Sunny Leone: About time we treated each other with humanity

Stuck in LA, India's best-known US citizen Sunny Leone discusses anti-racism protests, violence that followed George Floyd's death; hopes to return to Mumbai.

The last time the US National Guard patrolled the streets of Los Angeles was during the 1992 riots. But, as the city went into curfew for the fourth consecutive night to curb the violence that has accompanied the otherwise peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd's death, Sunny Leone — who is currently in LA — is worried about the chaos that has engulfed the country.

"There are riots everywhere and rampant looting in stores. So far, we haven't heard of looting in homes. At this point, we can only pray that it doesn't happen," says Leone, who had headed to Los Angeles with husband Daniel Weber and kids Nisha, Asher and Noah, last month to join Weber's mother.

(From left) The #BlackLivesMatter protest in Colorado; Sunny Leone with family; (right) the actor. Pics/PTI, AFP

The death of George Floyd — an African-American in Minneapolis who breathed his last when pinned under the knee of a police officer — has again put the spotlight on the racial discrimination prevalent in the US. As the #BlackLivesMatter campaign gathered steam across the country, citizens thronged the streets to protest against the rampant racism. "Racism in every form should be eradicated. People's anger and frustration is understandable. [What happened to Floyd] should have never happened. I feel sorry for his family and every person who has been at the receiving end of racism. It's time we treat each other with humanity."

The episode has underlined police brutality, an issue that has long plagued the US. "The people who did this should face penalty. Police brutality is [prevalent across] the world. There should be seminars [for cops] on how to treat people to stop such unwarranted violence," she says.

Leone hopes to pull through this tough phase. "My priority is to keep my family safe. I'd love nothing more than to return to India because that's my home."

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