Now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd on May 25, but protests currently taking place in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and across the nation testify to the dissatisfaction of many with authorities’ response to Floyd’s death at the hands of police. On Friday evening, Beyoncé added her voice to the call to bring charges against the three other police officers who forcibly restrained Floyd during his arrest, all of whom have also been fired, and to combat American racism.
“We need justice for George Floyd,†the singer says in an Instagram video posted Friday night. “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain. 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 about 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.â€
“George is all of our family, and humanity,†she continues. “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. Please sign the petition and continue to pray for peace, compassion and healing for our country.â€
“If you want to demand more charges brought on all those involved in the death of George Floyd, click the link in my bio to sign the petition,†the caption of her video urges, directing you to the singer’s website and petitions by Change.org, Color of Change, We Can’t Breathe, and the NAACP.