Cardi B Defended The Looting & Protests: “This Is What People Have To Resort To”

Following the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died after being pinned under a white police officer, Cardi B defended the protests and instances of looting on social media. In a video message shared on both her Twitter and Instagram on May 29, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said that while the riots do “scare” her, and she doesn’t want anybody to get hurt, “At this point, I feel like I’m not against it.” Citing the long history of police brutality in this country and the recent ineffectiveness of peaceful protests to enact systemic changes, Cardi explained she felt like the riots are simply what protestors have had to resort to.

“People are tired,” Cardi said of protesting peacefully, the “grown and adult” way. “People are tired of that, so this is what people have to resort to.” She then emboldened Americans to take political action. “I also wanna say this: another way for people to take power — I don’t wanna make everything political, but it is what it is — it’s by voting," she said, adding that she wants to make sure her fans aren't just paying attention to the top of the ticket. "And when I say voting, I’m not just talking about the president,” Cardi continued. “We could vote for mayors, we could vote for judges, and we could also vote for district attorneys. We could vote for these people for our counties.”