Meek Mill, Leroy Evans and the hunt for justice
E verybody knows Meek Mill. And Al Sharpton. Not nearly as many are as familiar with the plight of Leroy Evans.
Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, is the Philly-born rapper who finds himself in the State Correctional Institution in Chester after a now-infamous ruling from a Philly judge who apparently tired of Mill’s consistent disregard for the terms of his probation.
Mill was convicted on gun and drug charges back in 2008. Since then he has repeatedly ran afoul of the terms of his probation.
A fed-up Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Genece E. Brinkley promptly threw the book at Mill, saying “I gave you break after break, and you basically just thumbed your nose at this court.”
The judge sentenced the rap star to two to four years in prison. Ouch! Excessive? Maybe. A sign of problems with the system? Perhaps.
Mill is serving his sentence at SCI-Chester. That’s where the well-known civil rights activist Sharpton was Monday for a meeting with the rap star.
Rev. Al reports Mill is holding up fairly well in prison. He is not in solitary confinement and he appears “very determined, not bitter.”
The Mill case has generated national headlines as the debate over the judge’s actions has raged. Many believe she has a conflict of interest and a personal grudge against the rapper; others insist Mill had the jail time coming for the way he consistently flouted the law.
Sharpton used the occasion to point out problems in the justice and probation system.
“He’s representative of many people in institutions like this,” Sharpton said outside the prison after his visit. “They are violated and their lives are ruined. If you can do this to a successful artist like Meek Mill, you can do this to many around the country.”
Sharpton complained that Mill’s non-violent actions, albeit violations of his probation, did not warrant jail time.
“For him to be facing two to four years for that, non-criminal violations, is absolutely unthinkable,” Sharpton said across the street from the prison. Officials would not allow him to conduct the press conference outside the jail’s gates. “But this is the way it operates in Pennsylvania for many, and this is the way it operates nationwide.”
The longtime civil rights activist, along with Mill’s attorney Joe Tacopina, urged the judge to reconsider her decision. If she does not, they are willing to go to a higher court in their search for justice. Tuesday they filed an emergency motion to get him out of prison on bail.
They are not the only ones seeking justice.
The family and friends of Leroy Evans also seek justice, though there is not nearly the public outcry over his trip through the criminal justice system. Evans was convicted and has spent the last 37 years of his life in prison for the notorious murder of an Avon Lady in Chester.
But questions persist about his participation in the crime, and what could be a tainted statement from the key witness against him.
Now well-known Delaware County criminal defense attorney Mike Malloy is seeking to have DNA testing done on several pieces of key evidence in the push to clear Evans’ name, or at least win him a new trial.
Malloy was in court last week. He also has held rallies for Evans’ cause in Chester.
They did not have the star power of Meek Mill or Al Sharpton. They did have Evans’ family and loved ones, who insist that while he may have had some role in the crime, he is not a killer.
Evans case could prove to be a far greater miscarriage of justice than that inflicted on Mill.
The opinion on Evans’ guilt or innocence is not unanimous; others connected to the case believe Evans was at least complicit in destroying evidence and should remain in prison. The District Attorney’s office stands by their prosecution.
The hearing on the evidence and testimony in the Evans case is expected to continue Dec. 21.
We are glad that Evans is finally getting his day in court. Justice is supposed to be blind, with everyone getting the same chance in court.
Rap star or Joe Citizen, you’re supposed to be treated the same under the law.
We hope Evans’ hearing delivers just that: Justice, if not headlines.