JAY-Z and Team ROC, Roc Nation’s philanthropic and social justice arm, are jumping in to help offer legal support for a Black man who was wrongfully arrested at a Wisconsin Applebee’s a month ago.
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As we reported earlier this month, on July 20, a 24-year-old man named Jermelle English Jr. and his 21-year-old wife Shanya Boyd were arrested at an Applebee’s Grill and Bar in Kenosha, the same city in which there was the unjust police shooting of Jacob Blake, and same city in which protestor-killer Kyle Rittenhouse committed his crimes.
At the time, it was reported that one of the restaurant’s staff members called 911 when the couple walked in, “matching the description” of hit-and-run suspects said to be a “Black male and female, wearing a red shirt, a scarf, and a bun on her head.”
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Even though Boyd was wearing a white shirt, not a red one, and despite the fact that English was holding their 1-year-old child in his hands, overzealous Kenosha Police officers slammed him to the ground, jumped on him, and pepper sprayed him, completely putting the infant in harm’s way while brutally attacking an innocent Black man. Employees stood around watching and filming the incident in videos that have since gone viral and sparked protests in the area.
In addition to neither English nor Boyd fitting the description of the hit-and-run suspects, police still wrongfully arresting them, and even charging the couple with misdemeanor resisting, disorderly conduct, and Boyd was also hit with a possession charge for three grams of marijuana. The real hit-and-run suspects were eventually found hiding inside of the restaurant’s bathroom.
As as a result of the viral videos and incident, the manager of this particular Wisconsin Applebee’s location, Jennifer Harris, was fired. She told reporters, “They told me they can’t trust me and that I didn’t just ruin this Applebee’s name, I ruined all the Applebee’s in Wisconsin’s name by letting these videos get out. I’m not the one who recorded the videos nor let them out on the internet, so I don’t understand. My employees are trying to get the right story out, so how did we ruin the name of Applebee’s?”
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Since the incident, it is now being reported that rap mogul turned activist JAY-Z is using his Roc Nation social justice division, Team ROC, to step in and enlist powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro to legally represent this Black man who was wrongfully arrested. They hope to get English and his wife’s charges dropped, and possibly file a lawsuit against the Kenosha Police Department.
Speaking with TMZ, Team ROC Managing Director Dania Diaz said, “The reckless arrest of Jermelle English Jr. and the careless endangerment of his infant child by the Kenosha Police Department is an absolute travesty … the Team ROC team is here to support Jermelle and his family through this traumatic experience, demand justice and hold the Kenosha police officers accountable.”
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Additionally, Leo Viola of the Kenosha Police Department said that they are still undergoing an internal investigation, and that officials fully intend on being fully transparent with the public once their case is complete. He also made sure to note that the department launched its probe “without any outside pressure.”
It’s also reported that the manager on duty, Jennifer Harris, is also looking to sue, claiming she was wrongfully fired for making “Applebee’s look bad.”
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