Kevin Hart urges the media to be a part of the solution as protests continue across the country

Kevin Hart urged the media to consider the message they were sending as protests continue unfolding in response to the death of George Floyd.  

Nationwide, protests and riots have erupted after Floyd was killed while in custody last week.  

Hart, 40, posted a moving message onto his Instagram account, where he urged reporters and journalists covering the issue to be ‘a part of the solution’ with the narrative they were telling. 

Hart asked the media to focus on the injustices sparking the protests in the first place, after noticing the narrative beginning to shift onto the rioting and looting.   

Speaking from his backyard, Kevin calmly yet sternly addressed reporters and journalists early Sunday morning. 

‘You guys control the narrative,’ he said. ‘So I feel like you guys have a job to do about pushing the correct narrative. Right now I’m watching that narrative slowly change into the rioting, into the looting. 

‘We’re not talking about the reason, we’re not talking about why we’re witnessing what we’re witnessing. There’s a reason. I don’t want to lose sight of that reason. That reason is because another man died in the hands of a police officer. 

‘George Floyd, rest in peace, as we know was killed by a cop. It was another senseless death. When I say “another,” that’s because we’ve got several that we can talk about. Several that we can talk about, that’s the reason. So within the narrative, when you know that people are looking for justice, when you know that people are looking for this to stop, when you know that you’re looking for correction, your job should be pushing that as well.’

Hart then brought up Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers player who began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality in 2016.  

‘The media, you should be pushing that there needs to be a change as well. You should be pushing. It’s not just the people that are protesting. You know why they’re protesting. You know why people are enraged. You know why they’re angry. So as the media, you should be on the side of angry people. You should be on the side of the solution and not the problem. We’ve seen a narrative change before, happened the same thing with Colin Kaepernick. 

‘He started off kneeling and it was for social injustice, and that quickly got changed. The narrative quickly got changed, it became disrespecting of the American flag, not respecting the country, not respecting the soldiers. That’s not what it started off as. He wanted to bring awareness to social injustice, plain and simple. And it got changed, it got switched, it got maneuvered all over the place, and before we knew it, who knew? Who knew what it was? Because the definition changes so many times, because the media controls the narrative. 

‘If you’re going to control the narrative, then be apart of the solution. Within a solution is the fine for change, and that change is justice. That officer was only charged for third degree, it should be first degree murder. The other officers there still have yet to be charged. They should be charged. 

‘That’s bringing justice. That’s making people feel like something is going to change. Force the hand of the people that are higher. Everybody’s conversation should be about the change. We can’t keep just saying quality. We have to take actionable steps in going in that direction. 

‘Control the narrative correctly. Control it correctly. Make sure people know what the anger and frustration is about, and make sure that you’re on the side of wanting to see justice. Charge the other officers, make sure that first officer, make sure he gets the godd**n book. Whatever it may be, push that narrative. Don’t change the narrative to just looting and rioting. And when you do, you make sure you show everybody’s that’s out there doing it. Because it’s not just us. Control the narrative.’

Demonstrations have erupted nationwide in response to the death of Floyd, a black man who died after since-fired police officer Derek Chauvin held him down with a knee to the back of his neck. 

Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

This isn’t the first time Hart has addressed the matter either, with the actor calling for police officers to be held accountable in a previous post.