HIP-HOP FANS, ARTISTS ALIKE, THE WHOLE HIP-HOP
COMMUNITY ARE RALLYING BEHIND THIS HASHTAG FREE MEEK MILL.
HE
IS A PHILADELPHIA-BASED RAPPER AND YESTERDAY A JUDGE THERE
SENTENCED HIM TO 2 TO 4 YEARS IN PRISON FOR VIOLATING HIS
PROBATION.
THIS NOT ONLY SHOCK TO MEEK MILL AND HIS TEAM BUT
ALSO THE PROSECUTION WHO SUGGESTED THAT HE NOT RECEIVED
JAIL TIME FOR THE VIOLATION.
A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT, THIS IS
THE SAME JUDGE BACK IN 2007 WHEN HE WAS
ARRESTED ON NUMEROUS GUN AND DRUG CHARGES.
HE WAS CONVICTED
OF TWO FELONIES AND THIS JUDGE, JUDGE GENECE BRINKLEY HANDED
DOWN
THE SENTENCE.
IN HER WORDS, BECAUSE HE FAILED SOME RECENT
DRUG TESTS.
HE DIDN'T ADHERE TO HER TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS THAT SHE
HAD PUT IN PLACE AND HE WAS ALSO ARRESTED TWICE THIS YEAR, ONCE
FOR ASSAULT IN AN AIRPORT AND ONCE FOR RECKLESS DRIVING.
ITíS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BOTH OF THOSE CHARGES HAVE
BEEN DROPPED BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE RESPONSE THAT
WE'RE GETTING HERE FROM THE HIP-HOP COMMUNITY.
JAY-Z SPOKE OUT
ABOUT THIS.
HE CALLED THE SENTENCE UNJUST AND
HEAVY-HANDED.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT TWEET THAT HE HAD UP THERE
BECAUSE I CANNOT FIND MY GRAPHICS SHEET.
OKAY, THERE WE GO.
CAN WE PUT THAT TWEET UP THERE?
JAY-Z SAID, IT'S A STATEMENT, NOT A TWEET.
THE SENTENCE HANDED DOWN
BY THE JUDGE AGAINST THE RECOMMENDATION IS UNJUST AND
HEAVY-HANDED.
WE WILL ALL STAND BY AND SUPPORT MEEK MILL
BOTH AS HE SEEKS TO RIGHT THIS WRONGFUL SENTENCE AND IN
RETURNING TO HIS MUSICAL CAREER.
JAY-Z IS NOT THE ONLY ONE SPEAKING OUT
ABOUT THIS.
KEVIN HART ALSO DID.
WHAT YOU GUYS THINK?
WAS IT TOO HARSH?
THE SENTENCING GUIDELINES IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE
HARSH FOR EVERY SINGLE CRIME.
FOUR YEARS FOR A FEW MISDEMEANORS IS
A PREPOSTEROUSLY LONG TIME TO SEND SOMEONE TO JAIL FOR.
IT IS
JUST NOT, WE DON'T REALIZE HOW PUNITIVE OUR SYSTEM IS IMPAIRED
TO BASICALLY EVERY OTHER DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD.
SO YES,
THIS IS A SUPER HARSH SENTENCE AND IT GOES TO SHOW, ANOTHER
GENERAL RULE OF THUMB IS THAT IN AMERICA, RICH PEOPLE DO NOT GO
TO JAIL UNLESS THEY ARE BLACK.
WHETHER IT IS PEOPLE IN HIGH
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT OR BUSINESS, THEY DON'T OFTEN GO TO
JAIL NO MATTER WHAT THAT THEY ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO WIGGLE OUT
OF IT.
UNLESS YOU ARE BLACK, AND THEN YOU GET THE HARSHEST
POSSIBLE SENTENCE FOR NOT EVEN A FELONY.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND, THE LAWYER DOESN'T ATTEND TO FILE AN
APPEAL WHICH I ACTUALLY THINK THEY SHOULD BECAUSE IT SEEMS
LIKE SUCH AN OVERREACH IN THIS CASE WITH WHAT THE JUDGE IS
PUTTING FORWARD.
MILL'S ATTORNEY SAYS THAT THE JUDGE
GAVE
MANAGEMENT ADVICE TO MEEK MILL AND ALSO ORDERED HIM TO ATTEND
ETIQUETTE CLASSES JUST AND GENERAL IT IS A BIZARRE
OVERREACH OF JUSTICE IN THIS CASE.
IT IS SO STRANGE THAT
EVEN THE PROSECUTION IS LIKE WE ARE ADVISING AGAINST JAIL TIME.
HE HAS ALREADY SERVED I BELIEVE EIGHT MONTHS AND THEN HE
HAS HAD THIS INSANE EXTENSION OF PROBATION AGAIN, FIVE YEARS AND
THAT WAS UPWARDS OF LIKE A DECADE FOR A DRUG OFFENSE.
HE
HAD A SECOND PAROLE VIOLATION IN 2014 OF WHICH HE SERVED FOR FIVE
MONTHS.
IT REALLY DOES FEEL LIKE AN OVERREACH RIGHT HERE AND
THEN THIS IS SORT OF THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW THAT JUST GOES
UNCHECKED.
THERE IS AS UNCHECKED AUTHORITY WHICH WAS UP TO HER
DISCRETION AND IT SEEMS LIKE SHE WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE.
I AM NOT DISAGREEING THAT OF COURSE THERE IS RAMPANT
DISCRIMINATION WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND IT
NEEDS REFORM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DO NOT KNOW THAT IT IS
FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE IS A RACIAL ELEMENT HERE.
THIS WAS A
BLACK WOMAN WHO IS A JUDGE WHO HANDED DOWN THE SENTENCE AND WE
CAN SHOW YOU WHAT THE JUDGE SAID.
SHE SAID I GIVE YOU BREAK
AFTER BREAK AND YOU BASICALLY JUST THUMBED YOUR NOSE AT THIS
COURT.
BUT SHE IS REFERRING TO IS SEVERAL PROBATION VIOLATIONS
ON MILLS BEHALF TO HAPPEN ON 2011 IN 2013, IN 2014, IN 2015
AND THEN HIS RESPONSE TO HER INSIDE THE COURT WAS:
HE DID SAY HE WAS STRUGGLING WITH A PERCOCET ADDICTION
BUT ACTUALLY AFTER YOU VIOLATED YOUR PROBATION OVER AND
OVER DOES THE I AM HUMAN ARGUMENT REALLY WORK?
TO GO BACK TO THE FACT THAT THE JUDGE IS BLACK, THE SYSTEM,
ONE OF THE OFFICERS AND THE FREDDIE GREY THAT WAS BLACK AS
WELL.
IT IS MORE OF AN INSTITUTIONAL QUESTION.
IT IS
VERY HARD TO IMAGINE A WHITE CELEBRITY GOING TO JAIL FOR FOUR
YEARS OVER PROBATION VIOLATION.
I DON'T, I HAVEN'T LOOKED, BUT I
CANNOT IMAGINE THAT THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED.
IT'S JUST THE
WAY THE SYSTEM SEES EVERYONE.
I AM HUMAN DEFENSE, I DON'T KNOW
IF THAT HOLDS UP IN A COURT OF LAW, BUT WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT
THIS WAS NOT SOME SORT OF VIOLENCE CRIME THAT MAKES HIM A
DANGER TO THE REST OF SOCIETY, TO PUT THEM AWAY FOR FOUR YEARS
IS AN INSANELY LONG TIME FOR PROBATION VIOLATION DOTS I FIND
IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT ANYONE COULD THINK THAT
THIS IS A FAIR SENTENCE.
I DO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING THOUGH IN TERMS OF THE HE
VIOLATED HIS PROBATION AND NUMBER OF TIMES DOTS HE WAS
GIVEN WARNING AFTER WARNING BUT I'M JUST THINKING, ISN'T THERE A
BETTER USE OF OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND TO KEEP THIS GUY WHO
IS NOT VIOLENCE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
WE HAD TO PUT BEHIND BARS?
I THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF A, MAYBE FIND HIM OR
MAKE HIM SERVE INSANE AND AWFUL COMMUNITY SERVICE.
THERE IS A
WAY TO TEACH HIM A LESSON AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE I
THINK HE WAS HAPPY IRRESPONSIBLY BOOKING SHOWS IN AREAS WHERE SHE
SAID TO NOT PERFORM HERE.
THAT IS STUPID, THAT IS SOMETHING YOU
CAN OBVIOUSLY FOLLOW UP ON.
THAT IS STUPID, MAYBE HER
MANAGEMENT ADVICE WAS ON GOOD AUTHORITY AFTER ALL, IT'S A LOT
THIS PERSON UP, I JUST DO NOT THINK THAT THE PUNISHMENT SUITS
THE OFFENSE BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND I DO AGREE
WITH YOU TO AN EXTENT.
THIS IS A GUY THAT WAS THUMBING HIS NOSE
AT THE COURT THAT DOES I MEAN WE'RE LOCKING HIM UP?
I DO NOT
THINK SO.
AND IT JUST ONCE GO BACK TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.
I
DO NOT WANT TO GIVE OFF THE IMPRESSION THAT THE SKIN COLOR
OF A JUDGE SHOULD HAVE AN INFLUENCE OVER THE SENTENCE.
IT MIGHT.
IT MIGHT GO EITHER WAY.
I THINK THAT IT IS MORE OF A
SYSTEMIC QUESTION THAN AN INDIVIDUAL DISPUTE BETWEEN
TWO PEOPLE.
THERE IS ALSO THE ARGUMENT THAT THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT
NUMBER OF BLACK AND BROWN MEN WHO ARE INCARCERATED WHO ARE
WRONGFULLY CONVICTED AND I JUST WONDER IF MAYBE SOME OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THIS MAYBE CANS ALSO SPEAK
OUT FOR THEM AS WELL, FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO
HIRE THE BEST LEGAL DEFENSE AND WHO DON'T HAVE A CUSHY JAIL
CELL LIKE HE IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET, MAY OR MAY NOT GET
SO I GUESS THAT IS PERHAPS JUST ANOTHER ARGUMENT THERE.