Last month, Meek Mill (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) was sentenced to two-to-four years in prison following a judge’s ruling that he violated his probation. On November 15, his lawyers filed a motion to appeal the sentencing. The next day, they filed another motion for the modification of his bail. Later that month, Meek’s team filed an emergency bail motion. On the 28th, the Pennsylvania Superior Court denied the motion but ordered Judge Genece Brinkley to rule on the bail petition. In a December 1 ruling, Brinkley has denied Meek Mill a bail hearing.
In her official opinion, obtained by Pitchfork, Brinkley wrote that Meek “is and continues to be a danger to the community in Philadelphia, New York, Missouri, and other locations throughout the United States, he continues to be a danger to himself based upon a history of continuous use of illegal drugs, and is an increased and greater flight risk because he already has been sentenced to a term in state prison and gave false information to authorities when he was arrested in St. Louis, Missouri.”
In a statement issued to Pitchfork, Meek’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said the following:
We are very disappointed with Judge Brinkley’s decision to deny Mr. Williams bail, which continues her long pattern of unfair treatment of him. As stated on multiple occasions, he has never missed a previous court date in this case and poses absolutely no threat to the community, which makes him an ideal candidate for bail—a conclusion the Commonwealth did not oppose. We intend to immediately appeal this decision, so Mr. Williams can be released from prison on bail while we continue to work to overturn this wrongful and unjust sentence.
Multiple artists, including JAY-Z and Drake, have spoken out publicly in support of Meek following his sentencing. Reverend Al Sharpton visited the rapper in prison in late November.
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