Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
New York City, NY - Meek Mill has had his say on the video footage of prison inmate Robert Brooks being beaten by correctional officers shortly before his death.
Bodycam footage of the incident at Marcy Correctional Facility has been released to the public after 13 guards beat Brooks while he was handcuffed in a medical room with the inmate dying a day later.
Brooks’ death was ruled a result of “asphyxia due to compression of the neck”. It is not known what led to him being taken to the medical room.
Meek, who was previously incarcerated himself, and since become active in prison reform, hit out at the conduct seen in the video.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I never fully watched this til today … this what it is for Black men in America if you get caught without them cameras around. If you been to jail b4 you seen this with your own eyes!”
As a result of the incident, New York governor Kathy Hochul has announced the firing of 13 prison officers involved in the incident as well as one nurse.
Hochul added in a statement: “The state of New York has zero tolerance for individuals who break the law, and I am committed to holding everyone involved fully accountable.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James has also opened an investigation into Brooks’ death.
James also said: “I release the videos because I have a responsibility and duty to provide the Brooks family, their loved ones, and all New Yorkers with transparency and accountability.”
Brooks was reportedly serving a 12 year sentence for first-degree assault and had only been transferred to the New York prison on the day of the incident.
Brooks’ family have since hired legal representation and said in a statement: “He deserved to live, and everyone else living in Marcy Correctional Facility deserves to know they do not have to live in fear of violence at the hands of prison staff.”
The prison was criticized in a report by Correctional Association of New York last year which found instances of “pervasive allegations of racial discrimination” such as Black inmates being refused entry to mess halls and “mistreatment by staff”.
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Kim Kardashian has opened up about the emotional challenges of raising her children with ex-husband Kanye West, describing their co-parenting situation as a "big burden".
The reality star, who filed to end her marriage to the rapper in 2021, admitted she still worries about Kanye every day and does her best to shield their four children from the difficulties in their relationship.
Speaking to Jonathan Van Meter for his biography Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future, Kim said: "I spend every day worrying about him. He's the father of my children, and that's something I'll always care about.
"Having children with someone you don't always see eye to eye with comes with a heavy responsibility. But my children would never realise that."
She continued: "I try my hardest to put all the difficult things that have happened behind me. I have to be realistic, and my therapist always reminds me that I need stronger boundaries. Still, we've found a way to raise our children together without too many disagreements."
Although Kim doesn't expect their relationship to improve significantly, she explained that things have been "pretty smooth" lately, largely because they have limited contact with each other.
Kim also revealed that she regularly invites Kanye to visit their home, often reaching out to him through his wife, Bianca Censori, or his manager. She admitted that she sometimes makes up explanations for their children when he isn't around.
"Trying to co-parent with someone who only shows up every few months can be difficult, but I'll tell them things like, 'Oh, Dad's away travelling,'" she explained. "I still come up with stories to protect them because I want them to see their father in the best possible light."
When asked how frequently Kanye, whose hit song Stronger helped cement his place in music history, spends time with their children, the Skims founder suggested looking online for the answer, explaining that "every time they're with him they're photographed, you'll see".
Kim also shared how she responds when Kanye makes controversial remarks that attract widespread media attention, revealing that she immediately puts strict rules in place at home to keep her children away from the coverage.
"Everyone in my household knows exactly what I mean when I send a text saying we're on 'lockdown'. It means no television, just movies. No radio either, and we'll connect a phone to play music in the car instead. We don't even put on Sirius XM because they discuss breaking news as it happens. My children shouldn't have to be involved in any of that," she said.
Kim and Kanye married in 2014 and have four children together: daughters North, 13, and Chicago, eight, and sons Saint, 10, and Psalm, seven. Their divorce was officially finalised in 2022.
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