A few thoughtless influencers give everyone a bad rep, but they can cause injuries and even deaths in the worst circumstances. Unfortunately, the latter came true at Union Square, New York, earlier yesterday.
Twitch streamer, Kai Cenat, incited an unlawful gathering at Union Square, tempting thousands of people with a giveaway. The turnout was unexpected, and the crowd soon turned violent. Police officers had no inkling of the giveaway and struggled to contain the chaos.
The crowd not only disrupted pedestrian and vehicular traffic but also caused civilian and police injuries. The unnecessary violence was caused due to the oversight and negligence of one influencer.
Let’s dive into what went down in Union Square and how it disrupted the whole area.
What Was the Giveaway in Union Square?
On a Wednesday live Twitch stream, influencer Kai Cenat announced he would host a giveaway at Union Square Park on Friday at 4 pm. He assured fans that he would ask random questions to people and give away computers, PS5s, gift cards, and other gaming accessories to whoever answered correctly.
The questions would be YouTube and streaming-related, and according to Cenat, “If you get it right, boom, you get a PS5, just like that.” The influencer even streamed part of the Friday event and was distributing items from a truck. He soon realized the gravity of the crowd and acknowledged, “It’s a war out there.”
Later in the afternoon of the riot, the influencer posted an Instagram story highlighting news coverage of the crowd and captioned it with, “I love you guys to the fullest you guys are amazing. Stay safe.”
Why Was There a Riot at Union Square?
Twitch streamer and influencer Kai Cenat hosted a huge giveaway on Friday at Union Square. However, the influencer never received permission for it or informed the police regarding the matter. As an incentive was involved, it incited a huge crowd, which eventually turned violent and caused a riot on New York streets.
People started gathering at the park around 3 pm. According to NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey, the park and streets were overrun with people as the numbers jumped from 200 to thousands of kids after a post about the giveaway went viral.
The crowd was so huge and uncontrollable that NYPD had to activate its highest level of disaster response. Maddrey reported that the group even began to act violently towards the public, police, and each other. Some of the attendees even stole shovels, axes, and tools from a nearby construction site. Some were even recklessly throwing around fireworks.
Cenat was removed from the area for safety reasons, and many officers were injured by flying objects in the riot. Around 65 people were arrested, 30 of them juveniles.
Maddrey stated that the NYPD Entertainment Unit was never alerted regarding the giveaway.
“If we knew about this, we could’ve had the barriers out here; we could’ve had police officers out here, we could’ve done this orderly, they could’ve given whatever gifts they had for the young people away. I encourage this. We want our young people to come to events like this. It just can’t be, hey, this is what we’re doing; it’s a free-for-all.”
With 1000 officers on duty, and thousands of kids causing chaos, drones and the aviation unit had to be deployed to monitor the area. The crowd not only threw around paint cans, rocks, and construction tools but also destroyed police vehicles and food carts and damaged nearby stores.
The crowd had dispersed around 6 pm, but kids descended on Park Avenue, causing more chaos. Officers in riot gear had to follow the juveniles.
As stated by Maddrey, “We have encountered things like this before, but never to this level of dangerousness where young people would not listen to our commands, they were fighting each other, they were hurting each other, and they were turning our attacks on us. We had to defend ourselves, and we had to make arrests.”
Who Is Kai Cenat?
Kai Cenat is a Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and influencer with 4 million subscribers on YouTube, 5 million, and 6.5 million followers on Instagram and Twitch. He is one of the highest subscribed streamers, who started his career with a YouTube page hosting prank and comedy videos.
Due to his massive fan following, he receives several brand desks and promotion requests on a daily basis. His net worth is estimated to be $9 million. However, the streamer does not have a clean slate. Twitch banned Cenat twice, including a 7-day ban in April this year.
Is Kai Cenat Arrested? What Is He Charged With?
Kai Cenat, an American influencer, was arrested on Friday at 5 pm and charged with two counts of inciting a riot and unlawful assembly, among other charges. The influencer’s giveaway caused thousands of fans to gather at Union Square, who later rioted and became violent towards the police.
NYPD officer Maddrey has clarified that the department does not hate events by youngsters, but there is no need for such violence and chaos. The gatherers on Friday did not listen to the police and were recklessly harming everything and everyone around them.
Maddrey urges influencers to discuss their public plans with specific police units from now on to ensure no one is hurt.
Cenat’s blunder has caused severe injuries to both his fans and police officers, and it should stand as a reminder of the consequences that unplanned gatherings can have.
What do you think of the riot at Union Square? Tell us in the comments below.
