A Petition Demanding Tory Lanez Be Pardoned by Governor Gavin Newsom Is Circulating Online
"Sworn affidavits and eyewitness accounts that contradicted the prosecution’s narrative were ignored or suppressed."
Published May 15 2025, 10:49 a.m. ET
Following the May 12, 2025, stabbing of Canadian rapper Tory Lanez in a California prison, fans have decided he needs to be set free. Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023 after he was convicted of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, possession of a concealed, unregistered firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm. The incident involved fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion and became a breeding ground for conspiracies and accusations. He maintains his innocence.
In prison in 2025, Lanez was stabbed 14 times, which resulted in both lungs collapsing. According to a message posted to his Instagram account, the rapper is breathing on his own and, despite being in pain, is in "good spirits." In response to this, members of his fan base started an online petition demanding that California Governor Gavin Newsom pardon Lanez. Here's what we know.
A petition urges Governor Gavin Newsom to pardon Tory Lanez.
The title of the petition suggests that a "deep injustice" has occurred, and it asks that Governor Newsom correct it. It asserts that "despite what his legal team describes as overwhelming evidence of prosecutorial misconduct, missing forensic data, and politically motivated sentencing," Lanez is serving a sentence that is far too long.
Per the petition, the "conviction was not supported by conclusive physical evidence." This includes none of Lanez's DNA on the magazine of the gun, gunshot residue found on Lanez and Stallion's friend Kelsey Harris — but she was not tested — and "sworn affidavits and eyewitness accounts that contradicted the prosecution’s narrative were ignored or suppressed." A bodyguard at the scene allegedly overheard Harris say she shot Stallion three times before the gun was taken by Lanez.
There are over 100,000 signatures from fans, some of whom left comments on the petition. "For someone who could impact me so deeply and be rotting in prison is not what I imagined for Tory Lanez," said one signer. "Everything he attributed to me, culture, the world, etc., wasn’t just sound — it was a lifeline, a reminder that no matter how dark life gets, there’s always hope."