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We Need You – Keke Palmer Urges National Guard To March With Protesters

By Akinwale Akinyoade
03 June 2020   |   1:30 pm
Actress Keke Palmer has urged the National Guard to join the protests over the killing of George Floyd by some white police officers of Minneapolis police about a week ago. The "Akeelah and The Bee" star was out with other protesters yesterday in Hollywood when they came across some National Guardsmen who were deployed on the…
Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer talks with National Guardsmen during protest march Tuesday in Hollywood. Gadi Sghwartz via Twitter

Actress Keke Palmer has urged the National Guard to join the protests over the killing of George Floyd by some white police officers of Minneapolis police about a week ago.

The “Akeelah and The Bee” star was out with other protesters yesterday in Hollywood when they came across some National Guardsmen who were deployed on the streets.

The screen star pleaded with the group to march with the protesters saying:

“You have to understand what’s going on,” she told the well-armed and camouflage-clad soldiers. “We have a president who’s trying to incite a race war.”

The 26-year-old actress continues passionately:

“You have people here who need your help. This is when y’all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression.”

One of the soldiers tells Palmer that he “agrees” with her and she then urges him to “march beside us.”

She says:

“We need you,” she said. “So march with us. March beside us. You get your people. March beside us. March beside us. Let the revolution be televised.”

The soldier replies that he can’t leave his post and has to “control” the intersection the protestors are marching on.

To which Palmer responds:

“What is there to control?”

Palmer continued to insist and he reiterated that he had a job to do.

At that point, a woman next to Palmer asked the Guardsmen:

“Can you do me a favor? Can you take a kneel?”

He replied, “Absolutely,” to which Palmer said, “I don’t know — that ain’t enough for me.”

With encouragement from the crowd, the soldier eventually kneels along with the rest of his unit but refuses to march.

Watch the exchange below that was caught by NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz.

Palmer’s recent acting credits include “Hustlers” and “Berlin Station.”

Protests have broken out across the US in recent days and have heightened tensions between protesters and law enforcement. Officers have used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear out crowds in Washington, DC, while some offshoot groups have been caught on video in states like New York and California looting stores and setting fires.

 

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