Florida State Senator Bobby Powell is coming under fire from his opponent, candidate Richard Ryles, for honoring Kodak Black with a proclamation recognizing the rapper's charitable acts on November 11. Ryles brought up Kodak's history of legal trouble including sexual assault allegations.
“As an African-American man, I do want to see a redeemed Bill Kapri [Kodak Black] in his future dealings,” Ryles told the Palm Beach Post. “Nevertheless, his recent spate of arrests indicate that he has yet to find his moral North Star and may well be spinning out of control due to drug use. I believe that Senator Powell could have used the opportunity of meeting Mr. Kapri as a teaching moment by utilizing his experience as an upstanding African-American male and father to provide guidance rather than unwarranted accolades.”
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In response to Ryles' criticism, Powell told the outlet: “We presented a proclamation to Kodak Black at Florida Atlantic University, and at that event he donated $10,000 to a VFW group. We acknowledged him for paying the rent of 28 families who were facing eviction from Merry Place in WPB. We acknowledged the 100 AC units that he secured for families facing sweltering heat in the summer at the Golden Acres Apartments and the more than $100,000 in charitable donations that he has given back to the community, including his sponsorship of charity basketball games such as the one last year at Dwyer High School. Furthermore, Kodak Black led the Florida Atlantic University Owls football team onto the field that very same day.”
He further added: “By Mr. Ryles’ elitist logic, a man is to be strictly judged by a single act, not the totality of his life. There is no forgiveness, no second chances, no redemption, just ongoing punishment, the kind that brought us an overpopulation of Black men in prison with no future and no hope.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Kodak Black on HotNewHipHop.
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