Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
When Jay-Z is in your corner, the odds drastically swing in your favor. In the latest example of the phenomenon, the case against the 11-year-old who was arrested for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance has been dismissed with the help of Roc Nation lawyers.
Last month, 6th-grader Jabari Talbot was arrested at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, Florida, of course, after he refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. Reportedly, Talbot told his substitute teacher, “the flag was racist and the national anthem was offensive to Black people.”
Thanks to his wokeness, and the teacher clearly needing her credentials checked, Talbot was taken to a juvenile detention center and charged with being disruptive.
Suspecting the jig, Jay-Z got involved, no pun intended. Team Roc, which is Roc Nation’s division dedicated to social justice, mobilized and offered to represent Talbot in court, pro bono.
Noted attorney Alex Spiro was hired.
“Jabari is a courageous and intelligent young man who deserves all the credit for standing up for his beliefs,” said Spiro in a statement. “He should’ve never been arrested or entangled in this situation—his freedom of speech rights were clearly protected under the 1st Amendment.”
And now, Talbot’s case has been dismissed. See Roc Nation’s tweets detailing what went down below.
[H/T Complex]
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Photo: Getty
Hova To The Rescue: Roc Nation Helps Black Student’s Pledge of Allegiance Case Get Dismissed was originally published on hiphopwired.com
