Still sitting in a Florida jail until an immigration hearing, Richard “Slick Rick” Walters is getting a lot of support from his friends in and out of the entertainment business. Several influential people have been speaking out against Slick Rick’s imprisonment by INS. Rapper/Actor Will Smith wrote a letter to Immigration and Naturalization Service to petition on Slick Rick’s behalf. In his letter he states “. “I have known Rick for over 15 years. While I’m aware of his past problems, I’ve also had the pleasure to watch him develop into a good person”.
Other supporters are Russell Simmons, Chris Rock, Rev. Jesse Jackson and New York State Senator David Paterson. Slick Rick said in an interview with the LA Times, “It was devastating,” he said of the arrest. “You believe you served your time for the mistake you made and that you’ve rehabilitated yourself, then to be back inside, it’s kind of hard. I don’t believe I’m a bad person. The whole incident was years ago. I’ve been out and six years crime-free. All this now seems like an extreme measure.” Slick Rick’s lawyer Alex Solomjany, will be meeting with INS officials later this week.
