JAY-Z is coming to the rescue.
When the lawyers of Ahmaud Arbery needed a flight to attend a court hearing in Brunswick, Georgia, they were unable to find one. They were beginning to lose hope when JAY-Z and Roc Nation stepped in to charter a private jet to transport them.
Merritt Law Firm founder S. Lee Merritt shared JAY’s act of good will on Instagram. “When you absolutely have to be in Court to stand with your client and righteous protestors for justice … Jay Z sends his private jet,” wrote Merritt. “That’s part of the P.P.E plan to get us out of this Crisis (People Power Political Power Economic Power).”
Blerim Elmazi, a civil rights attorney who works with Merritt, also shared a photo in front of the private jet. “Court hearing in Brunswick, Georgia this morning. No flights to take us there last night,” wrote Elmazi. “@leemerrittesq and I spent hours trying to find flights or cars. At 1 am we started losing hope till we got a call from Jay Z’s people at Roc Nation who chartered a flight for us to attend this hearing with the family of Ahmaud Arbery.”
A grateful Elmazi added, “Thankful for their support. Updates on the hearing soon.”
Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, was killed on Feb. 23 while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia. Arbery had been pursued and confronted by two white residents who were armed and driving a pickup truck. Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder after video of the shooting leaked online and sparked a national outcry.
JAY-Z has remained vigilant in the fight for justice. He spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz earlier this week and urged him to “do the right thing” and prosecute the four officers involved in George Floyd’s murder.
He and Team Roc, the philanthropic arm of Roc Nation, also took out full-page ads in newspapers across the country to honor Floyd. The ad quotes a passage from a speech made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama in 1965.