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Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter, the Weinstein Company and Spike TV Announce Documentary Event Series on Kalief Browder

Source: Larry Busacca / Getty

When Jay Z tweets, you know something major is in the works.

Earlier this week New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced his commitment to shutting down infamous New York City jail Rikers Island, which was met with great relief from the community. Jay Z, whose current Kalief Browder documentary recounts the nightmare lived by a 16-year-old forced to serve 3 brutal years there without a formal conviction, tweeted in support of the decision.

Tweeting a screenshot of the article announcing the news, he writes,”Kalief is a prophet. His story will save lives. You guys watching and your compassion made this happen. Thank you.”

John Legend also tweeted about the prison’s closing.

Celebrities weren’t the only ones to applaud the decision by the mayor. Community members, including former Riker’s inmates, rejoiced at the idea of the nightmarish prison being closed for good. “I had to become someone I was not,” former inmate Vidal Guzman told The Guardian. “I had no idea a place in my city could be so harsh and so violent. Getting into vicious fights was part of everyday life, part of survival, there were fights over everything – a phone, food, something small you owned. I’ve seen people get badly cut, and often the guards let it happen.”

Others who have spent time on Riker’s include Tupac, Lil Wayne, DMX and Bobby Shmurda.

SOURCE: The Guardian | IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

 

Jay Z Applauds Mayor DeBlasio’s Decision To Close New York’s Infamous Rikers Island  was originally published on globalgrind.com