Photo Credit: Brian Ach/Getty Images
It’s been four days since violent footage of Phoenix police officers holding a family at gunpoint over a doll surfaced, and Jay-Z has stepped in to help the family fight for their rights.
Jay’s philanthropic arm, Team Roc, is offering legal and emotional support to 22-year-old Dravon Ames and his 24-year-old fiancée, Iesha Harper, who feared for their lives when the Phoenix PD drew their guns after the couple’s 4-year-old daughter walked out of a dollar store with a doll.
Team Roc PR spokesperson Didier Morais says they are calling for the termination of all officers involved to “ensure the well-being of the children,” reports AZ Central, and have “secured high-profile attorney Alex Spiro to join the family’s legal team pro-bono and plans on filing against one of the officers for child neglect.”
WARNING! GRAPHIC!
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego issued an apology on behalf of the city to Dravon, Iesha, and their family, saying, “[I am] sick over what I have seen in the video depicting Phoenix police interacting with a family and young children.”
She continued, “It was completely inappropriate and clearly unprofessional. There is no situation in which this behavior is ever close to acceptable. As a mother myself, seeing these children placed in such a terrifying situation is beyond upsetting. I am deeply sorry for what this family went through, and I apologize to our community.”
Roc Nation Managing Director of Philanthropy Dania Diaz released a statement, calling the incident “absolutely sickening.”
“There is no place for that behavior in our world – let alone our justice system – and we are calling for the immediate termination of the police officers in question,” Diaz said. “We are committed to supporting the family to ensure that justice is served.”
Dravon Ames sat alongside Rev. Jarrett Maupin, President of the National Action Network Phoenix Chapter, and explained the fear he and his family felt when the “doing too much” police approached them.