HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

NYPD claims video shot at Drake's concert just for social media as cops accused of spying on fans

A user said, 'It's been well documented that large police organizations like the LAPD & the NYPD have started keeping tabs on people of color'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Angry Drake fans are criticizing the NYPD for what appeared to be electronic surveillance at his sold-out Apollo Theater event, but the police claim it wasn't what it seemed when a video of them filming ticketholders went viral. According to sources with the NYPD law enforcement, the Hip Hop video depicts police outside the Apollo recording concertgoers as they leave the theater.

For angry fans, it appeared to be blatant profiling and surveillance with the intent of capturing and saving images of Drake's fans but NYPD told TMZ that the video was shot for a social media post to show how police work with venue security to keep concerts safe for fans, and NYPD's scoffing at that notion.

READ MORE

Drake saw a man groping a woman at his concert, and his response was savage AF

BTS to hold a concert by November 2023 as ambassadors for '2030 Busan Expo' amid hiatus news

During the second night of Drake's two-night stay in the area, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Sunday, January 22 a fan briefly but tensely fell over the mezzanine balcony onto the audience below. A spokeswoman for the company said the fan wasn't seriously hurt and that the event would resume after a brief 15-minute hiatus. The Shade Room posted a video of the man falling into the audience and many around him gasped in response. A crew member runs onstage to inform Drake of the mishap in the video. "All right, we just gotta make sure somebody's OK," Drake answers to the crowd, as reported by MSN.

An insider claims that the altercation happened 90 minutes into Drake's performance, right after he invited 21 Savage to play alongside him. Security personnel hurried through the throng toward the area where the man fell after his fall, which dislodged a light fixture, and the venue's lights were turned on, according to the outlet.

Hometown idols Jim Jones, Cam'ron, and Juelz Santana of Dipset were introduced, and a tour with 21 Savage, his co-star from 'Her Loss', was hinted at. Everyone exited the premises safely, with the exception of the balcony diver, which according to the police was the entire point.

Additionally, the Apollo Theater is also surrounded by a large number of city surveillance cameras, as is the case across the entire city. 

As usual, people were quick to react on social media, with one tweeting, "I mean obviously it’s racism. But I guess the slightly better question is wtf is their excuse. The best question is how do we move effectively towards defunding the NYPD asap." Another said, "Its been well documented that large police organizations like the LAPD & the NYPD have started keeping tabs on people of color, and those purported to be part of Black Lives Matter and Antifa. The question is -why don't they do this with real criminal organizations like the KKK?" A third chimed in, "This might possibly be part of the NYPD Enterprise Operations Unit aka “Rap Unit”. They “monitor” hip hop concerts that are considered to be “high risk” for potential violence etc…and they also allegedly gather intel on people of interest." A fourth commented, "They arnt collecting data, they are looking for people they ALREADY HAVE in their data base, so they can charge bc a breech or warrent (like I'm sure more than a few out of the thousands had ) your face will show up , they do this at all major events usually more dl tho."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.