Jay Z performs onstage at the 2014 Global Citizen Festival to end extreme poverty by 2030 in Central Park on September 27, 2014 in New York City.
Jay Z has spoken out in support of New York governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to improve police relations, which he outlined in his State of the State speech Wednesday.
The 45-year-old Brooklyn-native called Cuomo's six-point reform package to restoring trust and respect between police and the community "a huge step forward in restoring fairness, protection, sensitivity and accountability for all under our justice system."
"I commend Governor Cuomo for his bold leadership in taking this issue head on at this critical time," Hova continued in his statement, via Capitol Confidential. "This package presents comprehensive steps to protect and improve relations amongst all citizens. We cannot be divided, as every single human being matters. Together, we can move forward as a community, with mutual respect for each other and continue to make this great state stronger than ever before."
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Jay Z had not been outrightly vocal following the death of the unarmed Eric Garner at the hand of Staten Island police and protests that followed when a grand jury decided not to indict the officer responsible, but he did quietly help distribute "I Can't Breathe" T-shirts to high-profile basketball players and met with Cuomo previously about reforming the state's criminal system.
In his speech, Cumo called for new measures that would allow district attorneys to issue a report explaining proceedings in a case similar to Garner's where police officers are investigated but not indicted in fatalities and also promised to appoint independent monitors to review such cases.