Kanye “Ye” West attacked the family of George Floyd on Sunday shortly after saying he wanted to “apologize” for false statements he has made about Floyd’s death.
In an Instagram post, the rapper lashed out against Roxie Washington — the mother of Floyd’s daughter — after she moved to file a $250-million lawsuit over his recent remarks about the police brutality victim. West’s post has since been deleted.
In June 2020, West, who now goes by “Ye,” reportedly donated $2 million to the Floyd family. He also reportedly launched a college savings fund for Floyd and Washington’s young daughter, Gianna, after police officer Derek Chauvin killed Floyd by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for about 9½ minutes.
However, West drew sharp criticism this month for falsely claiming on an episode of the “Drink Champs” podcast that Floyd’s death was fentanyl-related and that Chauvin’s “knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.” Washington is now planning to sue West for harassment, misappropriation, defamation and infliction of emotional distress, according to an Oct. 18 press release from her legal team.
“Now for Roxie Washington and Roxie Washington ALONE,” West captioned a photo of Washington on Instagram this weekend.
“I gave 2 million dollars out of my pocket for the family. To help George’s daughter…Your daughter! … Many gave words. I ACTED. Now because of words you want to sue me for 250 million dollars … when I’m going through an Economic lynching. A Digital Lynching. A Social Credit Score bankrupting.”
An attorney representing the Floyd family, Pat D. Dixon, declined to comment Sunday on West’s latest remarks. Earlier this month, Dixon condemned West’s previous comments as “a repugnant attempt to discount George Floyd’s life and to profit from his inhumane death.”
“You’re either being controlled or you’re being greedy,” West continued in his Instagram attack on Washington. “This is how you try someone who was there for your family???? You will never get money from no one else. GOD don’t like ugly.”
West’s Instagram rant came and went days after he told paparazzi that he wanted to “apologize” for his “Drink Champs” remarks about Floyd.
“When I … questioned the death of George Floyd, it hurt my people. It hurt the Black people,” West told paparazzi in a video credited to Buzzipper/LAGossipTV.
In the same clip, West also addressed the swift fallout from his recent racist and antisemitic behavior, which has resulted in a number of companies — from Adidas to Balenciaga — severing ties with him.
“God has shown me — by what Adidas is doing and by what the media is doing — I know how it feels to have a knee on my neck now,” he told paparazzi. “So thank you, God, for humbling me and letting me know how it really felt. Because how could the richest Black man ever be humbled other than to be made to not be a billionaire in front of everyone … ?”
West cited his paparazzi interview Sunday in his Instagram caption, which read: “To the Floyd family: I apologized to you and the black community for my comments on Drink Champs. Humbly… Now Come get Roxie before she mess up all y’all money.”
In recent weeks, West has come under fire for his fraudulent Floyd remarks, “White Lives Matter” stunts and antisemitic outbursts, which have led to antisemitic incidents in Florida and Los Angeles.
“Free speech rights do not include harassment, lies, misrepresentation, and the misappropriation of George Floyd’s legacy,” said Kay Harper Williams, an attorney representing the Floyd family, earlier this month. “Some words have consequences and Mr. West will be made to understand that.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
