Floyd died after a police officer held him down by the neck with his knee for an extended period.
Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian West, Cardi B and more stars are speaking out about the tragic death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died after a police officer held him down by the neck with his knee for an extended period.
Floyd was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside a deli. Video of his arrest shows Floyd, who is black, repeatedly telling a white police officer kneeling on his neck that he couldn't breathe. The officer didn't let up for more than seven minutes, and according to CBS Minnesota, the 46-year-old was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Four officers were fired Tuesday for their roles in the incident, CBS News reports. The FBI is taking part in the investigation.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday, "At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd... I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!"
Beyoncé remembered Floyd with a post on her website. "Rest in power George Floyd," she wrote, below what looks like a yearbook photo.
Kardashian West posted a drawing of Floyd on her Instagram along with the hashtag "#JusticeforGeorgeFloyd." "Please, I can't breathe," she added, quoting Floyd's plea before his death.
"Enough is enough! What will it take ? A civil war ? A new president? Violent riots ? It’s tired ! I’m tired ! The country is tired !" Cardi wrote on Instagram. "You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free !"
Jamie Foxx wrote, "Do we need any more proof that if you are a man of color when it comes to Police procedure we are at a deadly disadvantage?… No need to sugarcoat it… Two white men carry out mass murders that kill over 32 people… One of the mass murderers sat down in the church with the black members and then proceeded to kill them and was calmly taken into custody... #whydotheyhateus."
LeBron James posted a side-by-side photo of Floyd's arrest and Colin Kaepernick kneeling on a football field with the text, "This... is why." "Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? ??♂️ #StayWoke?," he captioned the post.
"How is this possible again??" Rita Wilson asked. "George Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Said his neck hurt. Said everything hurts. He wasn’t armed. How does this happen???? Again???"
"This is what it means to be Black in America. Tried. Convicted. Killed for being Black," Viola Davis shared. "We are dictated by hundreds of years of policies that have restricted our very existence and still have to continue to face modern day lynchings. Here's the thing......America will never be great until we can figure out a way for it to work for EVERYBODY!!! "I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued"....... RIP George Floyd ??."
See more reactions to Floyd's tragic death below.
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