Rapper Yo Gotti and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is threatening to sue the state of Mississippi with a civil rights lawsuit over recent reports of violence within the state prisons.
In the letter to the state’s Governor Phil Bryant, Gotti, and Roc Nation gave the governor the past weekend to improve the situation, or attorney Alex Spiro will file a civil rights lawsuit.
Over the past week, there have been five deaths, two escapes, and several riots within the state’s prison system. Most of the incidents have reportedly occurred at the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Bryant has been unwilling to accept blame for the chaos:
“Someone asked earlier, who’s responsible for what’s happening at Parchman? The inmates,” Bryant told reporters. “The inmates are the ones that take each other’s lives. The inmates are the ones that fashion weapons out of metal … So, I would say look to the inmates.”
Yo Gotti talked to Complex about his plan of action:
“The conditions in the prisons operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections are absolutely inhumane and unconstitutional,” Gotti told the publication. “To see this happen so close to my hometown of Memphis is truly devastating. That’s why we’re calling on Mississippi state leaders to take immediate action and rectify this issue. If they don’t right this wrong, we’re prepared to take legal action to provide relief for those that are incarcerated and their families.”