PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Dayjia Blackwell, a 21-year-old influencer known by the alias "Meatball," gained attention after livestreaming a looting spree during a flash mob robbery in Philadelphia on the night of Tuesday, September 26.
She apparently actively encouraged her 181,000 Instagram followers to participate as she ran through the streets alongside the looters. In response to the repercussions she faced, Blackwell's legal representation strongly criticized the reactions.
'Meatball' Dayjia Blackwell's lawyer speaks out
Dayjia Blackwell's lawyer, Jessica Mann, took to Instagram on Friday, September 29, to write, "The rightful story should be one of Dayjia doing nothing more than capturing the raw reality of public outrage when she streamed the events that occurred on the night of September 26, 2023, in Philadelphia."
She added, Yet, the media seems to have forgotten the underlying catalyst for her actions."
"I regret it," said Blackwell to NBC on Thursday, September 28, after being hit with felony charges for the looting she filmed and cheered on. She added, "I just prefer, you know, never loot again, stay out of trouble, never go to jail."
Internet wants 'Meatball' to face consequences despite regret
Meanwhile, netizens believe that although Dayjia Blackwell has apologized, she should still face the consequences for her actions.
Political journalist, Brian Krassenstein, took to X (formerly Twitter) to write, "Clearly she has shown remorse for her actions, but so too have many others who have done things that harm people."
He added, "What needs to change in society to stop the events in Philly from continuing to happen across America? Is it a lack of parenting? Is it a lack of education? Is it a lack of opportunity? What are the underlying causes?"
One user responded, "It’s all 3. But it’s also just degradation of society in general. We are too used to seeing these looting videos every single day. It’s almost become normalized like it’s a common thing."
They continued, "She obviously wasn’t thinking in the moment 'hmmm, this is extremely wrong' because society told her otherwise. Not to mention most of these looters/shop lifters never face consequences."
Another wrote, "All of the above. Lack of parenting, lack of education, social media glorifying this, soft on crime blue states and cities It’s a recipe for disaster."
"I guess she just wanted to become popular on social media and never realised what consequences her actions could have. Once charged, she showed remorse. So what actually works, is the law. Stricter laws for such actions is the only thing that would deter others," expressed a user.
"Effective parenting and stringent legal penalties for those involved in looting activities are crucial. The government should also make efforts to locate and bring to justice those who managed to evade capture," added one more.
A person stated, "Yes, yes, and yes. I will add one more: not enough punishment to make people think thrice about doing it in the first place. Full restitution, community service, fines, and six months minimum. Twelve months probation after sentence," replying to Krassenstein.
