In an opinion piece for the New York Times titled, “The Criminal Justice System Stalks Black People Like Meek Mill,” Jay-Z outlined flaws in the criminal justice system and continued his support of his Roc Nation artist in the wake of Meek’s recent prison sentence. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Jay-Z begins by arguing that “For about a decade, [Meek]’s been stalked by a system that considers the slightest infraction a justification for locking him back inside.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“What’s happening to #MeekMill is just one example of how our criminal justice system entraps and harasses hundreds of thousands of black people every day,” the “4:44” artist wrote. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Probation is a trap and we must fight for Meek and everyone else unjustly sent to prison,” he continued. “It’s time we highlight the random ways people trapped in the criminal justice system are punished every day. The system treats them as a danger to society, consistently monitors and follows them for any minor infraction — with the goal of putting them back in prison.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Jay-Z concluded the piece by directing readers to Color of Change, an organization that advocates for courts to treat people on parole or probation in Philadelphia more fairly. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The music mogul, who previously called Meek’s sentence “unjust and heavy-handed” also stopped his show in Dallas last week to denounce Meek’s two to four-year prison sentence.
