Meek Mill says he "would be in prison" without high-profile support
Rapper Meek Mill is pushing for criminal justice reform after his own controversial legal troubles. In his first live TV interview since being released from prison, Mill told "CBS This Morning" he "doesn't care about being a face" of the movement for reform.
"This happens to minorities on a daily basis where they don't have a voice, and I just came from – it's almost like cities…inside prisons where people have no contact with the world," Mill said on Tuesday.
Without the support of prominent names – including rapper Jay-Z, comedian Kevin Hart, Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael Rubin and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft – Mill said, "I would be in prison. I would be in prison."
"I'm just lucky to have people of power and much influence to stand behind me and speak up," he said.
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ordered Mill to be released from prison on bail two weeks ago. Back in November, a judge ordered him to serve up to four years for violating his probation after a 2008 conviction on drug and weapons charges.
"Both the prosecutor at the time and the probation officer, who are both in charge of patrolling the sort of the jurisdiction of probation violation – both said he's been an exemplary probationer and these are technical violations. He doesn't belong in jail. The judge excoriated them and gave him two to four years on top of his already-served sentence for a crime he should never have been convicted of," Mill's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said.
Mill is appealing that conviction. He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison plus eight years probation. Many activists claim Mill's treatment was unfair and harsh.
The musician is now calling for unity, saying the U.S. needs to "stand up and make America one."
"'Cause I always explained it as being...two different Americas. And a lot of people they didn't understand what I was saying and I would just like to bring people together and make things work," Mill said.
CBS News reached out to Mill's arresting officer, Reggie Graham, but have not heard back.