On Thursday, influencer Kai Cenat told the thousands of fans watching in his Twitch stream that he will “finally be returning to New York tomorrow” to do a “huge giveaway” for PCs and PlayStation 5s. The Bronx native, joined by fellow streamer Fanum and the rest of their streaming group AMP, said to “clear their schedule” because he knows “school hasn’t started yet.”
“Security will be deep, try something you’ll get moved,” Cenat said.
Less than 24 hours later, a swarm of teens descended on Union Square in a scene of violence that was not very secure. Rocks were thrown, a construction site was dismantled, fireworks were set off, and a CVS had water bottles stolen. In total, 65 people were arrested, including Kai Cenat who is facing multiple charges including inciting a riot. The visual carnage was picked up by every traditional media outlet you could think of, eager to frame Kai Cenat and his army of “baby-faced teens” as villains and hooligans.
Mayor Eric Adams, the former cop who is detested by many New Yorkers (and fun fact, who lives in a house full of rats), blamed the incursion on “outside agitators” and “social media.” His NYPD shut it down hard. According to NYPD Commissioner Jeffrey Maddrey at a Friday press conference, the highly-funded force responded with a “level four” mobilization, the highest level of disaster response with helicopters overhead and roughly 1,000 police officers. One clip showed an officer pushing a kid’s face through a taxi windshield as they were trying to get away. …
