At a news conference Sunday in Harlem, they urged the Manhattan district attorney's office to press on with its indictment against the former head of the International Monetary Fund.

The activists call the maid's credibility issues "rumors" and insist that the woman -- a 32-year-old single mother and native of Guinea granted asylum in the United States -- deserves her day in court.

"Rumors about this woman's past that have nothing to do with the case and even if they were true should not prevent her case from being heard," said New York state Sen. Bill Perkins of Harlem.

Virginia Montague, who leads the New York Coalition of 100 Black Women, called the unidentified maid "courageous" for coming forward to file charges against Strauss-Kahn

"We're talking about the face of women (who) have been victimized, too often judged by the media and public on rumors and innuendos ... and not about facts that will ultimately be determined in a court of law," said Montague.

Prosecutors and police repeatedly said the maid gave a credible account of how the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn allegedly sexually attacked her. Authorities say there is forensic evidence of a sexual encounter.

Strauss-Kahn has pleaded not guilty. After a meeting with prosecutors last week, his attorneys insist he "will not plead guilty to anything." He remains free on his own recognizance until his next scheduled court date July 18.