Reverend Al Sharpton has expressed plans to visit hip-hop artist Meek Mill in prison next week, as part of his civil rights group's efforts to push for criminal justice reforms.
The popular activist announced the upcoming visit during a rally of his organization, the National Action Network (NAN), in Harlem over the weekend. "Just because someone does something that is wrong, does not give you the right to do wrong to them," Sharpton told the supporters of his group. "The sentence must fit the violation."
The sentence recently given to rapper Mill has been subject of debate, as he was given two to four years in prison for violating his probation. The musician was recently removed from solitary confinement and was transferred to the general population of a new facility in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The reverend is not the first high-profile figure to voice out support for the rapper and the alleged harsh treatment that he has experienced at the hands of law enforcement.
Football quarterback Colin Kaepernick recently spoke with the rapper and offered him encouragement and messages of hope. He reported that regardless of his unjust situation, Mill is in good spirits and is humbled by the support that people are showing him.
Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z recently wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times, commenting on Mill's situation. "What's happening to Meek Mill is just one example of how our criminal justice system entraps and harasses hundreds of thousands of black people every day," said the rapper.
Jay-Z shared that he saw the same thing happening while he was growing up in Brooklyn in the 70s and 80s. "Instead of a second chance, probation ends up being a land mine, with a random misstep bringing consequences greater than the crime," he continued.
Mill was arrested in March for assaulting two pedestrians at an airport in St. Louis, Missouri. He was arrested and put on probation when he was 18 years old. Since then he has been arrested four times for parole violation.
