Rapper Slick Rick was pardoned by NY Governor David Paterson. The UK born rapper faced deportation since 2002. The governor's pardon should halt these efforts and allow Slick Rick to stay in the country.
Slick Rick - Children's Story
Rap icon Slick Rick has been fighting deportation by the Federal Immigration Court for years and today, the 43-your-old rapper might have scored a victory in the matter, as New York Governor David A. Paterson issued the Hip-Hop pioneer an official pardon.
Born Ricky Walters in the United Kingdom, Rick's immigration troubles stem from a1991 conviction on two counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses. A federal statute requires resident aliens to be removed from the country upon conviction of an aggravated felony or a weapon offense. Rick came to the U.S. at age 11 and was raised in the Bronx, New York.
"Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years," said Governor Paterson. "In that time, he has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence, and has become a symbol of rehabilitation for many young people. Given these demonstrated rehabilitative efforts, I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children."
In 1991 Slick Rick shot his cousin and an innocent bystander in response to what he claims were death threats from his family member. The cousin and the bystander both survived the incident and Rick, then 25 years old, plead guilty to attempted murder and weapons charges. He served just over five years in prison and was released in 1997.
"My family and I are eternally thankful to Governor Paterson, my attorneys Michael Krinsky and Craig Kaplan at Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman and to all of the people who have supported me throughout the past seventeen years," Slick Rick told AllHipHop in a statement. "This has been a long and difficult road and I am happy for this to be settled once and for all. I look forward to enjoying this time with my family and friends and to continue leading an honest and productive life." source
