Doechii criticizes 'ruthless' Trump administration at BET Awards amid Los Angeles protests
Doechii criticizes 'ruthless' Trump administration at BET Awards amid Los Angeles protests
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See how Los Angeles protests intensified over one weekend
What started as a small protest over immigration raids on Friday ballooned into large demonstrations throughout the weekend. Here's what happened.
Doechii is getting on the mic for a different cause.
During a June 9 appearance at the BET Awards, the Grammy-winning rapper used her acceptance speech to speak out on the dayslong protests in Los Angeles. The "Anxiety" emcee, 26, was recognized with the award for best female hip-hop artist at the star-studded ceremony held at downtown LA's Peacock Theater.
"As much as I'm honored by this award, I do want to address what's happening right now outside of the building," Doechii said. "There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest."
Doechii's remarks come a few days after several demonstrations erupted across Los Angeles county in response to a handful of immigration raids.
"I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?" Doechii continued in her BET Awards speech.
ICE protests in LA escalate amid troop deployment
The federal invasions, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), took place in several parts of the city, including outside a Home Depot and a clothing manufacturer in the downtown garment district. The protests had largely been peaceful but flared up when heavily armed, masked agents raided Los Angeles businesses, ending in charred self-driving cars, freeway shut-downs and clouds of tear gas.
ICE is carrying out a directive from President Donald Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. The protests have sprung up against the sweeps the agency is carrying out in various neighborhoods across the sprawling metropolitan area.
After small protests against the raids on June 6, President Trump took several swift actions, including calling in the 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines, which drew ire — and at least one lawsuit — from state officials who accuse the president of stoking tension and escalating unrest.
Stars speak out on LA protests: Doechii blasts Trump, Finneas reveals teargassing
Trump has stood by his actions, saying the deployments were necessary to contain what he described as "violent, instigated riots." About 150 people have been arrested at the protests, which have included flareups of unruly clashes, vandalism and looting, but have remained limited to a few blocks in the city's downtown area.
Doechii isn't the only star who's gotten on her soapbox amid the protests. The federal response similarly prompted backlash from celebrities such as Finneas and Reneé Rapp, who have blasted the Trump administration for inciting the violence it claims to be addressing.
"People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza," Doechii concluded. "We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and we protest against it."
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Watch Doechii's BET Awards speech
Contributing: Christopher Cann and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
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