Over the weekend, Jake Paul and some friends were spotted at the Fashion Square mall in Scottsdale, Arizona while it was being looted.
A video showing him in the midst of looters and vandals at the mall sparked some major backlash against the YouTube personality and sparked a lot of
Jake took to Twitter to address the backlash, saying “neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism.”
“For context, we spent the day doing our part to peacefully protest one of the most horrific injustices our country has ever seen, which led to us being tear-gassed for filming the events and brutality that were unfolding in Arizona,” Jake wrote in his Notes app statement. “We were gassed and forced to keep moving on foot. We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging.”
“I do not condone violence, looting, or breaking the law; however, I understand the anger and frustration that led to the destruction we witnessed and while it’s not the answer, it’s important that people see it and collectively figure out how to move forward in a healthy way,” he added. “We are all doing the best we can to be helpful and raise awareness; this is not the time to attack each other, it’s time to join together and evolve.”
Protests have been happening across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death. The 46-year-old Minneapolis resident died on Monday (May 25) after a police officer kept him restrained on the ground with a knee on his neck for seven minutes. According to CBS News, four officers have since been fired and the police officer who was videotaped holding George down by the neck was taken into custody and has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
