Why Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney visited Meek Mill in prison

Apr 12, 2018

On Wednesday morning, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney went to the state prison in Chester to visit Meek Mill.

Mill is currently serving a two- to four-year prison sentence for violating his parole stemming from a gun and drugs charge back in 2008. The sentence sparked backlash not only because many saw it as being too harsh but because the judge acted against the recommendations of the prosecution and Mill’s probation officer.

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Judge Genece E. Brinkley has since been hit with accusations of corruption, with reports that she handed down the sentence as petty revenge for the fact that Mill had refused to put her in one of his songs

There have been several other stories of corruption surrounding the case, and ever since the sentence was handed down, Mill’s case has become a rallying cry for those speaking out against a broken criminal justice system.

Now, the #FreeMeekMill movement is getting the mayor involved as well.

Mayor Kenney was invited by Michael Rubin, co-owner of the 76ers, to visit Mill in prison. Rubin is a vocal supporter of the #FreeMeekMill movement himself.

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According to Kenney’s spokeswoman, Ajeenah Amir, Kenney “believes [Mill] would better serve the community outside of prison, and that his case makes clear and urgent the desperate need to continue working with our partners to reform the criminal justice system.”

However, it seems like that statement is the criminal justice equivalent of “thoughts and prayers,” since a later statement clarified that the mayor isn’t actually going to take any action or support the campaign for Mill to be released immediately.

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Instead, Amir said, Kenney “shares [Rubin’s] belief, nothing more than that,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

That “belief” isn’t exactly going to help Mill’s case or his supporters’ cause, which leaves Mill still imprisoned and those calling for his release still frustrated by official inaction.

On Tuesday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft went to the Pennsylvania prison where Meek Mill is being held.

And it sounds like Kraft walked away from meeting Meek Mill incredibly impressed with the rapper.

“Amazing young man. I know how I’d feel if I was in the situation he is,” Robert Kraft said after the meeting. “Every time I see him, I just come away more impressed. He’s very intelligent. And makes it clear to me we have to do something with criminal justice reform.”

“It’s just sad,” Kraft said. “This guy is a great guy and shouldn’t be here.”