Meek Mill is joining forces with legendary rapper Jay-Z to push for changes to the criminal justice system.
According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, the 31-year-old announced the launch of the Reform Alliance, an organization comprised of Meek, Jay-Z, Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other activists on Wednesday. The alliance plans to use its budget of $50 million to reduce the number of incarcerated Americans by 1 million over the next five years.
The new organization shared a tweet outlining its overall mission shortly after Meek's announcement.
"The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole. To win, we will leverage our considerable resources to change laws, policies, hearts & minds," the statement reads.
The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole. To win, we will leverage our considerable resources to change laws, policies, hearts & minds.
— REFORM ALLIANCE (@REFORM) January 23, 2019
As Blavity has reported, Mill was released from prison five months ago following numerous calls for his release by celebs like Jay-Z. The Philadelphia rapper was incarcerated for violating his parole.
The leaders of the Reform Alliance hit the stage at New York City's John Jay College to discuss their new initiative, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“If you thought my case was unfair, there are millions of others dealing with worse situations and caught up in the system without committing crimes," Mill's said. "With this alliance, we want to change outdated laws, give people hope, and reform a system that’s stacked against us.”
The Championships artist continued, "We have people who don’t have a voice. I’m here to speak on behalf of those people who don’t have a voice."
In their remarks, both Mill and Rubin cited 2017 Bureau of Justice Statistics figures that show 2.1 million U.S. citizens are incarcerated and 4.5 million are either on probation or parole.
Jay-Z added he doesn't believe America's prisons ought to be empty, but justice isn't meted out fairly.
“I’m from Marcy Projects, I’m from Brooklyn, and this has been a part of my life. I grew up with this issue,” Jay-Z said. “If someone commits a crime, they should go to jail, but these things are disproportionate and the whole world knows it. It’s a humane issue.”
In a post on Instagram, several Reform supporters, including Van Jones, Meek and formerly incarcerated individuals, discuss the need for immediate change.
"Our collective disgust with the current state of the American criminal justice system is creating a powerful, growing alliance that spans different backgrounds, industries and political beliefs," Reform captioned the post.
"We are bringing together leaders in business, government, entertainment, sports, technology, art, and culture to give voice to the voiceless. We won’t stop until we’ve changed the laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate the horrific injustice we’re seeing in America," the group continued.
You can check out the full John Jay discussion below:
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