Rapper Meek Mill demands criminal justice reform in latest New York Times Op-Ed

Rapper Meek Mill shares what he thinks are flaws in our society and the criminal justice system.

Nov 27, 2018

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Rapper Meek Mill is in the New York Times this week with a powerful op-ed on criminal justice reform.

If you remember, in November 2017, Judge Genece Brinkley sentenced the Philly native to two to four years–claiming he violated his probation.

Upon his early release in April 2018, he has led many rallies and held conversations about the criminal justice system and its disproportionate effects on people of color.

The compelling video that accompanies his latest op-ed touches on human rights, mass incarceration, and the urgent need for criminal justice reform.

The “Dreamchasers” rapper shares what he thinks are flaws in our society and the criminal justice system:

The right to remain silent
“It really means you have the right to be silenced, doubted, interrogated and inspected.”
The color of your skin can and will be used against you in the court of law
“In their hands, we are incarcerated five times more often than white people convicted for the same crimes.”
Right to an attorney for questioning
“In some states, 80 percent of criminal defenders can’t even afford an attorney. So an overworked public defender controls your fate. One government employee, countless lives at stake.”
Innocent until proven guilty
“But somehow about 47% of the wrongly convicted are Black and if they do prove you’re guilty, they are going to write you a run-on sentence, on average 20 percent longer than white defendants accused of the same crime.”
Denial of everyday living rights due to being an ex-con
“When you’re an ex-con, they have the right to deny you a bank account, deny you a mortgage, deny you a job, deny your vote.”

Meek Mill is currently building a foundation to address criminal justice reform, an issue he refers to as “the moral crisis of our time.” He is urging everyone to join him and use their voice to change the system by visiting www.reformnow.com