Cardi B used a recent stop in Minneapolis to acknowledge the city’s residents following months of tension surrounding anti-ICE demonstrations earlier this year.
Speaking to fans during the concert, the rapper praised the crowd’s resilience while referencing the protests that unfolded across the city. Authorities conducted multiple enforcement actions during the unrest, which also coincided with several deaths, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Addressing the audience directly, Cardi told attendees, “You are such a strong city, ” before continuing, “I been seeing what’s going on in the news, and we wanna say thank you for your resilience [and] your resistance.”
The crowd responded with loud cheers as she continued her remarks from the stage. Cardi added, “I don’t know why muthafckas came to this city. Y’all nggas is not p*ssy. I don’t know why they came over here, they must not know how y’all give it up.”
The demonstrations reached their peak during a federal initiative known as Operation Metro Surge. At the height of the operation, roughly 4,000 federal officers were sent to Minneapolis. After national criticism and ongoing protests, most personnel were withdrawn, leaving a smaller contingent of about 400 agents.
Local rapper Matthew Allen, known professionally as Nur-D, previously described a frightening encounter during the demonstrations. Speaking about the experience, Allen said, “I assumed I was going to die.”
He recalled being chased, forced to the ground and sprayed with mace by agents. While detained, Allen shouted, “My name is Matthew James Obadiah Allen,” he screamed, pinned to the ground, “I have done nothing at all….I’m a United States citizen.”
Allen later reflected on the moment, saying, “This is grabbing someone in the street who has done nothing wrong and killing them, and if that’s what we’re doing — I’ve already seen you do it today — that’s why any of us are even here right now. Most of us would rather be doing what we love to do on a Saturday morning.”