John,
After learning that George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was brutally
murdered by a white police officer on May 25, millions of people called
for justice for George and his family and demanded that the police
officers involved be held fully accountable, contacting their lawmakers,
speaking out on social media, and signing petitions.
[ [link removed] ]Join your fellow MoveOn members and sign the petition calling for
justice for George Floyd.
On May 26, hundreds tooks to the streets of Minneapolis to protest police
violence. Demonstrators carried signs that said "No justice, no peace,"
"Black lives matter," and "Stop lynching us."^1 Outside the neighborhood
police precinct, the demonstrators faced police in riot gear who used tear
gas and shot rubber bullets to disperse them. Compare this to how police
behaved at anti-lockdown protests: Protesters there, who were largely
white, were heavily and openly armed, and at one anti-lockdown protest,
there was a mock lynching of an elected official. Yet police stood calmly
as armed anti-lockdown activists came within inches of their faces, at no
point using force to push back or clear the space.
As demonstrations calling for justice for George Floyd spread nationwide,
the initially peaceful protests became "more like a war zone than a
protest," with "people running for cover from the rising plumes of tear
gas."^2 Demonstrators in Phoenix had tense face-offs with police and in
Columbus were sprayed with pepper spray.
The police's violent treatment of these demonstrators, who were calling
for justice for George Floyd and accountability for the officers involved
in his murder (as of right now, only one officer has been charged), shows
how unfairly people of color are treated by police in America. Donald
Trump called the protesters "thugs" and encouraged police violence against
them, tweeting, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."^3 But
recall how, earlier this month, he called the white, armed, right-wing
protesters "very good people," and in 2017, he said that there were "very
fine people" in the violent white nationalist demonstrations in
Charlottesville, where one of them murdered Heather Heyer, a nonviolent
counterprotester.^4 Trump's not even trying to hide his racist double
standards.
A reporter who covered protests after police murders of Michael Brown,
Freddie Grey, and Eric Garner, wrote, "Perhaps the police showed restraint
in Michigan because they were able to empathize with the armed white men.
They saw their humanity. Nothing will change until they can see the same
in black protesters too."^5
This is a pivotal moment to call for justice for George Floyd. Our country
must not enable and perpetuate white supremacy and police brutality any
longer.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition calling for justice for George Floyd and an end to
white supremacy and police brutality in America.
After signing the petition, please read the original email below from
Rashad Robinson from Color of Change.
Thanks for all you do.
–Isbah, Arvin, Jennifer, Erica, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Hundreds Protest George Floyd's Death In Minneapolis," HuffPost, May
26, 2020
[link removed]
2. "The Anti-Lockdown Protests Prove Police Know How to Treat Protesters
Fairly," Slate, May 28, 2020
[link removed]
3. "Twitter Places Warning on a Trump Tweet, Saying It Glorified
Violence," The New York Times, May 29, 2020
[link removed]
4. "Of Course Trump Called Armed, Right-Wing Protesters 'Very Good
People,'" Vanity Fair, May 1, 2020
[link removed]
5. "The Anti-Lockdown Protests Prove Police Know How to Treat Protesters
Fairly," Slate, May 28, 2020
[link removed]
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Dear MoveOn member,
Firing these police officers isn't enough. "They treated him worse than
they treat animals," said the sister of George Floyd about the police
officers who killed her brother. "They took a life — they deserve life."^1
George Floyd, a Black man, was handcuffed and pinned down on the pavement
by a white Minneapolis police officer who continued to press his knee into
George's neck as George repeatedly cried out, "I can't breathe," and
"Please, I can't breathe."
The video captured on May 25 by one of the bystanders shows the police
officer brutally holding down George Floyd. The witnesses try to get the
police officers to stop, telling them, "He's not even resisting arrest
right now."^2 After several minutes of the officer kneeling on his neck,
George Floyd becomes silent and motionless. Then, showing his total
disregard for George Floyd, the police officer pulls George's lifeless
body by his arms and drags him away.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition calling on Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to hold the
police officers who murdered George Floyd accountable.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: You must hold the police officers who killed
George Floyd fully accountable.
After seeing the heartbreaking video of George Floyd's murder, you said
that "this man's life matters," that "being black in America should not be
a death sentence," and that this doesn't reflect "the measures we've taken
to ensure accountability."^3
We are calling on you to honor George Floyd's life by making sure there is
justice for him and his family. You must hold all of the police officers
involved in George Floyd's murder accountable to the full extent of the
law.
[4]Sign the petition
After a public outcry and support from government officials, the police
officers involved in George Floyd's murder were fired, although the police
union intends to provide full support to the officers. We need to make
sure these police officers can never again terrorize the people they were
entrusted to protect and are held fully accountable for George Floyd's
murder.
[ [link removed] ]Sign this petition demanding that the police officers who murdered
George Floyd be held accountable.
Thank you.
–Rashad Robinson, Color of Change
Sources:
1. "What We Know About the Death of George Floyd in Minneapolis," The New
York Times, May 27, 2020
[link removed]
2. "'Being Black In America Should Not Be A Death Sentence': Officials
Respond To George Floyd's Death," CBSN Minnesota, May 26, 2020
[link removed]
3. Ibid.
You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you.
It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.
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