How to Fight for Justice for George Floyd
On Monday night, May 25, 2020, four Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd when they handcuffed him and then pinned him to the ground as he repeated, “Please, I can’t breathe.” Floyd, 46, is the last black man to die at the police station.
Although the police officers involved were armed with body cameras, eyewitness footage circulated widely on social media yesterday, sparking outrage over the death of another victim at the hands of law enforcement agencies. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that the four police officers responsible for Floyd’s death had been fired, adding that their firing was “the right decision.”
Beginning at noon Tuesday, thousands of protesters began to gather at the intersection, where the day before an officer knelt on Floyd’s neck, demanding justice for his death. A prayer vigil was also held Tuesday evening in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, Texas . But even if you’re outside Minneapolis and Houston, there are still ways to take action and protest Floyd’s death. Here are some suggestions.
Contact the Minneapolis District Attorney
The Floyd family hired Benjamin Crump , a national civil rights and personal injury attorney, to represent them in court. Crump immediately took to Twitter to provide ways that anyone, anywhere, can take action and demand justice for Floyd. First, he urged people to contact Frey and demand the immediate dismissal of the police officers involved in the incident:
Within hours, Frey did fire all four police officers involved in Floyd’s death. As a next step, Crump urged people to contact Minneapolis District Attorney Mike Freeman to arrest police officers and charge them with Floyd’s murder. Freeman can be reached at 612-348-5550. For reference: Officer Derek Choven (badge # 1087) was on Floyd’s lap while Officer Tou Tao (badge # 7162) stood by and did nothing.
It’s a good idea to keep following Crump on Twitter for the latest updates on what you can do next to bring justice to Floyd.
Parents can talk to their children about racism
It is now more important than ever for parents, especially white parents, to talk to their children about what happened to Floyd and discuss the systemic racism that caused his death. If you’re unsure of where to start, we’ve compiled a list of resources to help you develop your conversation and make it as productive and effective as possible.
Make a financial contribution to the Floyd family
If you are looking to contribute financially to Floyd’s funeral and funeral, his family has created a GoFundMe page , which Crump has confirmed is the only legitimate online fundraising campaign. Fraudulent pages are currently spreading and Crump is working with GoFundMe to remove them. This foundation will be managed and controlled at the sole discretion of Philonisa Floyd – George’s biological brother – in the interests of the family.
Alternatively, those wishing to send cards, encouragement letters and / or money order or check contributions can do so by mail to:
George Floyd Estate / o Ben Crump Law, PLLC122 S. Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301 Attn: Adner Marceline All checks must be written to: George Floyd Estate.
Stay tuned for updates from Racial Justice Organizations
Actions limited to social media alone are not enough, but maintaining organizations and accounts dedicated to racial justice can be helpful when figuring out what significant actions you can take. The NAACP , Southern Poverty Law Center, and Salutation for Racial Justice are good places to start. Offering anti-racism resources for white people , this document is full of information, contacts, and background, as is this list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice .
Listen to people of color right now, but don’t ask them to answer your questions or provide you with the information you need to understand the superiority of white. Take the work yourself. Don’t rely on others to do emotional work. If you have any suggestions from other helpful racial justice organizations or resources, let us know in the comments.
Updated to include a link to the Floyd family’s GoFundMe page, as well as an address for sending correspondence or other donations to the family. Improved to fix a bug in the aforementioned update where the deceased was referred to as “Flynn” rather than “Floyd”.