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Last Friday (March 31), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he was going to be closing the gates to New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail complex permanently.

 

Many people lauded the announcement but most notable of all was Jay-Z who’s notorious for rarely using his Twitter account. Jay tweeted “Kalief is a prophet. His story will save lives. You guys watching and your compassion made this happen. Thank you”

The picture Jay tweeted is of the late Kalief Browder, who was imprisoned for three years on the controversial island without even being convicted of a crime.

Jay-Z co-executive produced Time: The Kalief Browder Story, which details the physical and verbal abuse that Browder endured while he was locked up. The experience shook him to his core so much so that Browder committed suicide after he was released.

In his tweet, Jay also referenced Barack Obama’s 2016 speech “One voice can change the room” to remind everyone that one person is in fact capable of changing the future of many.

But Jay wasn’t the only celebrity praising the news, John Legend too took to his Twitter account and shared his views.

It’s been reported that the complete closure of the crooked jail complex will take about 10 years. ut for all those that are familiar with the Island will say that waiting a full clip for it to go away is better than knowing it’ll remain open for generations.

Photo: WENN.com