'We're not afraid to stand': Celebrities protest against police brutality

Several celebs spent their weekends on the streets, protesting police brutality following the death of yet another unarmed black man, George Floyd, while in the custody of law enforcement officers in Minneapolis.

They walked alongside protestors taking to the streets in the Minnesota city, as well Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C. and cities across the country.

Jamie Foxx

The Oscar winner kicked off the weekend on May 29 by speaking at a Minneapolis protest. “We’re not afraid to stand. We’re not afraid of the moment,” Foxx said.

By Monday, after a weekend in which peaceful protests in some places devolved into violence, he was part of a “kneel-in” protest in San Francisco, in which participants dropped to their knee in honor of Floyd while chanting, as Floyd did, “I can’t breathe.” He instructed other celebs to take action as well: “My Hollywood friends, you gotta get out here. You can’t sit back, you can’t tweet, you can’t text,” he said, per Los Angeles Times reporter Johana Bhuiyan.

Nick Cannon

Cannon marched in Minneapolis wearing a hoodie that said, “Please I Can’t Breathe” and carrying a “Justice for Floyd” poster.

Tessa Thompson

The Westworld actress shared video from Los Angeles protests where the crowd chanted, “This is our America!”

J. Cole

News crews in Fayetteville, Ark., spotted the musician protesting May 30 with a group in his hometown.

Kendrick Sampson

The Insecure actor said he was struck seven times by rubber bullets and his friend was with a baton while demonstrating in Los Angeles.

Kehlani

Singer Kehlani was part of the protests in L.A., and she captured snapshots of some of the chaos that followed. “Respect existence or expect resistance,” she wrote.

Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes

In Miami, the two were photographed wearing masks and carrying signs by a Miami Herald reporter.

Lil Yachty

“I am no different from the next man,” he said into a megaphone at one of the many protests across the country. “Every voice matters and must be heard.”

Tinashe

Another West Coaster, Tinashe, even carried her sign on the freeway during a non-violent protest in downtown L.A. “We were there to protest police brutality and black lives, period,” she said.

Ariana Grande

Grande was disappointed about the news coverage of the day, which tended to focus on the looting that went on in some cities.

“Hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage,” she pleaded May 31. “All throughout beverly hills and West Hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. we were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. cover this too please.”

Machine Gun Kelly

The rapper (aka Colson Baker) also went out to L.A. protests. He carried a sign that read, “Silence is betrayal.”

Halsey

Halsey, whose real name is Ashley Frangipane, said police officers used gas and rubber bullets on her group.

John Cuscak

Police came at the Say Anything star with batons during a May 30 protest, he said in a shaky video.

Timotheé Chalamet

The actor was in Santa Monica, Calif., with a sign remembering Floyd and others who died in police violence.

Ellen Page

The Juno star was part of the crowd at a Brooklyn protest at the Barclays Center.

Cole Sprouse

The Riverdale star said he was arrested May 31 during a peaceful protest in Santa Monica, Calif. but he noted that the focus shouldn’t be on him. “It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement,” he said.

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