A$AP Rocky Trial’s Lack Of Black Jurors Sparks Al Sharpton’s Outrage

Al Sharpton lambasted the dearth of Black illustration within the jury pool of A$AP Rocky’s trial, calling the method “completely ridiculous” because the rapper faces many years behind bars.

Al Sharpton is looking out the jury choice course of in
A$AP Rocky’s high-profile trial, sharply condemning the dearth of Black illustration within the juror pool for what he describes as a elementary flaw within the justice system.

The outspoken civil rights chief and founding father of the Nationwide Motion Community took to Twitter to precise his frustration after being knowledgeable that solely 4 Black people had been among the many 106 potential jurors known as within the Los Angeles case.

None of them appeared within the first 30 prospects thought of for the jury.

“It has been delivered to my consideration, by the Nationwide Motion Community Los Angeles workplace, that out of 100 and 6 (106) folks known as to probably sit as jurors in A$AP Rocky’s trial in Los Angeles, there are solely 4 black folks,” Sharpton stated in a tweet. “When we have now 4 (4) black folks within the metropolis of Los Angeles, out of 100 and 6 (106) — and precisely zero (0) inside the first thirty (30) attainable candidates for the jury — one thing seems to be very flawed with the system.”

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The trial facilities on A$AP Rocky and a 2021 incident in Hollywood the place he’s accused of firing a semiautomatic weapon throughout an alleged dispute with former buddy Terell Ephron aka A$AP Relli.

Prosecutors argue that one of many pictures grazed Ephron’s hand, main to 2 felony assault fees that might land the rapper a sentence of as much as 24 years if convicted.

A$AP Rocky denies the accusations and has opted to battle the costs after rejecting a plea deal that reportedly included a seven-year suspended sentence and a six-month jail time period.

His protection crew has labeled the case “essentially weak,” citing an absence of forensic proof linking him to the taking pictures.

Sharpton, well-known for amplifying conversations about racial and systemic inequities within the felony justice system, is now questioning the equity of this trial given the dearth of jury range.

He emphasised the significance of A$AP Rocky receiving a trial in entrance of a jury that displays the group’s demographics and promised to maintain watch on the proceedings.

“I’ve been intently in contact with A$AP Rocky’s buddies, and although I have no idea the particulars of the trial, I do know he deserves to be judged pretty by his friends, as is his Constitutional proper,” Sharpton wrote.

He additionally directed his criticism towards the Los Angeles District Lawyer’s workplace, declaring, “I’m monitoring this trial and difficult the Los Angeles District Lawyer to make sure that truthful and consultant justice is afforded to A$AP Rocky.”

The trial, which formally started jury choice on January 21, 2025, is predicted to final three weeks. Its consequence might considerably alter A$AP Rocky’s trajectory in music and leisure, industries the place he’s lengthy been a distinguished determine.