Rapper Ja Rule is free after spending two years in jail for tax evasion and possessing an illegal weapon. He quickly joined the national conversation on the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin as well as the problem of crime in the black community during his first post-jail interview.
Like many entertainers, he disagrees with the verdict in the Martin case. He does think the conversation about George Zimmerman’s acquittal in Martin’s death should expand to cover black on black crime.
It really hurts my heart,” he explained of the verdict. “Because it’s like a message is being sent that if you carry a firearm and you’re young and you’re black and successful, we’ll put you in jail. But if you’re a young black man you can be murdered, and then the laws can work in this person’s favor.”
He hopes the trial’s outcome will put focus on stories of “young black men being murdered every day” within the black community. “What about justice for all of our black youth that are getting killed everyday in the hood by other black men? I think that’s an issue we need to start marching for and rallying for as well.
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