In 2008, right when his music was starting to blow up, 18-year-old Meek Mill got hit with a prison sentence over a drug and firearm charge. But, after 11 long years, the courts overturned that conviction, and earlier this year, Pennsylvania's then-governor, Tom Wolf, gave him a pardon for those original charges.
Meek, who’s been living in Philly, has spent most of his life on probation, but he’s been a strong voice for criminal justice reform. When Governor Josh Shapiro signed the new law this past Friday, Meek shared how he couldn’t even pick up his own son from school in New Jersey because of parole rules. “They labeled us felons,” he said during the bill-signing. “I had to fight against that the whole time to earn my respect and be who I am today.”
Prophet from the Black Music Action Coalition believes this outcome will motivate artists and young people to get more involved in politics.
That new law in Pennsylvania passed the state senate with bipartisan support last Thursday, even though the ACLU wasn’t feeling it, saying it could make things worse for people on probation. But the law—called Comprehensive Probation Reform—sets up reviews of probation after two years, or after half of a misdemeanor sentence, or four years, or half of a felony sentence. It also encourages judges not to throw people back in jail for minor violations. “Meek’s case really opened our eyes to the flaws in the probation system,” Governor Shapiro told reporters after he signed the law.
Along with celebrating the new law, Prophet from the BMAC said it’s gonna push artists, people of color, and especially young folks to get more involved politically. “What this does is wake up a lot of young people, a group that’s often uninspired or disengaged, to realize they actually have power in the political game,” he says. “The Black vote came through for the 2020 election. We ain’t seen a lot of action in return. Now, both the Dems and the Republicans gotta be held accountable like never before.”
“People are looking at Meek and saying, ‘He changed the law.’ That’s inspiring,” Prophet adds. “It’s that kind of simplicity that motivates folks.”
.png)
Yorumlar