Celebrities have been using their social media platforms to raise awareness and demand justice after the death of George Floyd.
The 46-year-old died in Minneapolis on May 25 after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Chauvin, 44, did not move even as Floyd repeatedly groaned, cried and said, “Please, the knee in my neck, I can’t breathe.”
Bystanders captured the incident on video and urged Chauvin and fellow officers Thomas K. Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng to “let him breathe.” After Floyd went silent and stopped moving on the ground, the bystanders repeatedly asked police to check his pulse, with one wondering, “Did they f–king kill him?” Another local pointed out that Floyd, who was being taken into custody for allegedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli, was “not resisting arrest or nothing.”
The Minneapolis Police Department fired Chauvin, who is white, and the three other arresting officers on May 26 as the FBI began a civil rights investigation. Three days later, Chauvin was arrested and charged third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Preliminary autopsy results found that Floyd “had underlying health conditions” and did not appear to have died from strangulation or asphyxiation, but his family has requested an independent exam.
“We expected a first-degree murder charge [for Chauvin]. We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested,” the North Carolina native’s family said in a statement to The New York Times via civil rights attorney Ben Crump on May 29. “The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America.”
Scroll down to see the #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd tributes that celebrities including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama and Rihanna have shared on social media.
“We need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain,” the Grammy winner said in an Instagram video on May 29. “I’m not only speaking to people of color. If you’re white, black, brown or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now. No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human. We can no longer look away. George was all of our family and humanity. He’s our family because he’s a fellow American. There have been too many times that we’ve seen these violent killings and no consequences. Yes, someone’s been charged, but justice is far from being achieved.”
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The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star tweeted the hashtag “#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd” and a broken heart emoji on May 27. She added an illustration of Floyd and his quote, “Please, I can’t breathe.”
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“It’s natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’ — whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park,” the former president tweeted on May 29. “This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be ‘normal.’ If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.”
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“Past few days I’ve been stunned trying make sense of George Floyd’s death,” the actor wrote via Instagram on May 29. “The video. The plea for breath. The callous response. The racism. The killing. This is our ongoing disease. I’ve had cops in my family. Good men. And there’s a cop code, granting you the authority to use force if your life is in danger. But when a man is handcuffed, on the ground, no longer a threat, with your brothers in arms standing around watching and he struggles to say, ‘please I can’t breathe’ when your knee is on his neck.. not his back, but his neck - cutting off his air. Cop code must become moral code. Ethics code. HUMANITY code. Knowing that if you don’t ease up, then that man is going to die. So when you decide to not ease up, your intention is to kill. And that’s what this was. … I’m so sorry to the Floyd family. My heart breaks for you. Let the process begin now.”
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“Since watching the most devastating and completely heartbreaking video showing the murder of George Floyd earlier this week I haven’t been able to get his face and his words out of my mind,” the Kylie Cosmetics CEO wrote via Instagram on May 29. “I’ll never personally experience the pain and fear that many black people around the country go through every day but i know nobody should have to live in fear and nobody deserves a death like George Floyd and too many others. speaking up is long overdue for the rest of us. we’re currently dealing with two horrific pandemics in our country, and we can’t sit back and ignore the fact that racism is one of them. i fear for my daughter and i hope for a better future for her. my heart breaks for George Floyd’s family and friends. Don’t let his name be forgotten. keep sharing, keep watching, keep speaking out, because it’s the only way we can come together to help bring this much needed change and awareness. Rest In Peace, George Floyd.”
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“For the last few days, the magnitude of devastation, anger, sadness I’ve felt has been overwhelming to say the least!” the singer wrote via Instagram on May 29. “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart! To the point of staying away from socials, just to avoid hearing the blood curdling agony in George Floyd’s voice again, begging over and over for his life!!! The look of enticement, the pure joy and climax on the face of this bigot, murderer, thug, pig, bum, Derek Chauvin, haunts me!! I can’t shake this! I can’t get over an ambulance pulling up to an arrest, a paramedic checking a pulse without removing the very thing that’s hindering it! Is this that f--king normal??? If intentional MURDER is the fit consequence for ‘drugs’ or ‘resisting arrest’….then what’s the fit consequence for MURDER???!”
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“My heart breaks for George Floyd, his family and for the people in Minneapolis,” the pop star tweeted on May 28. “Murder is murder. Cops are also citizens, the same rules should apply to them. This is absolutely horrific and if the mayor and DA do not step up it sets a poor example for this entire country. And we all know this is not the first time the country has spoken up about this corrupt and unacceptable activity.”
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“JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD,” the former One Direction member tweeted on May 29 alongside a photo of Floyd and a link to a Change.org petition.
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“Last night at dinner, my 7-year-old asked why all the grown ups were so upset. We spoke to him about what happened to George Floyd,” the Big Little Lies star wrote via Instagram on May 28. “Being a white mother trying to explain racism and bigotry to her white son, who did not understand why anyone would treat another human being that way, was heartbreaking. But not nearly as heartbreaking as being a victim of one of these senseless, violent, unconscionable crimes. Not nearly as heartbreaking as being one of the families who have experienced loss and harassment and discrimination daily. Not nearly as heartbreaking as being a mother who lives in fear of what will happen to her children in this world. … Please talk to your children about racism, privilege, bigotry and hate. If you aren’t talking to them, someone else is.”
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“THIS MUST STOP,” the singer wrote via Instagram on May 26. “This makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use our voice! Please people. I’m sorry GEORGE FLOYD.”
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“I ask my followers to please keep signing these petitions, making donations if u are able to, continue having conversations w family and friends about racism (overt and covert) and the senseless acts of murder that happen in this country far too often, please keep reading up, following accounts on here (i will recommend some!) to keep u updated and learning and sharing links and resources,” the Grammy winner wrote via Instagram on May 29. “Our black friends need us to show up and to be better and to be vocal. now more than ever. online. offline even more so.”
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“This is not okay. And it will not stop until everyone does their part. Especially white people,” the singer wrote via Instagram on May 26. “I said it recently and I’ll say it again, do not let your discomfort surrounding social issues prevent you from speaking up for those IN DANGER. And reality is, until this STOPS COMPLETELY - THE BLACK COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN DANGER. DO YOUR PART. THIS INVOLVES YOU TOO. #GeorgeFloyd, I hope you RIP because it isn’t fair so many didn’t do their part to ensure you lived in peace.”
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“This is the toughest time when things like this happen,” the Oscar winner said at a press conference in Minneapolis on May 29. “All I wanted to do was let you know that we’re not afraid to stand. We’re not afraid of the moment. … All we’re trying to do is ask questions of why.”
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“Enough is enough! What will it take ? A civil war ? A new president? Violent riots ? It’s tired ! I’m tired ! The country is tired !” the rapper wrote via Instagram on May 26 alongside a photo of Floyd. “You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free !”
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