Nick Cannon leads New York City protests following shootings: 'We're actually out here making a difference'
Nick Cannon joins the legions of celebrities calling for an end to violence against blacks. The America's Got Talent host took to the streets of New York City on Thursday to protest the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were shot and killed by police officers in two separate incidents within a 24-hour period.
Cannon posted pictures of himself wearing an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt, while marching through the streets with a megaphone in protest.
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"Me and my Squad out here taking our streets back!! @hawk.newsome and my team shutting NY down for #altonsterling #philandocastile and all injustice #BlackLivesMatter Don't just Hashtag it Be about it!"
See more photos from protests following the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile:
He added, "I'm done talking! Now we're forcing change! #NCREDIBLE... PEACE! PEACE! PEACE! A life is a life. No human has the right to take another human's life! Peace is the message here! DON'T GET DISTRACTED... Hands up Don't Shoot! 'An Eye for an Eye leaves Everybody Blind.' Dr. Martin Luther King."
Hours before he took to the streets, Cannon spoke with ET at the Perry Ellis Men's Fashion Week Fitting about his reaction to the tragic events and his involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Obviously myself whether it's my poetry or my spoken word, me on social media, or even me in interviews, I've been quite outspoken for the past few years," Cannon said. "And I like to practice what I preach so I'm in these communities constantly and taking meetings with district attorneys about criminal justice reform and prison reform. And it's so important, I mean, I've been given the spotlight so I want to say the proper things at the proper times."
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The rapper and TV personality wants to do more than simply post a hashtag.
"I like to live it," he told ET. "I'm kinda putting my money where my mouth is. I'm putting my efforts where my mouth is, and I'm actually in the community. I know we're all upset about a lot of things that are going on. Instead of getting out and just talking about it, I'm really trying to do it."
And while part of Cannon's message lies in his telling clothing choices, that isn't the only way he's attempting to make a difference.
"You're gonna see a lot more T-shirts. But we're not just wearing T-shirts," he said. "We're actually out here making a difference."
