CULTURE

Kim Kardashian Met With California’s Governor Ahead of Death Penalty Moratorium

Kimmy to the rescue.


Kim Kardashian
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images

Less than a year after visiting the White House to talk about criminal justice reform and helping to draw attention to the case of Alice Marie Johnson, Kim Kardashian West is again using her public platform to promote reform. And she’s made it clear that this is no casual pet cause; she’s informed on the issues and ready to make real change. “For the last year, I have immersed myself in learning about the criminal justice system. I visited prisons, met with formerly incarcerated people, and helped with cases of individual injustice – including two death penalty cases,” tweeted Kardashian West on Tuesday, continuing, “I have met with and am very supportive of Governor Newsom and his decision to help bring an end to the California Death Penalty. Racial bias and unfairness run deep throughout the justice system but especially when it comes to the death penalty.”

These statements came on the heels of the news that California governor Gavin Newsom would issue a moratorium on executions, essentially hitting “pause” on California’s death row. In a third tweet, Kardashian West wrote, “And we should not be okay with the risk that an innocent person could be executed. I hope we can turn toward better solutions that focus more on healing victims of trauma and prioritizing fairness and justice.” She then posted an article about Governor Newsom’s decision with a series of supportive emojis.

And this isn’t her only good deed of the week. Kardashian West is changing lives on an individual but very meaningful scale as well. She’s paying rent for Matthew Charles, a former inmate who was denied housing because of his “prior criminal history”, per Buzzfeed. Charles was released in 2016 after a sentence reduction, but courts later found an error in that ruling and he was forced to return to prison. Thanks to the First Step Act, he was finally released, for good this time, in January. After Kardashian learned about his story and predicament, she “reached out privately to Matthew…and has generously offered to pay five years of his rent,” according to a producer who spoke with Us Weekly.

The news broke not because of Kardashian West — she still hasn’t commented on it — but because Charles went public about her act of kindness on his Facebook page, writing, “I just received the most wonderful news tonight that I just had to share with everyone. Kim Kardashian-West, through Tracy, said they heard about my situation. Was moved and has decided to help me. And to me in an unbelievable way. Kim did not do this for attention or publicity, but I had to share it, because it’s to good not to, and my heart is about to burst with happiness, that I wish you to rejoice in this news with me.”

Related: Kim Kardashian West Reportedly Suing Missguided for Using Her Name and Image to Sell Designer Knockoffs

The Kardashians’ Wrinkles Tops Lindsay Lohan-Turned-Queen Elizabeth For Weirdest Celebrity Instagram of the Week

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Courtesy of @kourtneykardash

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Courtesy of @drewbarrymore

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Courtesy of @joejonas

Professional parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West don’t just play house; they head to Rick Rubins’s recording studio in Malibu to sit in, and photograph themselves, eating cereal.

Courtesy of @kimkardashian

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Courtesy of @marthastewart48

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Courtesy of @parishilton

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Courtesy of @reesewitherspoon

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Courtesy of @drewbarrymore
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