The controversial racketeering case against Gunna, Young Thug, and their label, YSL, has received national attention and criticism for its use of lyrics as evidence for months, and now, an unexpected new voice has entered the discussion. Kim Kardashian, who has become more involved in the fight for prison reform as she has pursued a law degree, issued a statement in support of Gunna on her social media. In it, she decries his treatment by authorities and a judge’s recent refusal to grant him bond — the third such request that has been denied. His trial is set for January.
“Imagine sitting in a jail cell for 155 days with no bond when the only evidence against you is a ticket for an unrelated window tint and someone saying you were in a gang,” she wrote. “That’s where my friend Sergio finds himself today after having his bond denied for the third time despite there being zero evidence that he committed a crime.”
Gunna’s bond request has been denied three times because prosecutors feel that he might intimidate or tamper with witnesses. However, Gunna’s legal team argues that there’s no evidence to support this fear. Meanwhile, the main evidence against him according to the original indictment is his own music; while Gunna shouts out YSL, prosecutors maintain this means “Young Slime Life,” a gang, not “Young Stoner Life,” Gunna’s label.
Kardashian’s statement refutes this, declaring, “Sergio [Kitchens, Gunna’s real name] deserves better and we all should demand better.” You can read the full statement below.
#FreeGunna pic.twitter.com/r1a4NzbL6L
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 14, 2022
Imagine sitting in a jail cell for 155 days with no bond when the only evidence against you is a ticket for an unrelated window tint and someone saying you weren’t in a gang. That’s where my friend Sergio finds himself today after having his bond denied for the third time despite there being zero evidence that he committed a crime.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Sergio aka Gunna. He appreciated my interest in criminal justice reform and asked me to take a look at his cousin’s case. Since his incarceration, I have worked with his legal team and the facts of his case are yet another example of why the “justice system” is anything but just.
Some of these facts include:
*prosecutors alleged witness intimidation yet not a single person has said he threatened them or had anyone else threaten them.
*prosecutors alleged he’d had a nurse sneak him drugs yet the nurse says this is untrue and there is zero evidence it happened
*prosecutors alleged he was in a gang based on a witnesses testimony but when you read that testimony it says specifically that he is not in a gang and the witness doesn’t really know him and the interview is 3 years old.Even though there is no evidence tying him to a single crime, or showing that he is a risk to the community Sergio had his bond denied once again today.
His trial is set for January but will likely be continued meaning he will sit in jail even longer.
Sergio deserves better and we all should demand better. #FreeGunna
