2023 Union Square riot

Kai Cenat is an American livestreamer and YouTuber. In 2020, he joined Any Means Possible (AMP), a collective of content creators. The following year, he gained popularity after a series of livestreams featuring artists such as Drake, 21 Savage, Toosii and Lil Baby. In February 2023, during a subathon—an event in which a livestreamer continuously streams in an attempt to gain paid subscribers, Cenat joined United Talent Agency. At the end of the subathon, he had amassed 300,000 Twitch subscribers, a record for the platform.[2] As of August 2023, Cenat has a cumulative 11.1 million followers across YouTube and Twitch.[3]

In the days preceding the gathering, Cenat announced that he would give away PlayStation 5 consoles at 4 p.m. in Union Square along 14th Street,[4] joined by Fanum, Duke Dennis and Agent00, three Twitch streamers. All four men are members of the streaming group AMP.[5] In a live stream on August 2, he claimed that he would give away gift cards, headphones, gaming chairs, computers, webcams, keyboards, and microphones to attendees who could correctly answer questions about YouTube and live streaming. He called this mission "get off the streets and go stream".[6] The video was viewed two million times.[7] Cenat did not have a permit for the gathering.[6] On the day of the giveaway, he posted on Twitter that he would be live streaming the event at 3:30 p.m.[8][9]

By 1:30 p.m. the area was filled with fans.[10] The New York City Police Department (NYPD) became aware of the gathering at the same time,[11] as several people began converging.[12] By 3 p.m., a large crowd had gathered in Union Square,[7] partially drawn to the event by further word of the giveaway outside Cenat's fans.[13] By 3:30 p.m., the NYPD had mobilized several officers to the area and established a perimeter; the group took down barriers and conflict broke out between police and members of the crowd. Members of the crowd climbed up a gazebo, street signs, vehicles including a bus, and a George Washington statue,[14] with some throwing bottles at officers and other objects at car windows.[15] According to claims by the NYPD, individuals walked around with shovels and axes from a nearby construction site and lit off fireworks.[6] A CBS New York helicopter recorded a man discharging a fire extinguisher into the crowd's inhalation.[16]

The NYPD called on an estimated one thousand officers to respond as part of a level four mobilization,[17] according to a spokesperson. This is the highest level of disaster response that the NYPD uses. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority had New York City Subway trains bypass the 14th Street–Union Square station. A nearby Best Buy, an eyeglass shop, and the Union Square Greenmarket were forced to close early.[5][15] At least two thousand people appeared at the event in total,[18] though police estimate that three to five thousand people were present.[19] Cenat appeared in a black SUV[20] on a livestream with gift cards worth US$100 and claimed that police were throwing tear gas. Seconds later, he exited the SUV and was swarmed by fans.[10] The NYPD pushed the crowd north as crowds began dispersing. On 19th Street, a group collectively took a knee and started a "Black Lives Matter" chant. An upscale restaurant was forced to close on 20th Street as another group sat on wicker chairs, and dozens stormed a CVS Pharmacy on 22nd Street, distributing water and snacks.[5] By 5:30 p.m., the number of participants had begun to decrease, with the police eventually blocking the entrances.[7][15]

At least nine people were injured according to the NYPD. Four victims were transferred to Mount Sinai Beth Israel, while two others were transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital.[21] Three officers were injured,[7] including the NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey.[22] According to Maddrey, several people exited the crowd bleeding and with panic attacks. One officer was reportedly severely beaten.[23] A witness reported not being able to breathe.[24] Maddrey also reported that a 17-year-old was wounded by a large firecracker.[21]

At approximately 5:00 p.m., Cenat was taken into police custody.[25] The NYPD charged him with inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.[21] According to Maddrey, police "loaded up a city bus" with people;[10] at least 65 people at the event were arrested, including 30 juveniles.[21][26] The bus was attacked by other people attempting to pull people off. In a press conference, Maddrey claimed that multiple police cars and food carts had been destroyed.[27] The incident polarized Internet users and became an Internet meme. Rapper Offset criticized the police for arresting Cenat.[28] A video spread on social media depicted two police officers smashing a man in a red sweatshirt's head into a taxi window. The Civilian Complaint Review Board is currently looking into four incidents, including the altercation with the man in the red sweatshirt.[29] An NYPD investigation is ongoing.[30]

Kai Cenat appeared in court on August 16, following his release from police custody on August 5.[31] He appeared in court again on August 18.[32][33]

At a press conference, Maddrey stated, "When I go back later on this evening, I will have an after-action determine exactly what our steps were. We can't allow this to happen again in the future".[17] New York City mayor Eric Adams praised police for their "quick work" in dispersing the crowd.[27]

In a statement on August 5, streaming group AMP apologized for the riot.[34] In his first appearance since the riot, Cenat held up a New York Daily News issue covering the riot and apologized in a livestream on August 9,[35] while also announcing that he would take a break from livestreaming.[36] He resumed streaming by September 16, where he sparked a cheating controversy between Offset and his wife Cardi B.[37]

The incident generated discourse about the implications surrounding the influence of internet personalities. Following the event, Adams stated in a press briefing that "children cannot be raised by social media",[32] while researcher Megan Moreno stated in an NPR interview that the incident "does speak to how much investment people can place within these parasocial relationships".[38] In a Wired article comparing the event to similar Internet-based incidents, University of Sydney lecturer Mark Johnson offered a similar viewpoint about the role of social media, such as the interactivity of Twitch, on the relationships between streamers and their fans. Johnson also described the occurrence as an example of "emergent behavior", where internet users transition from interacting online to entering the real world.[39] The article also claimed that Cenat was the "first Twitch streamer to be charged with inciting a riot".[39] Writing for The Wall Street Journal, journalist James Freeman wrote that Cenat had the opportunity to mend relations with police.[40]