I am perturbed every time I see an invitation to a “Free T.I.” Facebook group, as if no one even bothers to take the time to read about the particulars of this pending trial before siding with one of the proverbial dichotomy of “teams.”
The reality of the situation: T.I. is a fool who committed a foolish crime, and under our current justice system he ought to be punished. Period. I can understand the anger felt due to the judge's refusal to release the artist on bail … but that's about all I feel on the matter.
T.I. is a convicted felon (he was arrested for selling cocaine in 1997), and in the United States, convicted felons are prohibited from owning firearms. However, T.I. gave his bodyguard — actually an undercover witness — thousands of dollars in cash to purchase unregistered machine guns and silencers. When T.I. met his bodyguard to collect the weapons, he was arrested. Upon search of his home and car, authorities found the weapons, and T.I. was jailed.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish incarceration upon anyone, because it is basically legalized slavery (which is a whole different issue), but if you are grossing as much income as T.I., and you put your entire life in jeopardy (before age 30) by partaking in reprehensible, senseless acts (according to your individual and understood circumstance), at the very least you ought to have all of your assets taken from you and redistributed throughout the community.
The man was not a victim of gross injustice. He did not suffer from entrapment. He is not a political prisoner. T.I. has some efficacy when it comes to rap music, but the man has proved to be an unmistakable ignoramus. I've heard this incident used in the same sentence as the “Jena 6” case, and that is just crazy. When you conflate an issue as serious and pervasive as the one in Jena with a matter such as the case in question, not only are your true goals diluted but any footing attained may be squandered. If you want to discuss the underlying racial biases of the United States Criminal Justice System, then we can talk. If you want to discuss how our current economic policies are stacked against low-wage earners, then we can talk. But if you want to argue that convicted felon T.I. needed to illegally purchase these machine guns to supplement his already felonious and formidable arsenal, then I'm walking in the other direction.
Now T.I. is about to be a two-time convicted felon. To quote Ice Cube, “Three strikes, and you’re out.”
—Michael Poku is a junior in the College of Arts and Science.
