Meek Mill wants to be voice of wrongfully convicted
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Rapper and songwriter Meek Mill says he needs more time to put his prison stint truly behind him. "It was a little culture shock to switch from jail to the streets," Mill told Good Day New York. "I wake up every night in the middle of the night like I am in a jail cell."
Mill spent five months in state prison in Pennsylvania for a probation violation stemming from his 2008 arrest for drug and gun charges. He was released last month.
But the arrest has repeatedly been questioned. It spurred the hashtag #FreeMeekMill which was spread by fellow entertainers and fans.
Many believe Mill's arrest speaks to a bigger problem within the criminal justice system for people on parole or probation.
"This case is on its last leg," said attorney Joseph Tacopina. "He should never have been convicted in the first place. Last month, the district attorney in Philadelphia said his conviction needs to be overturned due to constitutional violations, meaning the cop who testified against him was a known perjurer."
The new hashtag following Mill's release is #JusticeReform.
Mill is asking for his conviction to be overturned.
"The support has been unreal that people have been giving to me. That's why I am using these type of platforms to extend my arms back out to the people who stood up for me."