Doechii used her BET Awards speech to call out the “ruthless atacks’ on protestors in Los Angeles

Doechii was among the winners at the BET Awards on Monday night and used her moment on the stage to highlight the “ruthless” supression of the current immigration protests in Los Angeles.

Collecting her award for best female hip-hop artist, Doechii said she felt a “responsibility as an artist” to address what was happening outside the Peacock Theater the ceremony was held in. Watch her speech in full below.

“I do want to address what’s happening right now, outside the building,” said Doechii, referencing the protests. “These are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities. In the name of law and order, Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be — when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.”

Doechii vowed to use her voice to stand up for “all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza.” She added, “What type of government is that? People are being swept up and torn from their families? We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together my brothers and my sisters against hate and we protest against it.”

Trump called in California National Guard troops on Sunday in a show of force against protests that began when 44 people in LA were arrested by ICE agents. Demonstrations in the city continued into a fourth day on Monday with rubber bullets and stun grenades among the weapons used against the protesters. California Governor Gavin Newsom is taking legal action against the deployments, calling Trump “deranged” and “dictatorial.”

Doechii triumphed over fellow best female hip-hop artist nominees Cardi B, Doja Cat, Glorilla, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Rapsody, and Sexyy Red. Find the rest of the 2025 BET Award winners here.