Keke Palmer To National Guardsmen At Protest: “We Need You, So March With Us”

Keke Palmer was out protesting Tuesday in Hollywood when she came upon some National Guardsmen who were deployed on the streets. She asked a group of them to march with the protesters but came away unsatisfied.

Palmer, who starred in Akeelah and the Bee and whose recent credits include Hustlers and Berlin Station, was with a group protesting the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police a week ago. “You have to understand what’s going on,” she told the well-armed and camouflage-clad soldiers. “We have a president who’s trying to incite a race war.”

NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz was on hand and recorded the incident; watch it below.

The actress continued to plead her case, ultimately asking them to join her and the crowd. “We need you,” she said. “So march with us. March beside us. You get your people. March beside us. March beside us. Let the revolution be televised.”

At that point, one Guardsman extended his hand, but Palmer said: “No, no, no — let’s just do it. We start marching, and you march with us. Please.” As some in the crowd began to cheer and urge them on, the Guardsman explained that he couldn’t leave his post but offered “to march through this street with you guys.”

Palmer continued to insist, and he reiterated that he had a job to do.

At that point, a woman next to Palmer asked the Guardsmen: “Can you do me a favor? Can you take a kneel?” He replied, “Absolutely,” to which Palmer said, “I don’t know — that ain’t enough for me.”

But the man took a knee, and several other members of his unit joined him, one by one.

Here is how it played out: