50 Cent expressed his concerns about the detrimental impact of implementing the policy of eliminating bail in Los Angeles just days ago. It appears several prominent lawyers in the state have echoed his sentiments.
“LA is finished watch how bad it gets out there. SMH,” he wrote on his Instagram, posting a video featuring L.A. Deputy District Attorney John McKinney.
McKinney heard about 50 Cent’s outrage and agreed there was reason to be concerned.
“I thought it was refreshing to have a celebrity, from whatever walk of life, to have the courage to speak against the trend of anti-law enforcement rhetoric that we hear,” the prosecutor said in an interview with the NY Post. “Hearing the litany of crime after crime that’s taking place in our streets was shocking to people… Social media is flooded with [examples of] battery after battery but our policies are moving in the opposite direction to what is playing out in our streets and what people are seeing on their television.”
The decision was made when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and Los Angeles was dealing with their jails being packed beyond reason. To fix that, they introduced a no-bail policy.
The new policy stated that if someone was arrested for a nonviolent crime, they didn’t have to pay any money to get out of jail before their court hearing. After the pandemic, things went back to normal.
Normally, judges in California decide bail based on how serious the crime is and the person’s criminal history. But this policy changed all that. In May, Judge Lawrence Riff from the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in favor of a group of activists who took the county to court, saying the cash bail system was unfair. Subsequently, the no-bail policy was brought back.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer shared the same view as 50 Cent about the rise in crime due to the no-bail policy.
“His advice is at least worth $1, but my question is where has he been this whole time,” he said to Fox News. “I’m not a listener of 50 Cent but he has a lot of influence and a lot of followers, and it’s about time the music industry and the Hollywood elite get their arms around this problem and start to speak out.”