XXL reports that Team Roc, the social justice department of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label scored another legal victory Tuesday, March 5, getting a case against a sixth grader who refused to stand for the pledge of allegiance thrown out in court. The case was dropped when the label appointed high-profile trial lawyer Alex Spiro to lead the case.
The child, Jabari Tabot, was arrested last month after he sat through the pledge of allegiance, stating his belief that: “the flag was racist and the national anthem was offensive to Black people.” The class’s substitute teacher contacted the school’s resource officer, who arrested Jabari, citing that he was being disruptive and that he threatened the sub with physical violence. The arrest drew national attention as an example of a trend toward over discipline of students of color, especially Black students, eventually being taken on by Team Roc.
Jabari Talbot, an 11-year old student from Lakeland, Florida, was arrested in school after he exercised his right to not participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. We stand with Jabari and his mother to stop the over-policing and criminalization of Black students. #TeamRoc pic.twitter.com/38wdcLcxai
— Team Roc (@teamroc) February 21, 2019
11-year old Jabari Talbot exercised his freedom of speech by choosing not to participate in the national anthem, which led to his wrongful arrest ◾️ @leonardfournette immediately called to show support & invited him to a game next season ◾️ The case has since been dismissed 🙌 pic.twitter.com/H1vVnNOcYC
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) March 6, 2019
Leonard Fournette, running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars was quoted on the Roc Nation Sports Twitter account relaying the story of how he brought the 11-year-old’s plight to Team Roc’s attention. “When I heard about Jabari’s arrest, I immediately had my team reach out so I could offer my support for this unjust moment,” he said. “Jabari is a bright young student and I applaud him for the strength he has shown during this difficult situation.”
Team Roc has also taken on other high-profile social justice cases recently, most notably 21 Savage’s immigration case.
