00:00The mayor of New York City just reached out to Kai Sinat nearly two years after the streamer's
00:04surprise giveaway in Union Square spiraled into full-on chaos. Now with a second New York City
00:10event in the works, the question is, is this redemption or political strategy?
00:15Kai is one of the biggest streamers on the planet and has pulled in millions on Twitch,
00:19hosted A-list names from Kevin Hart to 21 Savage, and just wrapped up his own content camp,
00:24Streamer University, where up-and-coming creators trained with his crew in real life.
00:29But even with all that momentum, controversy is never far behind.
00:33In August 2023, Kai announced a spontaneous PS5 giveaway in Union Square.
00:38Unfortunately, things quickly turned chaotic as bottles were thrown at police,
00:42and some individuals reportedly showed up with axes, shovels, and lit fireworks,
00:47according to the New York City Police Department. The department eventually issued a Level 4
00:51mobilization, deploying around a thousand officers to control the meetup. And while the event was
00:56going on, Kai was live streaming in a nearby vehicle and stated,
01:00everybody for themselves because it's a war out there. The streamer was taken into police custody
01:05around 5 p.m. and the crowd was dispersed an hour later. After the event, reports state Kai was later
01:11charged with felony rioting and inciting a riot. And for a minute, it looked like his entire brand could be
01:16in serious trouble. Kai later apologized publicly and paid over $57,000 in restitution, which led to his
01:23charges being dismissed in May 2024. Now he's back in New York City looking to put on another giveaway,
01:29this time with a mayor's blessing. But not everyone's cheering.
01:33The top comments under Kai's recent video with New York City Mayor Adams doesn't show the usual
01:38excitement for the 23-year-old streamer's announcement. Instead, they point to political
01:43strategy and accuse Mayor Adams of, quote, clout chasing. One commenter even pointed out to the timing of
01:49the meeting and wrote, this just so happens to be occurring a day before the primary elections in New York
01:55City, causing some viewers to feel this was a strategic move by Adams to tap into Kai's massive
02:00Gen Z audience, a demographic that's known to be tough to reach through traditional campaigning like TV
02:05or print. The recent meetup also seems to follow a bigger trend we've seen in the last few years,
02:11politicians turning to streamers to connect with younger voters. Just this past election,
02:16President Trump appeared on Aiden Ross's live stream in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers,
02:20a move widely seen as an effort to rebrand for the online generation. And now it seems like Mayor
02:26Adams is taking a page from the same playbook using a platform like Kai's to rebuild credibility with
02:31young people after years of criticism over policing, housing, and how he's handled youth-related
02:36issues in New York City. But whether it's a genuine collaboration or politics as usual is still up
02:42for debate. As for now, Mayor Adams has given Kai the green light to throw a future event as long as
02:47he quote, maps out a plan, telling the young streamer, now you got the city in alignment to
02:52make sure you can execute the plan. But what's your take? Share your thoughts below and follow us
02:57everywhere at What's Trending.
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