Jay-Z and Meek Mill came through big time to help protect the prison population against COVID-19.
Hov and Meek’s non-profit, the REFORM Alliance, sent over 130,000 masks to correctional facilities across the U.S. The chief advocacy officer for REFORM, Jessica Jackson, says inmates are a “very vulnerable population” because of “the number of people coming in and out of the facility.” Jackson says that prisoners are potentially “sitting ducks” during the pandemic, and often lack the basic hygiene supplies and PPE to fight the disease. (CBS)
REFORM Alliance
✔@REFORM
WE FOUND 36k MASKS FOR PEOPLE BEHIND BARS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
@BryanStirling, director of @scdcnews, requested our help after he saw what we could do in #Rikers, #ParchmanPrison, and @TNTDOC1. We located the masks last night and they’re on their way to the state now!
Hot Takes:
- This is a real problem. There’s a reason governments around the country are letting some folks go before their sentences are up.
- It’s a scary time for all of us. And when you’re locked up, you’re basically powerless to protect yourself.
- A number of incarcerated artists and their attorneys have spoken up about coronavirus fears, including Kodak Black, YNW Melly, Tekashi 6ix9ine and R. Kelly.
- We’ve heard a number of facilities don’t even have PPE for correctional officers.
- Hopefully that PPE actually makes it to the folks who need it.