BET Awards Set to Go Ahead as Planned Despite Los Angeles Protests; Organizers 'Monitoring' Situation
Amid ongoing widespread protests across Los Angeles County against unlawful immigration raids, the organizers behind the BET Awards have reaffirmed that the 2025 ceremony at the Peacock Theater will go ahead as planned on Monday evening.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a BET spokesperson said, 'BET remains committed to the safety of our guests and staff. We are working closely with LAPD and monitoring the situation. The 2025 BET Awards will take place Monday, June 9th, 2025, at 8pm ET/PT as scheduled.'
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Violent clashes erupted during immigration raids across Los Angeles this week, as demonstrations escalated into street battles between protesters and law enforcement. On June 6, protests turned chaotic when crowds fought running battles with LAPD and ICE agents who were attempting raids to pick up undocumented people. The unrest spread on June 7, with new confrontations breaking out between activists and federal officers in Paramount and Compton during continued enforcement operations.
The situation in Los Angeles escalated on Sunday as thousands of residents flooded the streets surrounding City Hall and the federal courthouse, bringing a major freeway to a halt in protest of President Donald Trump's move to deploy their state's National Guard to quell the demonstrations. The protests have led to questions around big public events in the L.A.-area.
In response, California Gov. Gavin Newsom formally requested that the Trump Administration 'rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command.' He added in a statement on Instagram, 'We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed.'
Further heightening tensions, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tweeted on Sunday, 'If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.'
Newsom tweeted back at Hegseth, 'The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior.'Best of The Hollywood Reporter
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