Meek Mill Posts Bail For 20 Philadelphia Women, Brings Them Home For The Holidays
Meek Mill and his nonprofit REFORM Alliance bailed out 20 Philadelphia women in time for the holidays. The organization announced Saturday on Instagram, explaining the women had been locked up at the Riverside Correctional Facility — and couldn’t afford bail.
“For families impacted by the criminal justice system, the holidays can be an extremely challenging time,” wrote Mill, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, in a statement included in the Instagram caption.
The caption noted five women were released on Christmas Eve, with the remaining 15 to be freed this week. Mill, who endured his own time behind bars at the height of his fame, made sure they received gift cards to buy presents or groceries for their families.
“No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can’t afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it,” he wrote. “I’m grateful to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year.”
Mill’s first time in prison was around the age of 18, for charges relating to drug and gun possession. The rapper told Billboard that officers “beat the shit out of me.” Shortly after the incident in 2008, he was arrested and placed on probation for five years. Mill was then given two to four years in 2017 for violating his parole.
“What’s happening to Meek Mill is just one example of how our criminal justice system entraps and harasses hundreds of thousands of black people every day,” wrote Jay-Z in a New York Times op-ed at the time. “…Instead of a second chance, probation ends up being a landmine.”
Hundreds of celebrities and activists rallied around Mill and launched the #FreeMeekMill movement when Judge Genece Brinkley denied him bail. He was freed in 2018 after spending five months in prison and founded the REFORM Alliance with Jay-Z in 2019, according to CNN.
“It was devastating for me to be away from my son during the holidays when I was incarcerated, so I understand what these women and their families are going through,” wrote Mill in a separate Instagram post from REFORM on Sunday.
According to data from the Philadelphia government, there were 4,546 people incarcerated in prisons across Philadelphia as of November 2022 — with around 6.4% of them women.
