On Monday, a man named George Floyd died after being apprehended by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The entire incident was caught on video by a passerby. In broad daylight. From just a few feet away.

• George Floyd was face down on the bare asphalt of a city street as an officer’s knee — and full body weight — was driven into his neck for six or seven minutes.

• George Floyd was unarmed.

• He did not appear to be resisting.

• At first, he tried to inform the officer that he could not breathe.

• Even after George Floyd stopped moving — after he may already have died — the officer who was kneeling on his neck did not stop, did not attempt to check his condition, did nothing to provide medical help.

• Three other officers stood by and did nothing to prevent George Floyd’s death.

• The police apprehended George Floyd because they thought he resembled someone a store employee thought might have used a counterfeit $10 or $20 bill.

• George Floyd was black.

This is the reality — repeated far too many times to chalk up to a few “bad apples” — for people of color subjected to the criminal (in)justice system in America.

Meanwhile, angry Trump supporters in many states are storming capitol buildings and city halls wielding military-grade weapons in a flagrant bid to intimidate government officials into ignoring what experts are saying about safely managing the coronavirus emergency.

And the police somehow find the restraint to indulge this without summarily executing people.

Here are some organizations doing important work in the area of criminal justice reform:

The Bail Project

Black Lives Matter

Campaign Zero

Center for Policing Equity

Color Of Change

Communities United Against Police Brutality

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Families Against Mandatory Minimums

Mapping Police Violence

The Marshall Project

Minnesota Freedom Fund

National Police Accountability Project

Reclaim the Block

The Sentencing Project

Stay safe.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. This message is part of our ongoing outreach to help you stay informed and involved as our nation and the world grapple with the coronavirus emergency. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain of this crisis. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Anything you chip in today will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Thank you.
 
 
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