Kanye West returned to the city of his birth to take part in a march protesting the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by four Minneapolis police officers on March 25, 2020. The 42-year-old rapper and owner of Yeezy marched with Chicago Public Schools students who were protesting the killing of Floyd while also calling for Chicago Public Schools to cancel their contract with the Chicago Police Department.
Prior to marching, West donated $2-million to set up a 529 college savings fund for Floyd’s daughter, six-year-old Gianna Floyd. He also made donations to help cover the legal costs for Ahmaud Arbery, who was chased down and murdered while jogging at age 25 by three men on February 25th in Glynn County, Georgia
A portion of his donation will also help cover the legal costs of Brionna Taylor, who at the age of 25 was shot eight times in her home just after midnight on March 13th by police officers in Louisville as part of a a late night drug investigation using a no-knock warrant, a tactic whose legality has been questioned.
A rep for West also noted he has donated to U.S. black-owned businesses in with a special focus on supporting Chicago-based businesses.
While West has been praised by many for his generous donations, he retains plenty of critics who view his vocal support of Donald Trump and his his declared plans to vote for him in the November elections as too problematic to be erased by money.
