Rev. Al Sharpton is making his way to a Pennsylvania prison to meet with Meek Mill about his ‘unjust‘ prison sentence.
via NYDN:
“I think this is about an injustice that is representative of many young men of color that face an abuse of a probation or parole system,” Sharpton said Saturday at the Harlem headquarters of the National Action Network.
Sharpton said he’s set to visit the 30-year-old Mill on Monday as part of an effort to get the rapper a new hearing and draw attention to the mass incarceration of young black men.
“This is not about an artist. This is about a system,” Sharpton said.
“I think what’s happening with Meek Mill is something that the National Action Network has always fought, and I hope that me going there is going to raise the pressure on the issue and help begin a drive by us in supporting others and demanding a new hearing for him and a new judge.”
Mill turned into a cause célèbre after a Philadelphia judge sentenced him earlier this month to a two-to-four-year prison sentence on a probation violation.
Rapper JAY-Z and NBA great LeBron James were among a raft of celebrities to speak out against the sentence delivered by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley.
Mill’s arrest for gun possession when he was 18 came up for review in two separate instances in recent months — a fight in St. Louis and popping a wheelie on a dirt bike in New York.
Criminal charges were dropped in each case — and prosecutors and Mill’s probation officer recommended that he be spared prison time.
“This has happened to countless young black men, and Meek Mill represents that, and he can be an example of how we correct that,” Sharpton said.
“If they can do this to someone with the profile of a Meek Mill, imagine what they’re doing every day,” he added.
No shade, but with all of the injustice happening each and every day — who knew Meek Mill would become the community poster child for justice system reform?
