George Floyd protests: Jake Paul says he didn't loot Scottsdale Fashion Square and only filmed the incident
Several protests have erupted in the US ever since the video of George Floyd's arrest surfaced online. The video showed Floyd struggling to breathe as the now-former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes. Floyd could be seen struggling in pain and his countless pleas to be allowed to breathe fell on deaf ears.
The video showed Floyd becoming unconscious with many bystanders certain that the incident had caused his death. Since then, several people decided to take matters in their hands as protests started erupting across various cities in the US. However, along with protests, many small businesses were also destroyed with some people resorting to looting stores.
Amid all the fiasco, a few clips of Jake Paul allegedly looting Fashion Square in Scottsdale emerged and went viral. Soon, he was slammed for it on social media. Defending himself, Jake Paul released an official statement on Twitter. "To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism. 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,”
He added, “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.”
However, fans weren't too convinced with his defense. "The blm movement is NOT an opportunity for you to film a youtube video and post it for revenue," one said and another posted, "Building your audience by dragging and hating on people. Way to go. I think there are far better issues you need to be promoting on your platform than Jake Paul."
One went on to say, "Scottsdale fashion square Mall (where you were looting) is 25min away from downtown Phoenix where the majority of the AZ #BLM protests were occurring. Get the f**k out of my state. This tragedy isn't your content. This outcry isn't your ad rev."
Videos of people looting a cheesecake factory, fashion outlets and other stores quickly went viral. Among the people who were out on the streets, the YouTuber also happened to be one of them. Paul is known for making vlogs about his daily life and this time, he took it upon himself to shoot the protests that were going on. Paul, along with some of his friends, took to the streets and showed followers a live feed of what was happening. However, fans were quick to notice how he even vlogged about the part where many people had entered Fashion square and were thrashing it to steal clothes and other accessories.
Viewers were shocked and many thought it was his "white privilege" that allowed him to easily commit such activities. Several videos surfaced online that alleged Paul had been involved in the looting. People were not happy to see that a YouTuber who allegedly has a net worth of $19 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla, could go to the extent of looting stores.
They were quick to express their disappointment as one wrote, "Jake Paul is using protests against the oppression and murder of black people for attention. He's a rich white man who could probably buy the mall he's currently looting, and has done nothing for the movement he's taking advantage of, and yet you're gonna criticize me?" Another wrote, "Imagine being Jake Paul, one of the richest Youtube celebrities on the f**king planet. Looting a mall for clout while innocent black people and protesters are getting shot with rubber bullets."
"Jake Paul, can u please go back to being an absolute disease in the comfort of your swamp of a youtube channel so your idiocy can at the very least be contained so we can all ignore you in PEACE??" said another.