Kendrick Lamar took to the streets on Sunday (June 7) to join Black Lives Matter protesters in his hometown of Compton, CA. The march — dubbed the Compton Peace Walk — began at the Gateway Towne Center and continued to the Martin Luther King Jr. monument in City Hall.
Besides the To Pimp A Butterfly rapper, NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan and the Compton Cowboys also attended the protest.
“Protect your team, protect your family. In times like this, we need to stick together,” Westbrook said during the march, before leading the group in a moment of silence for police brutality victims George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“It’s impossible for you to understand what happen today if you don’t understand the past,” Westbrook added on Instagram.
Also in attendance was Compton Mayor Aja Brown, who addressed the crowd and described the march as an inspiring example of Compton’s unity.
“One of Compton’s greatest strengths is our love for our city,” she said. “I firmly believe that we will emerge from this time more united and stronger than ever.”
Brown also wrote about the protest later on Facebook, announcing that “thousands came together—men, women and children—to peacefully march for unity, justice and peace for all.
“Today, we demonstrated that the LOVE we have for one another is powerful,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone that came out and to those that wanted to, but couldn’t … As I said today, this moment is not the ending, but the beginning of a new era—a movement to engage, educate and empower Compton to mobilize, organize and take action, especially when it counts.”
Lamar is one of many hip hop celebrities who have joined protests against systemic police violence in the past three weeks, including the likes of J. Cole, Lil Baby, Kanye West and more.
See some photos of Lamar and others at the protest below.