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Dear John. 

Yesterday, we watched the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial. The witness
testimonies were emotional, disturbing and a harsh reminder of the violent
last moments of George Floyd’s life.  

Witness after witness confirmed what we already knew. Derek Chauvin
targeted George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, knelt on his neck for 9 minutes
and 29 seconds without relief and murdered Mr. Floyd in broad daylight as
fellow officers and bystanders looked on.

George Floyd should be alive today, but he is not because Derek Chauvin
murdered him.

This trial will be full of this disinformation. There are many players in
this trial who are going to try and victim-blame Mr. Floyd -- including
Chauvin’s lawyers and the Police Federation of Minneapolis who hired them.
They are going to slander Mr. Floyd’s name and portray him as a criminal
in a brazen but predictable attempt to justify Chauvin’s actions. They
will attempt to justify the violent and excessive use of force by the
police. We need to be prepared to stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s
family in centering his humanity and the full life he lived.

[ [link removed] ]Share our “George Floyd is a human” graphic with your friends, family,
and communities online right now.

There is no justification for murder. Derek Chauvin is the one standing
trial, not George Floyd. If we’re loud enough together, we can make sure
everyone knows it. The police union will do anything to avoid
accountability and continue to allow police to kill people with impunity.
At one point yesterday, Chauvin’s lawyers tried to blame Mr. Floyd’s death
on the bystanders who were shouting for Chauvin to release him.

We’re telling you this not to discourage you but to make sure our
community is prepared to fight for justice.  We need to reiterate to our
communities and beyond that Mr. Floyd is a human being. He was a father,
brother, cousin, and friend to many. He loved football, basketball and
loved Lebron James. And, he was a member and mentor of the Minneapolis
community.

Throughout this trial, we’ll be here and we’ll be in touch. We will combat
disinformation and call out those who spread it, we will hold our
collective trauma, and we will work towards a future where Black people
are not murdered at the hands of the state. But we can’t do it without
you.

Let’s use our voices together to make sure the evidence is loud and clear:
There’s only one reason why George Floyd died: Chauvin murdered him. 

[ [link removed] ]Share the “George is a human” graphic now.

Chauvin’s trial, at its core, is about the toxic culture of anti-Black
racism and violence that belies local police departments nationwide. We
need to upend this culture, divest from violent, militarized police
forces, and invest in community-led safety solutions to protect Black
lives.

Until Justice Is Real,

Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Erika, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison,
Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team.


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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.

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