We have known for decades upon decades that aspects of the criminal justice system are unjust and downright discriminatory — especially for African-Americans and other people of color.
However, maybe, just maybe we will soon see a shift in the right direction relative to unlawful arrests and the unjust sentencing of Blacks.
Maybe.
The incarceration of a famous rapper and the actions of his extremely famous advocates and savvy legal team may be the stewards of change that this country needs.
I had heard of Meek Mill, but I wasn’t enamored by any of his music (I mean come on, he is no Tupac after all), nor was I particularly interested in aspects of his celebrity such as his relationship with Nicki Minaj or his beef with fellow rapper Drake. What did intrigue me about Meek Mill however, were the #FreeMeekMill hashtags and T-shirts I’d see everywhere and the outpouring of support from some of the biggest celebrities and business executives in the country.
“Exactly who is Meek Mill,” I’d ask myself.
“What did he do?”
“How did this man become the poster child of the wrongfully accused?”
I began to dig deeper.
That is when I learned that Meek is serving a two- to four-year sentence for a parole violation from a crime he committed 10 years ago and previously served eight months in prison for. I also learned that earlier this year, the police officer who arrested Meek on those charges in 2008 was on a “secret list” the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office kept of “police officers with poor or untrustworthy reputations.”
My research also showed me that the judge who presided over the Meek Mill case had an interesting fascination with the rapper. Meek’s attorney, Joe Tacopina said Judge Genece Brinkley was “enamored” with Meek Mill and took “a personal interest in the case.”
There are many variables to Meek’s case: he was convicted, served time for that crime, received probation, was convicted of several parole violations, went back to prison, had his probation reinstated, was arrested twice in 2017 — the last time being for reckless endangerment for “popping wheelies on his dirt bike and not wearing a helmet” while filming a music video, and because of his extended probation; he is currently serving a two- to four-year sentence in Pennsylvania.
The extent of Meek Mill’s convictions is a heck of a lot longer than that sentence — and that was a LONG sentence that I know left my editor’s head spinning!
But all jokes aside, the disproportionality of Meek Mill’s sentencing is a serious matter. So too are the millions of men and women — primarily people of color — who are currently serving extensive amounts of time that is inconsistent with their crimes.
But all is not lost. Hopefully.
Meek Mill has the support of greats like Jay-Z, Lebron James and Colin Kaepernick. He even has the encouragement of unlikely advocates like his nemesis Drake and New England Patriots and Philadelphia 76ers owners Robert Kraft and Michael Rubin, respectfully. And if those supporters weren’t enough shock value for you, this is sure to be: a Philadelphia district attorney believes Meek Mill’s case should be overturned and he should be released from jail.
Judge Brinkley seems unfazed and unwilling to move swiftly on the pleas of Meek’s attorneys as well as the prosecutors. Rather than address the matter immediately, she scheduled a June hearing to discuss the rapper’s fate.
The inconsistencies of Meek Mill’s case and his disproportionate sentencing are unfortunately something hundreds of thousands of Blacks face every day. There is extreme subjectivity in the criminal justice system and that is one of the largest problems. Judges sentence people based on their own opinion for corrective action. A judge in Philadelphia and a judge in Indiana can have defendants with the exact same charges and exact same background, yet those defendants may receive drastically different outcomes based on the opinions of the judges.
There needs to be a swift overhaul of the entire criminal justice system. Perhaps the increased exposure of Meek Mill’s case and the support of such vastly different influential people will force this country to begin to working toward true reform. At least that’s my hope.
