Jay Z Meets With New York Governor Over Criminal Justice Reforms The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, consulted Jay Z about police and the criminal justice system on Wednesday as protests over race issues and brutality continued around the US in the aftermath of recent police killings. In the past week, Cuomo also met with members of minority communities, the police union chief Pat Lynch and hip-hop producer Russell Simmons. Cuomo, Jay Z and Simmons discussed special prosecutors for cases of alleged police brutality as one of “a range of options” to change the justice system. Cuomo is expected to propose legislation or issue executive orders next year. The meeting came in the wake of grand jury decisions in Staten Island, New York and Ferguson, Missouri to not bring charges against white police officers involved in the killings of unarmed black men Eric Garner and Michael Brown. We want to promote the end of police protecting police and not prosecuting police, Simmons said during a press conference outside of City Hall in New York City where a crowd braved rain and cold to chant “black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe”, a reference to the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man killed in a chokehold by a white police officer. Common echoed the hip-hop moguls statement, saying America should be ashamed of itself over the non-indictments, adding, Were going to do everything it takes to change the system. Jay Z grew up in Brooklyn’s Marcy housing project during the worst years of New York’s 1980s crack epidemic, and dozens of his songs allude to the drug and his own history dealing it. As a 12-year-old boy he shot his crack-addicted older brother, and says he was shot at three times at the projects. In 1999 he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation for stabbing a record producer. Since 2002 he has amassed a net worth of more than $500m and increasingly turned to business ventures and politics. President Barack Obama has described him as a “generous” campaign contributor.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 20:19:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015