The lawyers representing Ahmaud Arbery's family extended their gratitude to Jay-Z and Roc Nation for sending a private jet last Thursday, June 4.
Atty. Blerim Elmazi wrote on Instagram Friday, June 5, that they had a scheduled court hearing in Brunswick, Georgia, the day before. Both him and Atty. S. Lee Merritt had been looking for flights or cars to take them to the morning hearing.
"At 1 AM, we started losing hope till we got a call from Jay-Z' people at Roc Nation who chartered a flight for us to attend this hearing with the family of Ahmaud Arbery," Elmazi wrote on IG. Roc Nation is a talent management agency founded by Jay-Z back in 2008, with branches in sports, music, and entertainment. It also has a philanthropic arm, Team Roc, which works "to effect positive change in the communities that we touch around the world."
Elmazi shared his gratitude with a picture of him and Merritt wearing black masks with "George Floyd" printed on one side. The two lawyers stood outside the chartered plane, holding red shirts with "Legal Observer" printed on them.
Merritt posted a collage, including Elmazi's earlier picture and a view of the interior. He wrote: "When you absolutely have to be in Court to stand with your client and righteous protestors for justice ... Jay Z sends his private jet." Merritt added that the act was a part of "the PPE plan to get us out of this crisis," referring to People, Political, and Economic Power.
Glynn Country Magistrate Court Judge Wallace E. Harrell first scheduled the June 4 hearing about a month ago. During the seven-hour hearing, a judge found probable cause against the three men charged in Ahmaud Arbery's death. Travis McMichael, his father Gregory, and William "Roddie" Bryan would stand trial against the charges filed against them.
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Following George Floyd's death after an arrest attempt of Minneapolis cops, nationwide protests have also sparked renewed attention towards Arbery's case. Ahmaud Arbery was the 25-year-old black man jogging along Holmes Road in Glynn County, Georgia. He was pursued and confronted by the McMichaels and was fatally shot last February.
Sending the private jets to let the Ahmaud Arbery lawyers attend the hearing is the latest move from Jay-Z, his organization Roc Nation, and its arm Team Roc. Last Tuesday, Jay-Z's team took out newspaper ads across the country in honor of George Floyd.
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The ad, which appeared on publications including Chicago Tribune and the New York Times, featured an extended quote taken from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's 1965 speech delivered at Selma, Alabama. Below the MLK speech, named and signatures of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Roc Nation, and Team Roc can be seen. It also included signatures from various associations related to victims of institutionalized racism.
Jay-Z has actively expressed support in the latest wave of Black Lives Matter protest following George Floyd's death. During a press conference last Sunday, May 31, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz revealed that the rapper and record producer called him about Floyd. Gov. Walz described Jay-Z as a dad calling for justice, and not as an international star.
Gov. Walz also stressed that if they don't get to the systematic problem, it will only lead them back to the problem that led to their communities getting on fire.
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