Doechii condemns President Trump's use of "military force" in Los Angeles

Amid a national crackdown on immigration that has been met with widespread criticism and protests, Los Angeles in particular made headlines for demonstrations against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That’s partially because of a political feud between California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump, whose deployment of military personnel to the area seemed to be as much to send a message to Newsom as it was to enforce “law and order.” Four thousand National Guard troops were deployed to L.A. to quell protests, and on Monday Trump ordered an additional 700 Marines to the area to “protect federal property and personnel alongside Guard troops,” U.S. Northern Command said in a statement (via Reuters). 

Local officials and law enforcement leaders have argued against the need for a military presence in L.A., especially as the protests have quieted since the peak over the weekend (most of those arrested in the demonstrations were nonviolent protesters, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has said). On Monday, Newsom filed a lawsuit on Monday arguing that the deployment of the National Guard without the governor’s consent was illegal (per Reuters, it was “the first time in decades that a president did so without a request from a sitting governor”). Newsom has called Trump’s military response “purposefully inflammatory”; Trump, meanwhile, publicly supported the idea of arresting Newsom.

At the BET Awards, Doechii said, “People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: For Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza.” She concluded, “We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and we protest against it. Thank you, BET.”