YouTuber Jake Paul, who has built a fortune of more than $20 million filming loathsome antics, responded to backlash after he was filmed over the weekend among looters at a mall in Arizona.
TMZ reported: “The YouTube star was at Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona, and you can see in the video, the looters are stealing tennis shoes and pretty much everything that isn’t nailed down. You don’t see Paul steal anything, but he’s right there as everyone around him destroys shops and steals what’s inside. One of the most ridiculous comments on social media … Jake is a millionaire, so he doesn’t need to loot. That logic justifies looting for some, and that’s just plain wrong.”
Wrote Paul on social media: “To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism. For context, we spent the day doing our part to peacefully protest one of the most horrific injustices our country has ever seen, which led to us being tear-gassed for filming the events and brutality that were unfolding in Arizona.”
“We were gassed and forced to keep moving on foot,” Paul continued. “We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to teh anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaged. I do not condone violence, looting, or breaking the law; however, I understand the anger and frustration that led to the destruction we witnessed and while that’s not the answer, it’s important that people see it and collectively figure out how to move forward in a healthy way. We are all doing the best we can to be helpful and raise awareness; this is not the time to attack each other, it’s time to join together and evolve.”
