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Today at 4PM EST, Tidal will livestream Reform Philly: Bringing Injustice To Light, a conference and conversation addressing the failings of Philadelphia’s tragically imbalanced legal system. The discussion will center on the “probation trap” that resulted in Philly rapper Meek Mill‘s incarceration for probation violation nearly ten years after his initial, questionable arrest and sentencing.
Reform Philly will take place at the UPENN campus in the Irvine Auditorium with speakers including Al Sharpton, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative, and Kathy Williams, Meek Mill’s mother. The live stream will be open to anyone, whether or not they currently subscribe to Tidal. Tidal owner Jay-Z recently penned an op-ed calling Meek Mill’s treatment at the hands of the legal system “heavy-handed and unjust” and many other hip-hop personalities have rallied around Meek’s case along with the city of Philadelphia as a whole.
Meek was sentenced to 2-4 years in prison after violating probation in November 2017. His lawyers have filed numerous petitions for bail, but have been repeatedly denied. Meek may have received a break in the case when it was revealed recently that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office kept a list of suspect officers on a “Do Not Call” list which included the arresting officer — and only testifying officer — in Meek’s original arrest. The existence of the list further highlights the aims of Reform Philly, whose goal is to eradicate the sort of corruption and unfair practices that have not only affected Meek Mill, but hundreds of other young people who’ve been trapped in a system of excessive punishment for far too long.
