Kanye West Joins Protest in Chicago After $2 Million Donation to Floyd, Arbery and Taylor Families
Kanye West has joined the protests. Hours after the rapper's rep confirmed his $2 million donation to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, West was spotted hitting the streets with a crowd of demonstrators in Chicago.
Protests erupted across the nation and around the world following Floyd's death on May 25. The 46-year-old Minneapolis man died after former police officer Derek Chauvin held him down by the neck with his knee for more than eight minutes when Floyd was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside a deli. Chauvin has since been fired, arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The three other since-fired officers involved in the fatal arrest -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- have also been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed by white residents on Feb. 23 while jogging in a suburban Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood. Taylor was a 26-year-old black woman who was fatally shot by police in her Louisville, Kentucky, home on March 13.
West sported a black hoodie and black mask as he gathered with protesters in his hometown and chanted for justice alongside them. The rapper also exchanged supportive hugs with several demonstrators at the protest.
On Thursday, the day of Floyd's memorial in Minnesota, West's rep confirmed to ET that he had donated $2 million in total contributions to support the Floyd, Arbery and Taylor families and the legal defense for Arbery and Taylor. West also created a 529 plan to fully cover college tuition for Floyd's 6-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Furthermore, the father of four has made donations to several black-owned businesses in crisis in his home state of Illinois and nationwide, amid the ongoing protests and Black Lives Matter movement, his rep told ET.
See more on how stars are speaking up and helping out in the video below.
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