Over the weekend, singer and Washington DC native Raheem DeVaughn was arrested, along with Dr. Cornel West and 17 other individuals, for protesting on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States. After spending the night in jail, Raheem was released yesterday.

Now that he’s a free man, he called into the Big Tigger Morning Show with Free to discuss how he ended up getting arrested, his time in jail, and supporting the Occupy DC movement.

Raheem, who has always addressed social issues in his music, says that he was in DC’s Freedom Plaza because Dr. West was giving a speech and invited him to attend. They then marched down to the Supreme Court to peacefully protest corporate greed and war, where they were later arrested.

“First and foremost, going to jail is not cool. It’s not the hype. I feel like Dr. Martin Luther King, he put his life on the line and lost his life for the same police we were actually marching for. So to spend a night in jail, it doesn’t even equal or add up.”

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Raheem got the opportunity of a lifetime when Dr. Cornel West ended up being his cellmate for most of their jail stay. “Dr. West was actually my cellmate. It was divine to be able pick that brother’s brain for hours at a time and fellowship with him.”

Photo source: Raheem DeVaughn