A photo collage on her Instagram account showed the musician assisting wounded protesters in Santa Monica, California.
Halsey came to the aid of an injured man at a protest calling for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The 46-year-old Minneapolis man died on May 25 after a police officer held him down by the neck with his knee for more than seven minutes.
On Monday, Halsey, 25, posted a slideshow of video clips of a protest in Santa Monica, California, on her Instagram account. In one clip, a voice, presumably the musician’s, is heard saying, “They’re still advancing. We’re standing here, we’re doing nothing and they’re still advancing,” as law enforcement officers march toward protesters.
A photo collage, meanwhile, showed the singer assisting wounded protesters. “I was treating injuries I am not qualified to. So much blood spilled,” she tweeted earlier.
“Do not underplay these rubber bullets bc you have been told they are ‘not lethal,’” she wrote in another tweet. “I had to bandage a man who looked like his entire face had exploded today. So before you say, from the comfort of your home, that we’re exaggerating, please consider the injuries some have suffered.”
The singer reiterated the horror of what she witnessed in the caption of her Instagram post. “These pictures and videos don’t even scratch the surface,” she wrote. “It’s easy from the comfort of your home to watch looting and rioting on television and condone the violent measures being taken by forces. But what you don’t see is innocent peaceful protestors being shot at and tear gassed and physically assaulted relentlessly. You think it’s not happening, it’s only the ‘thugs’ and the ‘riots’, right? The police are keeping you safe right? You’re wrong.”
“This is happening everywhere,” she continued. “And innocent people exercising their rights to speech and assembly are facing violence and abuse of power. With all of our medical professionals being CONSUMED and EXHAUSTED with Covid, there is little to no medical attention available. I have first hand treated men women and children who have been shot in the chest, the face, the back. Some will lose vision some have lost fingers. I have been covered in innocent blood.”
She then noted that her father is black and her mother is an EMT, and that recent days have seen her “put those two associations together in ways that have horrified me.”
The "Eastside" singer also condemned white protesters who hid behind black bodies when shots were fired, and praised musician Yungblud for putting his own safety at risk to help others.
“[He] literally ran exposed in front of rounds being shot to drag wounded people to safety without even thinking twice,” she tweeted.
Halsey is among many celebrities who have attended protests in the wake of Floyd’s death. Ariana Grande, Nick Cannon, Cole Sprouse, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello have also marched for racial justice.
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