Ice-T, Ice Cube, Janelle Monae, And More Speak Out Against Buffalo Police For Shoving An Elderly Man To The Ground

As protests against police brutality continue across the country and online, hip-hop artists decried a a video depicting a swarm of police officers shoving an elderly man to the ground and walking past him without rendering aid, even as he bleeds from a head injury after striking the concrete. The video, which began circulating on Twitter as police prepared to disrupt a protest in Buffalo, New York, incurred widespread outcry for showing the exact behavior so many people are protesting against.

Ice Cube had a number of thoughts, from deploring the officers for not stopping to help the man to suggesting a more strict level of accountability after CNN reported that two police officers were suspended for pushing the man. “Look at all the officers who are scared to render this citizen aid,” he observed. “Even if the unit is on the move. It’s enough officers for a few to render aid.” When the officers were suspended, he recommended, “They should have to pay his medical expenses.”

Meanwhile, Ice-T was rendered speechless, retweeting the video and offering a reminder, “He’s bleeding.”

LL Cool J related the violence to the rhetoric from the White House, writing, “This is what he thinks ‘law and order’ looks like.”

The commentary wasn’t limited to just the classic rapper set, either. Janelle Monae, always outspoken about rights issues, posted side-by-side images of Buffalo police seemingly kneeling in solidarity and pushing the elderly man, contrasting the “performative” nature of former with the destructive posture of the latter.

In trying to break up protests, it would appear that many police forces across the nation are proving the need for them, as more and more instances of overreach and police-prompted violence crop up online. With some of entertainment’s most prominent voices calling them out for it, maybe the time when they could sweep their abuses under the rug is over.

Check out the original video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .