True Crime – Page 440 – The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli

Rapper Killer Mike Pens An Open Letter About Rap Lyrics Being Manipulated In Courts To Land Convictions

arrested — The “Hip Hop police” and other law enforcement organizations have begun using the words of hip hop artists against them to obtain convictions within the judicial system.

Early on during my research involving the case of New Orleans rapper McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr., it became increasingly obvious that not only was Mac convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison based on corruption, prosecutorial misconduct and false witness testimonies, but he may have also been railroaded by authorities and rendered such a substantial sentence simply because he is a rapper –a trend that seems to be rapidly increasing within the Hip Hop genre.

According to the New York Times, police and prosecutors are examining rap videos by rap artists to build criminal cases and get a “better sense of the hierarchy of the streets.”

The following Rolling Stone article was forwarded to me by Angelique Christina, the fiancée of the incarcerated rapper who is working relentlessly with attorneys, along with the Phipps family, to get Mac’s conviction overturned.

Angelique is currently lobbying for the state of Louisiana officials to implement justice reform policies and she is hoping that cases such as Mac’s will highlight the atrocities that are running ramped within the criminal justice system. Her plan is to help bring these injustices to the forefront in hopes of rectification on behalf of the state and federal judicial systems.

In relation to Mac’s case she told the Huffington Post, “I can only hope that DA Warren Montgomery will right the unforgivable wrongs in this case not only for McKinley, but also for the family of the victim, the individuals that have been needlessly harassed and or jailed by the very officials who are supposed to protect and serve them, and finally, as a notable precedent for national justice reform”. -Angelique Christina Continue reading “Rapper Killer Mike Pens An Open Letter About Rap Lyrics Being Manipulated In Courts To Land Convictions”

Politicians Campaign For Criminal Justice Reform

An overhaul of U.S. criminal justice laws looks increasingly possible, and the 2016 presidential campaign just might give the effort a shot in the arm, says Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey.

The issue was the focus of Thursday’s Bipartisan Summit for Criminal Justice Reform. The event was sponsored by groups that make odd bedfellows — from the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union to the conservative Koch Industries. Continue reading “Politicians Campaign For Criminal Justice Reform”