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Trina is tripling down on her assertion rioters and looters are "animals ... acting like they have escaped from a zoo" ... she says they're over-shadowing non-violent protesters.

The iconic emcee responded Wednesday to backlash she's been getting after sharing her opinion on protests against police brutality in Miami, hammering her point home that peaceful protests for George Floyd are good, and the riots and looting in her community are bad, in part, because those causing the damage aren't from there.

Trina says she's being attacked for saying those destroying property are "animals," calling for an earlier curfew in Miami and ripping some protesters as "fake," just because she has a voice and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

She says she was angry when she came into her radio station gig Monday and her initial comments were shaped by emotion ... but she's not backing down.

Trina makes clear she has no issue with non-violent protests, saying she's peacefully protested herself, but still sees big problems with folks kicking in windows and burning buildings in her community.

The way Trina sees it ... the riots and looting are distracting people from getting answers on George's death and takes away from the real issues, like addressing police brutality and racism. As she points out, Floyd's family agrees.

Trina says she's not talking about people looting designer stores ... what really irks her is folks messing with mom and pop shops.

Bottom line from Trina ... stop destroying local communities and start protesting peacefully so change can really happen.

The NYPD is under fire after video surfaced showing several cops beating a bicyclist to a pulp with batons as the man tried crossing the street.

The clip was shot Wednesday night after a full day of peaceful protests in the Big Apple. You can see a man, walking his bike and being violently struck by a police officer's baton before two other officers join in.

As for the "justification" of force? An NYPD source tells us, the man was out after curfew, and officers were trying to "clear the streets." We're told the video was shot after 10 PM and curfew was at 8.

The person who posted the video said the incident went down at the intersection of 50th Street and Third Avenue. The tweet was captioned, "People stuck in traffic are witnessing NYPD beat up folks on their way home.”

The brutal assault caught the attention of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who said, "Horrifying. You start with the tiny possibility that two officers may be walking over to deescalate the abusive one. Instead, they join in beating a man trying to get out of traffic."

We've reached out to the NYPD for comment, and we're told "we are aware of the video and it is under internal review."

Jake Paul's taking a legal hit after he was spotted on scene of an AZ mall as it was being looted over the weekend in the midst of the George Floyd protests ... he's been charged.

The Scottsdale Police Department announced Thursday the YouTube star has been charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanor charges. Cops say they "received hundreds of tips and videos identifying Jake Paul as a participant in the riot."

Cops went on to say, "Our investigation has revealed that Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area by the police. Paul also unlawfully entered and remained inside of the mall when it was closed."

As we reported ... Jake was at Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona and video showed him and others causing a ruckus at the mall. The video shows people looting ... stealing tennis shoes and pretty much everything that isn't nailed down.

George Floyd's death gave Meghan Markle a central theme for her commencement address to her high school alma mater ... as she spoke to grads about fighting racism and being charitable.

Meghan delivered her speech, virtually, to the graduating class of 2020 at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, and said she was nervous about how she would address the tragic killing of Floyd. But, ultimately, “I realized, the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing. Because George Floyd’s life mattered, and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castile’s life mattered."

She mentioned several other victims of police brutality. Meghan then reminded the grads about what she calls the most important lesson she learned at Immaculate Heart -- "Always remember to put others' needs above your own fears."

Meghan's message seemed to reference the nationwide protests in the wake of Floyd's killing ... and she encouraged the grads to be advocates and activists.

During her speech, she also talked about her experience growing up in L.A. during the 1992 Rodney King riots.

Clearly referring to racism, she told the graduating class, "I'm sorry you still have to grow up in a world where this is still present."

Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, hit the streets of Oakland to show support for the George Floyd protests ... walking with the crowd and kneeling in solidarity.

The Currys were joined by Warriors teammates, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, at Juan Toscano-Anderson's march for unity on Wednesday ... and the pictures are powerful.

"Today was a movement in Oakland!" Steph said, "Thank you @juanonjuan10 for the leadership. Everybody play your role and be consistent with it."

"This is a real moment of change. Keep each other accountable."

Ayesha also spoke on the movement ... saying she wished as many people showed up to protest as Dubs fans do to celebrate championships.

"I began to come to the realization that we were walking the same streets, the same path and course that we’ve taken time and time again for the championship parades."

"While I was appreciative and proud of the crowd that showed to march for justice today, I couldn’t help but wonder where all of these people were now, that just a few years before lined and covered the streets to celebrate in these black men’s successes."

"Now when black men, when black people need an assist, defense, a team... where is everyone? Where is everyone?"

A peaceful protest in Newport Beach over George Floyd's killing was interrupted by a reckless driver in a Mini Cooper rushing through the crowd.

Local news captured the crazy moment as the car sped through the SoCal beach town Wednesday and appeared to come close to plowing into several protesters. The driver did strike a bicyclist, according to reports.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident, and Newport Beach PD caught up with the driver -- a resident of Newport -- and took him into custody. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He's reportedly cooperating with the investigation, and a police rep says they don't believe this was a deliberate action.

Doesn't make it less scary, though ... and vehicles plowing through crowds during the period of unrest over Floyd's death has become an all-too-common sight.

Shannon Sharpe has heard enough from Drew Brees -- and he's sick of it -- calling for the QB to retire and walk away already.

The NFL Hall of Famer went off on Drew on FS1's 'Undisputed' -- calling Drew's apology "meaningless" and explaining why he'll never respect Brees again.

"He issued an apology, Skip, but it's meaningless because the guys know he spoke his heart the very first time around."

"I don't know what Drew's going to do, but he probably should just go ahead and retire now. He will never be the same."

Sharpe -- who played 14 seasons in the NFL -- continued, "Take it from a guy that has been a leader in the locker room for a number of years. What he said, they will never look at him the same because he spoke his heart."

"It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it. He was defiant. I will NEVER respect the man."

Of course, Brees came under heavy fire for saying Wednesday that NFL kneeling protests are disrespectful to the flag ... seemingly missing the point behind Colin Kaepernick's demonstration.

Brees has since apologized -- admitting he "missed the mark" and insisting he's not the enemy.

George Floyd's funeral will feature a guest who knows all too well the pain of losing a son to racial violence -- because Ahmaud Arbery's mom, Wanda Cooper, will be in attendance.

Wanda's attorney, Lee Merritt, tells TMZ ... she will be among those there in person next week for George's funeral procession in his hometown of Houston. She'll be attending with Lee, although it doesn't sound like she's set to speak at this point in time.

We're told the program is still being worked out, so it's possible she may share a few words -- but for now ... she's simply attending and paying her respects. Merritt tells us Wanda got connected to George's fam through their own family attorney, Ben Crump.

Of course, Wanda herself is in her own battle for justice over the killing of her 25-year-old son, Ahmaud, who was chased and gunned down by Travis McMichael, with the help of his father, Gregory. Both have been arrested and charged with murder/aggravated assault.

We already knew Wanda had recently sought to connect with Trayvon Martin's family -- now, it looks like she's connected with a family who's dealing with an even more recent tragedy.

Amy Cooper -- infamously dubbed Central Park "Karen" after calling the police to lie and say a black man was attacking her -- now has her dog back ... just 10 days after her phony call.

The animal rescue, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc., announced a vet determined the dog was perfectly healthy and -- after law enforcement refused to take the dog in their custody -- decided to return the dog at the owner's request.

You'll recall, action was swift back on Memorial Day after Amy retaliated against a black man in the harshest way possible after the man, a bird watcher, complained her dog was off-leash despite a law requiring dogs to be on-leash in Central Park from 9 AM to 9 PM.

As we reported ... what happened next is one of the most disgusting acts you'll see after she asks the man to stop recording her. He didn't. She then threatened to call NYPD and "tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life."

The full autopsy report for George Floyd has been completed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and it reveals he tested positive for COVID-19 in early April ... though he was likely asymptomatic at the time of his death.

The 20-page analysis details most of what we already know, Floyd became unresponsive and died while pinned to the ground by 3 police officers. However, a section of the report says George tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3.

The coroner says, "positivity for 2019-nCoV can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection." Meaning George was likely walking around without issues or active symptoms, but the virus was still in his body.

As we reported, George's family hired Dr. Michael Baden to complete a private autopsy. Baden's report found Floyd's cause of death to be "death from asphyxia" after the Hennepin County concluded he had a heart attack while being restrained by cops, with underlying medical conditions including hypertension and possible drugs or alcohol.

The final report from Hennepin on Wednesday says Floyd had, “no injuries of anterior muscles of neck or laryngeal structures.”

The stars of 'Gown and Out' are feeling down and out after the riots and looting in Bev Hills destroyed their high-end dress shop ... and the damage couldn't have come at a worse time.

Patrik Simpson, who stars in the reality show "Gown and Out in Beverly Hills" on Amazon Prime Video tells TMZ ... he and his husband's dress store, Pol' Atteu Couture, was completely destroyed during Saturday night's riots, and they're estimating they suffered more than half a mil in damages.

Patrik tells us he and his hubby, Pol Atteu, had just restocked the entire store before Saturday night's violence, as they geared up for a big reopening. The store had been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As you can see, it looks like a bomb went off in the store ... and Patrik says looters stole over 100 dresses, including custom wedding dresses waiting to be shipped to brides and some gowns intended for the Daytime Emmys.

It's pretty sad ... Patrik says his husband sews all the dresses by hand, so Pol has hours of work ahead of him as he tries to recreate the custom gowns the rioters stole.

The band that provided the magic for Joe Exotic's unique set of songs on 'Tiger King' has good news for everyone itching for more of their good musical vibes.

Vince Johnson of The Vince Johnson Band -- who made up one half of the music duo who wrote and performed Joe's tracks featured on the Netflix series -- just inked an exclusive licensing and distribution deal with BMG Rights Management and Create Music Group.

As part of the agreement, all those Joe tunes (which are actually Vince's) will be compiled onto an album for the first time and be released on streaming services everywhere in the coming months. There'll also be some new tunes, including a cut called 'Killer Carole.' Probably won't be a big hit in Carole Baskin's crib.

We got a little taste of this gem before it officially drops Friday -- we're thinking you can add this one to your back road country playlist. No sign of Joe, though, in the pseudo-music video -- he's a little tied up right now, unfortunately.

In any case, it's great news for Vince and co. ... whom, as we previously told you, were gunning for a record deal of some sort in the wake of the show's massive popularity. Unclear if they've gotten signed to a label yet, but a licensing deal is kinda like getting halfway there.

Of course, Vince lost his longtime music collaborator -- Daniel Clinton -- who helped him pen a lot of the songs on 'Tiger King,' after he passed away from a heart attack late last year. Here's hoping Vince does him proud with this streak of good luck going forward.

George Floyd's death has been a catalyst for a movement to end racism and police brutality, and though the unrest has been ugly at times ... it's also produced some incredibly powerful works of art.

All over the world -- from U.S. cities like Minneapolis, where George was killed in police custody, and L.A. ... to Manchester, England and Berlin and all the way in Syria and Kenya -- murals are popping up to honor Floyd and contribute to the peaceful demonstrations for change.

Many of the amazing displays include the words "I can't breathe," George's last words to the officers who were applying force to his neck and back for nearly 9 minutes ... serving as a reminder of the unjust, inexcusable and inhumane way in which he died.

Some murals also shout out the Black Lives Matter movement or include the names of other black people who died at the hands of police officers ... and never got justice.

Dennis Rodman is still very pissed off at the looting taking place all over the country ... but he's now channeling his anger into action.

The NBA Hall of Famer says he feels compelled to raise money for the Black Voters Matter fund ... an organization "dedicated to expanding Black voter engagement & increasing progressive power."

And, how's he going to raise the cash?! DINNER AUCTION, BABY!

"Dennis Rodman is so disappointed at all the rioting and looting in light of the tragic death of George Floyd that he's auctioning off himself for dinner for two lucky guests with all the proceeds going to benefit the Black Voters Matter Fund," his rep Darren Prince tells TMZ Sports.

The auction, going down on Charitybuzz.com, says Dennis, the winner and a guest will dine with The Worm -- and notes, "The winning bidder is responsible for the cost of the meal."

The winner will also receive 2 signed jerseys provided by Rodman's memorabilia partners at Fiterman Sports Group.

And, if you know Dennis ... who the hell knows what could happen at dinner? Quick trip to Vegas?!? Carmen Electra cameo?!

Before this tiny toddler traded in his baby talk for one of the most powerful voices in rap music he was just another cute kid with a New York state of mind growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

You may not recognize him by his birth name (Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones) ... he only shortened the Arabic name once he started his career as an MC and nasty lyricist.

Although he's god's son ... many say it was written in this young man's fate for the rapper to rule the world and now his life is good.

Obama invoked the names of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X when discussing young people and the inspiration they've become during this movement. He said what's happening right now "reminds people of the 1960s and the chaos, the discord and distrust throughout the country." But he added, "I have to tell you, I know enough about that history to say there is something different here. You look at these protesters, and that is far more representative across America, peacefully protesting; who felt moved to do something because of the injustices they have seen."

Obama said the mobilization in peaceful protesting across America -- and frankly, across the world -- didn't exist back in the day. He said, despite the riots, the majority of Americans agree these protests are justified. And, that's the change he's seen so far in these protests.

The Prez said he wanted to talk directly to people of color and say "I want you to know that you matter; that your lives matter. Your dreams matter." He also challenged local officials on how to bring about real change, while urging young people to vote in local elections.

It should be noted ... Obama acknowledged law enforcement and the "vast majority who protect and serve. I've been heartened to see those in law enforcement who recognize, 'Let me march along with these protesters.' Those who recognize they want to be part of the solution. Those who listen. Change will require everyone’s participation."

Former President Barack Obama is making his first on-camera remarks about the death of George Floyd ... and TMZ is streaming live.

Obama is set to speak Wednesday during a virtual town hall sponsored by My Brother's Keeper Alliance -- an org that partners with his Obama Foundation. Barack is expected to address Floyd's killing, police practices ... and the racial bias still ingrained in the justice system.

Organizers have dubbed the event, "Reimagining policing in the wake of continued police violence" ... and it's supposed to kick off at 2 PM PT. This will be Obama's first time publicly discussing George Floyd's case on camera -- he's already addressed his death on social media and in a Medium essay.

44 tackled issues surrounding police brutality while in office -- he rolled out a number of policies intending to curb those incidents, such as creating a task force with guidelines on 21st century policing, as well as limiting the transfer of military equipment to police departments.

Donald Trump's administration has rolled back some of those reforms, so ya gotta wonder if BO will directly call out the President during the town hall.

Obama also addressed the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery a few weeks ago during a speech to the graduating class of 2020 -- HBCU students, specifically.