For Immediate Release: May 27, 2020

Contact: Marisol Bello, [email protected]

Minneapolis Police Officers Must Be Charged In George Floyd’s Death

The death of George Floyd Monday at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has rightfully sparked outrage and anger. Mr. Floyd could be heard gasping, “I can’t breathe,” in his final moments as a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck and blocked his airway. The tragedy calls to mind another cruel killing, the death of Eric Garner by New York City police in 2014. 

Community Change President Dorian Warren issued the following statement:

“In the past several months, we have borne witness to the senseless killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, in addition to George Floyd. We #SayTheirNames, we mourn their deaths, and we organize to demand justice and accountability. The video capturing Mr. Floyd’s killing is harrowing. As a Black man, as an American and as a person who lives by the creed that we are all created equally, I am fed up with another needless and inhumane killing of a Black man at the hands of police. The city of Minneapolis took the first step toward accountability by firing the officers involved. Now, prosecutors must take full action and charge these men in Mr. Floyd’s killing to show every police officer in the country that Black lives matter and they will be held accountable for their brutality. It is ironic that mostly Black protesters calling for charges against the officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death were met with riot gear, flash grenades and smoke bombs, while in states such as Michigan, mostly white armed protesters angry about quarantines and using masks to protect the most physically vulnerable among us can storm the capitol without a similar response from law enforcement. The clear disparities in how police treat our community must end.”

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Community Change is a national social justice organization committed to building power for low-income communities, especially communities of color.