Jake Paul Addresses Backlash For Being at Arizona Mall During Looting Over The Weekend

Jake Paul has spoken out after receiving a lot of backlash online.

The 23-year-old YouTuber filmed himself and some of his crew out on Saturday night (May 30) in Scottsdale, Ariz.

On his Instagram stories, Jake shared videos of him and his friends out during protest riots, and eventually inside a mall after people broke in and were looting.

“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,” he wrote. “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. We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the 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.”