Cynthia Reid, the mother of a 14-year-old boy that was allegedly assaulted by G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo, has lashed out at his decision to plead not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge, claiming Yayo now believes he is “above the law.”
Tony Yayo, born Marvin Bernard, appeared in court Tuesday (July 24) and rejected a deal of nine months in prison, in return for pleading guilty to slapping the boy, who is the son of music industry executive and G-Unit rival Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond.
Yayo is accused of smacking the boy in March, as he walked to his internship at Czar, which is owned by Rosemond, who manages a stable of popular R&B artists, producers and rappers, including G-Unit rival The Game, who has been involved in an intense rivalry with G-Unit since 2005.
“It is reprehensible that rap artist Tony Yayo continues to deny responsibility for assaulting, harassing and endangering the welfare of my 14-year-old son whom he senselessly battered in March,” Cynthia Reid told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “It was blatant and vicious and illustrates Yayo’s negligence while proving that he considers himself above the law. It is also indicative of a larger pattern of behavior by entertainers that do not hold themselves accountable for being peaceful, respectful, and law abiding citizens. I am certain that justice will be served when Tony Yayo stands before a Judge next month. In the meantime, however, I will continue to mobilize the community to support my son who has suffered irreparable damage both physically and mentally from this horrendous assault.”
The 14-year-old boy was wearing a T-shirt with the words Czar emblazoned on the front, when Yayo and several associates allegedly spotted the boy as they left Violator management, which is on the same street as Czar in Manhattan.
The men allegedly surrounded the boy and Yayo or one of his associates allegedly flashed a gun at the boy, who claims Yayo smacked him so hard, his head struck a wall.
According to court documents, the boy now suffers from headaches and earaches and may have even suffered minor hearing loss in one ear.
Reid has been outspoken since the assault of her teenage son, organizing several rallies in protest of Tony Yayo and G-Unit’s alleged failure to take responsibility for the assault.
“We must spread a message to those in the industry that continue to pollute our community with the kind of behavior that makes our young people feel that there’s some source of manhood and macho respect in acting in a savage way,” Reid said. “If we’ve have moved to where we now permit the beating down of people’s children, then where’s the line going to be drawn? We must send a message that there must be standards, there must be a line drawn, and there must be a decent example set. More importantly, we must let our kids know that this is not something to be applauded or looked up to.”
Yayo and several associates were charged with misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a minor. Yayo, 27, is free on $5,000 bond.
The rapper is due back in court on September 6.