After tragedy in NYC, Slater joined in on a meaningful cultural debate via social media. Photo: Kelly Slater/Instagram
What befell the city of New York on Tuesday – Halloween day, no less – was nightmarish, to say the least. At least eight were killed, according to reports, when a lone truck driver intentionally plowed through a crowded bike lane area of Lower Manhattan. Officials have called the attack an act of terror.
The culprit has since been apprehended and in the fallout, President Trump has called for the death penalty. “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” said Trump in a tweet.
In a strange turn of events, Worldstar Hip Hop turned full debate moderator, posting a series of Trump’s tweets on Instagram with the caption, “#PresidentTrump advocates the death penalty following the #NYC truck attack…thoughts?”
And among the more than 4,700 comments, Kelly Slater himself decided to chime in.
“There’s no real reason anyone who happily and proudly kills a bunch of innocent people with no remorse should continue the pleasure of life,” said Kelly in a comment. According to Slater, he was “a mile away with his daughter on the same sidewalk minutes after this happened” so “the proximity of it hit home.”
Amid the hysteria in the comments alone, many of which call for hanging the culprit, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, “in the public square,” Kelly’s sentiment seems tame.
