As protests over the death of George Floyd continued around the country, celebrities ― including Ariana Grande, Halsey, Tessa Thompson, Nick Cannon and Timothée Chalamet ― took to the streets to protest police violence and call for justice.
In Los Angeles, where numerous celebrities joined demonstrations, some gatherings turned violent, prompting the activation of the National Guard and a state of emergency to be declared late on Saturday.
Grande, who had urged followers on Instagram to get involved, was seen Saturday with a Black Lives Matter sign at a Los Angeles protest.
She tweeted Sunday that there were “hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage.”
Singer Halsey streamed live on Instagram Saturday as police appeared to fire rubber bullets. On Twitter, she said protesters had not antagonized police or breached the line, but police fired tear gas and rubber bullets nonetheless. She attended another protest Sunday and urged that people “listen to the Black people speaking.”
She added: “If they are venting their pain and anguish out loud do not speak over them. Allies are there to help when help is needed. Not take control of the narrative. there’s enough of that already.”
“Insecure” actor Kendrick Sampson said he was struck seven times by rubber bullets and said he was beaten with batons at a Los Angeles protests. He later shared images of several injuries on Instagram.
Actor Tessa Thompson shared footage from a Los Angeles protest, which she said was “entirely peaceful” until the Los Angeles Police Department “arrived and escalated it.” Demonstrators are heard chanting “This is our America” in her video.
Singer-songwriter Kehlani also attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles, and applauded her fellow protesters.
She urged followers to attend events “organized the right way by the right group of people” in an Instagram story on Sunday.
“The Masked Singer” host and rapper Nick Cannon shared numerous images and videos from a Minneapolis protest. He wore a shirt emblazoned with Floyd’s final words, “I can’t breathe.” He also shared a spoken-word video on Sunday which, using those words as a recurring theme, decries systemic racism and police brutality.
And on Friday, actor Jamie Foxx, too, was seen in Minneapolis, where he spoke at a rally calling for the arrest of the four officers involved in Floyd’s death. He said “we are not afraid of this moment” and stood in solidarity with social justice advocates on the front lines.
″To all of my friends who aren’t black, just try to put yourself in our position,” Foxx said.
Other celebrities seen at protests in various cities include Emily Ratajkowski, Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, John Cusack, J. Cole, Paris Jackson, Lil Yachty and Machine Gun Kelly.
CORRECTION: This article initially misstated the actor Tessa Thompson’s last name.