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By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
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Lawyers for A$AP Rocky have raised concerns about the apparent lack of diversity in the jury pool for his felony assault case in Los Angeles.
Why It Matters
A$AP Rocky, 36, is a Black man raised in Harlem. His father is from Barbados. His lawyers argue that Black representation in the jury would ensure a fair trial.
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The Los Angeles County court system randomly selects qualified citizens from the county to be part of the jury pool. The system utilizes lists of registered voters and people with valid California driver's licenses or ID cards.
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Why Is A$AP Rocky On Trial?
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The charges stem from a 2021 incident where he allegedly fired shots at his former friend A$AP Relli.
A$AP Rocky declined a plea deal Tuesday, including 180 days in jail, a suspended sentence, and probation.
What To Know
Chad Seigel, a lawyer for A$AP Rocky, said in court Tuesday that the pool should be stricken because of the 106 potential jurors, only five were Black. He argued this was only 4.7 percent of the jury pool while Black people represent 9 percent of the Los Angeles population from which the pool is drawn.
Judge Mark Arnold rejected the argument, saying, "There's no authority that requires any particular percentage of any ethnicity on a jury," journalist Meghann Cuniff reported.
Joe Tacopina, another lawyer for the "F–kin' Problems" rapper, raised the diversity issue again on Wednesday, telling the judge, "We're in downtown Los Angeles. Not a small town in Montana. We're troubled by that, to say the least."
What People Are Saying
Civil Rights Activist Reverend Al Sharpton on X: "It is absolutely ridiculous that the jury will be not fair and representative, so as to deprive A$AP Rocky of a fair trial ... something appears to be very wrong with the system."
Who Is Terell Ephron, AKA A$AP Relli?
A$AP Relli, whose legal name is Terell Ephron, is A$AP Rocky's high school friend and collaborator. Both men are members of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective.
Camille Vasquez, the attorney who attracted worldwide fame for representing Johnny Depp in his defamation case against Amber Heard, is representing A$AP Relli.
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A$AP Relli previously testified that A$AP Rocky pointed a gun at his stomach in the alleged 2021 shooting and threatened to kill him.
A$AP Relli said his former friend fired at least four rounds, one of which may have hit his hand. A$AP Relli reported the incident the next day after a warrant for A$AP Rocky's arrest was issued.
Surveillance footage shown by prosecutors appeared to show A$AP Rocky with a gun and possibly firing it, though his lawyers denied it. Detective Frank Flores confirmed the footage showed a gun in A$AP Rocky's hand but acknowledged that the weapon was never recovered. Two 9 mm shell casings were later found by A$AP Relli at the scene and returned to the police.
Who is A$AP Rocky's Mother, Renee Black?
Renee Black, A$AP Rocky's mother, supported him in court on Wednesday alongside her daughter, Erika B. Mayers. Black's eldest son, Ricky Mayers, was shot and killed when A$AP Rocky was 13 years old.
In 2019, Black publicly advocated for A$AP Rocky during his detainment in Sweden after an altercation.
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"I feel like Sweden is making an example out of our boy. It's so unjust," Black told TMZ.
Black also told the outlet that she felt his detainment was a race issue.
"I don't want to call the race card, OK, but that's what it's looking like. If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it's a duck," she said.
What Happens Next
Jury selection in A$AP Rocky's trial resumes in Los Angeles on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
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