Atlanta rapper Young Thug’s father tells Channel 2 Action News that his son is getting blamed for something he didn’t do.
Channel 2′s Mark Winne spoke to Jeffrey Williams Sr., the rapper’s father, after Young Thug was arrested Monday in a sweeping gang indictment that names 28 people. The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, Jr., was arrested at a Buckhead home on an 88-page indictment that includes murder, robbery and assault charges.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said it worked for more than a year in collaboration with other agencies to put the indictment together. Prosecutors say Young Thug is a leader of the Young Slime Life gang, which formed in Atlanta in 2012.
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In a news conference Tuesday, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant called Young Thug “one of the top offenders” in the city. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the YSL gang is responsible for up to 80% of violent crime in Atlanta.
“YSL is an acronym for ‘Young Slime Life’ and it’s a hybrid gang that operates here in Atlanta and it’s an affiliate of the Bloods gang,” Willis said. “This indictment is significant because it targets 28 people who decided to become involved in a criminal street gang and really do havoc in our community.”
Jeffrey Williams Sr. said he thinks his son has unfairly been linked to a lot of crimes. He said that YSL is a business and a record label, not a criminal street gang. He said no matter what, he will defend his son.
“I’m gonna fight for him to the end,” Williams said. “I’m his father. That’s what I do.
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Young Thug has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and participation in criminal street gang activity. The DA’s office said the rapper is not accused in at least three murders also included in the indictment, though he did allegedly rent a car used in one murder.
The rapper’s attorney, Brian Steel, denies that Young Thug committed any crimes at all.
“The response to any allegation is Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever, and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” Steele said.
Willis said that since 2015, at least 50 people have been murdered as part of the back and forth gun violence between YSL and other gangs. Willis said she wants to get justice for the victims, and also for the children that she says the gang has targeted as potential members.
“I am upset by the influence that all of these older men’s conduct has on children,” Willis said.
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Young Thug’s father agrees that the violence has to stop.
“I want any parent that has lost a child to the street violence, any parent that wants to join in marching on street violence, because these are our kids. These are our kids out here. That’s been misled,” Jeffrey Williams Sr. said.
Because of friction between rival gangs, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said he’s planning to house some of those named in the indictment at other jails. Young Thug has already been sent to another county jail.
Willis said that of the 28 people indicted, only a few have been taken into custody. She said that the rest of the arrests will be made in the coming weeks.
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