Here's How You Can Demand Justice for George Floyd
On Monday evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a grocery store clerk called the police about a customer using a suspected counterfeit bill. When officers arrived, they found George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in his car and ordered him out. A bystander filmed the ensuing confrontation, which ended with Floyd's face pinned against the ground near the rear of the police car with Officer Derek Chauvin's knee pressed firmly against his neck. "I can't breathe, officer," Floyd said, as bystanders off camera yelled at the officer to let him go. When the officer finally removed his knee, Floyd was unresponsive. He was then transferred to a medical center where he was pronounced dead.
Many see the horrific incident as the latest bout of casually fatal police brutality against Black people in the United States—especially as Floyd's words on camera echo those of Eric Garner, another Black man who was killed in a police chokehold. Floyd's death also follows the recent high-profile deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man shot and killed while he was jogging, and Breonna Taylor, a Black EMT gunned down by the police in her own home.
While the four police officers (Chauvin, Tao Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng) involved in Floyd's killing have since been fired, the fight for justice continues. Ongoing demonstrations in Minneapolis and other cities like Los Angeles have intensified as protestors stand off against police.
If you're looking for ways to demand justice over Floyd's killing, below is a list of resources.
Donate
Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, has started a GoFundMe to assist his family in their time of grief and need. Donate Here
The Minnesota Freedom Fund, a grassroots organization currently working with the National Lawyers Guild and the Legal Rights Center, will use donations to bail out arrested protestors and to supply those on the field. Donate Here
Reclaim the Block, a grassroots organization based in Minneapolis, will use funds to address community needs.
Black Visions Collective, which is based in Minnesota, focuses its work on transformative justice in the state.
North Star Health Collective is a group of street medics, radical health organizers, and community health trainers based in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and will use funds for gear and medical supplies on the field. Donate Here
Organizers in Louisville, Kentucky–the city that Breonna Taylor lived in–have created a community bail fund for protestors. Donate Here
Contact Minneapolis Representatives
Write a letter demanding justice to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Write Here
Demand County Attorney Mike Freeman charge the officers with murder by calling him at 612-348-5550.
Sign Petitions
Color of Change's petition demands that Frey block the involved officers from receiving their pensions and ban them from being able to become police officers again, as well as demands that Freeman charge the officers with murder.
You can also text "FLOYD" to 55156 to sign the petition.
Another petition posted on Change.org is also trying to get the attention of Frey and Freeman. It currently has more than two million signatures and is aiming for at least three million.
Be Wary of What You Share Online
As the fight for justice carries on, grassroots activists are asking that supporters stay mindful of what they're posting online to avoid sharing unnecessarily graphic imagery or photos/videos of protestors' faces.
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