Free Meek Mill shirts have popped up everywhere and on the backs of people of all denominations, races, cultures and colors ever since Judge Genece E. Brinkley surprisingly sentenced the hip-hop star to two to four years in prison for violating his probation, causing an uproar from fans, politicians, celebrities and those from his hometown.
Because of his celebrity, the treatment that Mill has received from the Pennsylvania courts sheds a light on the corruption that is rampant in judicial systems across the country. After public acknowledgments from Jay Z and Drake, Olympic snowboarder Tit Stante bust out his #FreeMeekMill tribute on the world stage. Adding the hashtag to his board, Stante later told Pitchfork, “it was a way to draw attention to the “flaws” of the U.S. justice system.”
The severity of the punishment and rumors of questionable actions by the judge, which reportedly included asking for personal favors from Mill and the involvement of questionable cops has cast a cloud of doubt over the validity of Mills sentencing and the integrity of the Pennsylvania judicial system as a whole, which has a dark history of corruption tied to its recent past.
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Officer who arrested Meek Mills was suspected of racial bias, brutality or abuse, and lying in court: https://t.co/OQ188aZFAG
Looking to ride the momentum, the media scrutiny and public backlash that the Meek Mill case has generated, the Defender Association of Philadelphia has requested retrials for multiple clients they say have been wrongfully convicted.
According to Complex.com, “Earlier this month, Meek’s attorney Joe Tacopinain response to an explosive Philadelphia Inquirer reportsaid the latest developments should result in his client being released from jail.”
“Across the justice system, there are many instances of people that are incarcerated being subsequently let out when police corruption is uncovered,” Tacopina told Complex. “This would certainly be one of those instances.”
Shortly after giving those comments, Tacopina filed an appeal in the form a Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petition.
Now, the Defender Association of Philadelphia has been moved to do the same in an effort to “ensure clients who were wrongfully convicted in Philadelphia are eligible for a retrial or get their charges outright dismissed.”
