Jay-Z, Meek Mill and Roc Nation Pen Open Letter Demanding Justice for Ahmaud Arbery

The letter was also signed by Alicia Keys and Yo Gotti.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has teamed up with civil rights lawyers, Meek Mill, Alicia Keys and Yo Gotti on an open letter calling for justice in the case of the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery, an African American man was shot and killed nearly two months ago while jogging.

The open letter was published as a full-page ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. It calls upon Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Christopher Carr and District Attorney Tom Durden “to ensure that the two white men who have been arrested and charged with murder for Arbery’s death, Gregory and Travis McMichael, receive ‘a fair trial,’” reports TIME.

"By now, we’ve all seen the crime’s disturbing video, so the facts here are not in doubt: He was unarmed and innocent and the victim of a hate crime," the letter said. "Which is why we call upon you today, as official leaders of the Great State of Georgia, and with the entire world watching, to ensure that a fair trial is conducted, as that can only lead to the appropriate felony convictions of both McMichaels. We also implore you to charge William Bryan as an armed accomplice to the crime." 

Bryan is also explicitly noted in the letter because he filmed the entire incident. Additionally, the letter calls for District Attorney Tom Durden to excuse himself from the trial. Roc Nation’s reasoning behind this is due to Gregory McMichael’s background as a police officer. This is a “clear conflict of interest” in their eyes. 

"As a society we can no longer pretend that the racial inequities, which exist in every facet of our lives, don’t invariably lead down the path to poverty, violence and death. To even think about breaking this cycle we need you to protect the process and preserve the fairness of the trial," the letter reads. 

"We truly appreciate that you have arrested and charged these men with Ahmaud’s murder," it also noted. "And are hopeful that a trial and conviction will show that, in the state that gave us Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has been the site of the best and worst of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King’s words do ring true: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'"

Roc Nation also dedicated a tweet to Ahmaud Arbery's mother on Mother's Day. Ahmaud was born on the holiday honoring mothers. The tweet read, "We are thinking of you on this Mother’s Day as we continue to fight for justice for Ahmaud."