Yo Gotti and Vic Mensa tackle criminal justice reform and push for safer public safety solutions and second chances.
On Thursday (August 22), at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, REFORM Alliance hosted a crucial panel on criminal justice reform, bringing together key figures from politics, entertainment, and activism. The event, held just hours before Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for President, focused on the future of criminal justice reform and public safety in the United States.
The panel brought together a star-studded lineup, including Governors Josh Shapiro and Wes Moore, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and artist and activist Yo Gotti, among others. With REFORM Alliance execs and other heavy hitters, they dove into the strides made in criminal justice reform and the hopes for a Harris/Walz Administration to keep the momentum rolling.
Yo Gotti, also known as Mario Sentell Giden Mims, spoke passionately about his involvement in reforming Mississippi prisons. “There was a lot of graphic content online, like [prison] cells with blood, or cells on fire. People inside the prisons made videos to try and get help about their outside––that the lights hadn’t been on, and that they were cold,” the “Rake It Up” rapper shared, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore emphasized the success of the state’s Thrive Academy, a program designed to support at-risk youth. “The reason I am proud of this program is that it was done based on data, and it works. From what we see in our first year and a half, for every single one of our children that are now involved with the Thrive program, not one has been the victim or the perpetrator of a homicide or a mass violent crime in our jurisdictions,” Moore stated.
Elsewhere in the conversation, rapper Vic Mensa urged the audience to remain committed to the cause saying, “We have to have the courage to believe in things that seem impossible, to create a future that is worth living in… it is constant work, incremental progress, and unshakeable and unbreakable faith that we can do it.
The panel made it clear—criminal justice reform isn’t just important, it’s a headliner in the 2024 campaign.