*In the wake of Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody and the ensuing protests in the city of Baltimore, rapper Meek Mill took to Instagram to share his own police brutality story.
He posted his mug shot at age 18, which shows a swollen left eye and a bandage over his right eye.
Writing that he had been “punched and stomped” as well as had one of his braids ripped out, Meek chronicled the beginning of a case that would haunt him for the coming years. After being found guilty of assault against the officers, he admitted that he turned to hustling to round up the money for a good lawyer:
Lips swollen …. Stitches in both swollen eyes! One of my braids ripped out! I weighed about 130 at the time And I was found guilty of assaulting cops! It’s clear 2 see I was punched and stomped by a few cops! If I wasn’t blessed the way I am I still would have hatred in my heart towards cops but I forgave bcuz I know all cops ain’t the same! 2 “black cops” got on the stand and lied and cried about how I chased them down with a gun and tried to kill them!
I caught that case at 18 and was stripped of my freedom and taken away from my family 4 times for the same case and still on probation.. 1 step away from jail if I make one mistake! I can’t blame my judge because the law labels cops as “expert witnesses” and it was cops against a black kid and she’s suppose to believe a cops testimony first!! I never got a chance to speak to my judge about this from young man to woman and I hope she sees this to help other young men that won’t b able to make it thru what I made it thru! After I caught the case I had no choice to hustle in the streets to get a good lawyer aka a good liar to help me get my freedom!
View Meek Mill’s Instagram post below: