Rakim Mayers, also known as A$AP Rocky, has recently garnered tons of outrage and support from Hollywood, Hip Hop, Congress and his fans. A$AP is currently being held in a Swedish prison in Stockholm, after voluntarily turning himself in for questioning and to take part in a line-up on July 3rd. A$AP has been detained in Sweden since June 30th, due to a street fight that was caught on video, and went viral.
Tons of celebrities have taken to the 'gram (Instagram) to voice their concerns. P.Diddy. Justin Bieber, Nick Cannon, Jada Pinkett Smith, Shawn Mendes, Cara Delevigne and Miguel (among others) have taken up a petition on Change.org called #JusticeForRocky
So here's the tea. Supposedly, Rocky, his bodyguard and two performers from the show, acted in self-defense after two men followed, harassed, and ultimately assaulted them in Stockholm.
What's going on in Sweden, that self defense is a punishable offense? I thought America was the only autocracy right now. I guess I have some learning to do. Apparently, about a lot of things. Black Twitter has went in the completely opposite direction of Rocky's avid supporters and dragging him by his flashy grill. I'm just as shocked as you. Not because he's getting dragged, we are all out here triggered AF right now, so it's understandable, but what's shocking is they are using his arrest to drudge up comments he made back in 2015, in a Time Out interview, in which he shamelessly dismissed the #BlackLivesMatter movement, stating that he, "wasn't no Al Sharpton" and "did not sign up to be no political activist".
Whew. We dodged THAT bullet then! (Insert eye-roll emoji). The petition as of yesterday, has over 200,000 signatures, and were gathered in just under 12 hours, making it the 10th quickest signed petition in the history of Change.Org's existence.
Upon being detained, Rocky was, according to the petition, denied his right to counsel, which is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention (Article 36), to which Sweden is a major signor. TMZ on July 4th released a report to the public about the alarming conditions of the Kronoberg detention facility Rocky was being held in until his trial. The food, the cleanliness among other things, have sparked major outrage from US fans across the country.
Rocky’s attorney, Henrik Olsson Lilja, told a Swedish publication Tuesday that the jail was normal; only the arrest was inhumane.
“Reports of the conditions in ASAP’s jail cell and violation of his consular visitation rights are concerning,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement Thursday, adding his voice to the debate.
“We at [the civil-rights group National Action Network] are appealing directly to the Swedish authorities for complete transparency and ASAP’s swift return home.”
If convicted of assault, gross assault to be exact, Rocky could get KO'd by the Swedish criminal justice system and remain behind bars for 6 years. He's already been forced to cancel several of his tour stops in Europe. Ouch! Secure the bag!
The fight, which was originally shown by TMZ, because of course who else would have it first, can be seen by clicking on the link. Rocky can be seen in the white hoodie and green shorts manhandling a guy. I have to say, the way that Rocky threw ole' boy across that alley was a sight to behold, then to immediately take to uppercutting his face...classic street move. I do not condone violence in any form or fashion, but I do believe in defending yourself.
There is clearly a part of this video that's missing from the time that Rocky calmly put his hand on the man's shoulder, until the body throw heard round the world. I don't agree with his boys jumping in, up to that point it had been a fair fight. Hopefully, they can show more video of what really transpired before we all rush to judgement.
"I have decided to cancel my show in Sweden this Sunday July 14. I will not be performing. #FREEASAPROCKY," he tweeted Thursday.
Tyler, the Creator tweeted : "no more sweden for me, ever." Jaden Smith replied to Tyler's tweet with: "Me Either #FreeFlackoNow."
U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat is pushing for the release.
“I will continue fighting until A$AP Rocky is released from Swedish prison and brought back. Everyone deserves to be treated equally and A$AP Rocky’s rights continue to be violated. It is not a fair process,” the congressman said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Currently, I’m speaking with the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Sweden and ask that everyone continues showing their support to help us in this process of getting justice for Rocky.”
Keep an eye out on this story, apparently freeing a million dollar rapper is more important to Congress than freeing migrant children in cages on our border.
#A$APRocky #JusticeForRocky
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