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Why Jay-Z and Roc Nation Want Prosecutor in Ahmaud Arbery Death To Quit

The hip-hop entertainment company’s social justice arm cited a conflict of interests

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company is calling for swift action from Georgia state officials in the Ahmaud Arbery case, asking for felony convictions for the individuals involved in his Feb. 23 shooting death and requesting that the outside prosecutor in the case recuse himself due to conflicts of interest.

In an open letter from Roc Nation’s social justice arm Team Roc, signed by Jay-Z and rappers Meek Mill and Yo Gotti along with singer Alicia Keys, the group also requests Georgia attorney general Christopher Carr appoint a special prosecutor in order to guarantee a fair trial.

Because one of the two men arrested last week, Greg McMichael had been a police officer, Liberty County D.A. Tom Durden, should recuse himself, the letter says. McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were shown on a video that surfaced May 5 following Arbery, who was out jogging near his Brunswick, Ga. home, and confronting him. The younger McMichael eventually shoots him to death.

The letter also calls for the arrest of William Bryan, a neighbor of the McMichaels who took the video as an accomplice.

In a separate statement, Yo Gotti made an additional call for justice.  “Everyday activities should not end in death sentences. We must hold people responsible for their actions. Ahmaud Arbery was unarmed and innocent and his killers must be brought to justice,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

Keys echoed that sentiment, in her own statement, the AP reported, saying Arbery’s killing is “unacceptable and inhumane.”

“No human being should be murdered and not receive justice. I have black sons and they should be able to go on a jog or anywhere they want without the risk of being killed.”

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