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Kodak Black is the focus of a beef between two politicians in Florida, with one declaring him “out of control” recently.
Last Wednesday (Nov. 22), Kodak Black became the flashpoint for another politician’s political attack on a Florida state politician. Richard Ryles, who is running for the Palm Beach County Commission seat, took aim at his fellow Democrat and opponent in the race, state Senator Bobby Powell for honoring the rapper with a proclamation. Ryles aired out his grievances in a statement to The Palm Beach Post.
“As an African-American, our community is well known for its forgiving nature and faith in redemption,” Ryles said in the statement which was emailed to the media outlet. “As an African-American man, I do want to see a redeemed Bill Kapri [aka Kodak Black] in his future dealings. Nevertheless, his recent spate of arrests indicate that he has yet to find his moral North Star and may well be spinning out of control due to drug use.”
“Mr. Kapri’s past misdeeds are well known and very public, and to provide a proclamation by honoring him for the charitable giving of turkeys, in my opinion, was more harmful than helpful to his potential redemption as a citizen,” the candidate wrote further. Since being pardoned by Trump in one of his final acts as president in 2021, Kodak Black has been exhibiting erratic behavior, most notably in his appearance on the Drink Champs podcast in October where he looked to be highly unstable.
Ryles further criticized Powell’s move to honor Kodak Black, a celebrity who has been highly vocal in their support of former President Donald Trump. “As a leader within the Democratic Party, I would have thought that Senator Powell would have exercised greater caution than to allow photographs of he with Mr. Kapri outfitted in MAGA gear, head to toe,” Ryles statement continued. Powell would issue a rebuttal statement afterward. ”By Mr. Ryles’ elitist logic, a man is to be strictly judged by a single act, not the totality of his life,” he wrote. “There is no forgiveness, no second chances, no redemption, just ongoing punishment, the kind that brought us an overpopulation of Black men in prison with no future and no hope.”