T.I. has spoken out after Young Thug and Gunna were named in a RICO indictment this week.
In a succinct Instagram post shared Wednesday, T.I. mentioned the Ku Klux Klan, specifically wondering why the RICO (i.e. the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) approach isn’t being applied to the hate group.
“Why the KKK ain’t been hit wit a RICO…” T.I. asked in the post, which quickly drew discussion-furthering comments from a number of notable names including director Deon Taylor and radio personality Ebro Darden. The latter noted that the KKK operates in areas “where they control those handing them out.”
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For more on the topic, consider this piece from Cherie L. Deogracias published in the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class in 2020, which details how the RICO Act should be used to “systematically investigate and prosecute” white supremacist groups like the KKK.
As previously reported, Young Thug and Gunna are among the 28 people who have been named in the aforementioned 56-count indictment. Lyrics and music videos are referenced throughout the indictment, marking the latest example of an approach which has received ongoing criticism in recent years due to what many have argued is the targeted criminalization of artistic expression.
Brian Steel, Young Thug’s attorney, told WSB-TV this week that he will “fight to my last drop of blood” to clear his client, who has “committed no crime whatsoever.”
