Mastodon

Fatal Racism In Minneapolis

May 27, 2020

Photo Credit: The All-Nite Images • CC BY-SA 2.0

Alan Minsky for Mike F., Deb, Mike H., Janis, Dan, Donna, Dr. Bill, Kimberly, and Bryan—your PDA National Team​By Donna Smith, Executive Director – Progressive Democrats of America

Another day, another death

 

Another day, another death of an unarmed African American man at the hands of law enforcement officers sworn to serve and protect. Whom do they serve and whom do they protect?

On Monday evening, George Floyd was suffocated by a white Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee to Mr. Floyd’s neck for seven minutes. Floyd pleaded for mercy at least 11 times before passing out. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) condemns this brutal act and the systemic racism that permeates American society.

Sign the petition: We demand justice for George Floyd

“Mr. Floyd’s death appears to be yet another horrifying instance of excessive force leading to the death of African Americans across this country,” wrote Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Betty McCollum, Sen. Tina Smith, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

“In addition to the obvious state laws that will govern this case, federal law makes it a crime for a state or local police officer to willfully violate a person’s constitutional rights, which includes the use of excessive force.”

Today, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated, “When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”

Meanwhile, demonstrations against the murder were dispersed by police wearing riot gear and wielding tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets.

Whom do we serve and whom do we protect? It’s too late for George Floyd and Philando Castile and Tamir Rice and Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin and far too many others. We say their names and we demand serious change and real justice now.

 

P.S. Please sign the petition: We demand justice for George Floyd.

7 Comments

  1. Liela Tracy

    Justice for George

  2. HW Freedman

    I have been seeing this kind of thing happen since I was a kid in Brooklyn in the 1940s and 1950s, then in the 1960s when the Civil Rights movement was in full swing…and on until now…
    I was recently told by a sincere white American (I am white) that the vast majority of Americans are compassionate and liberal and that only small minority are racist. I replied, Yes, the national surveys seem to indicate that, but there are 207 million registered voters in the USA and only 125 million voted in the 2016 election so the minority won. And the minority continue to win year after year in too many towns, cities and states because all of those compassionate people are silent and allowing the violence and injustices to continue.

  3. Jennifer Horne

    I am outraged!

  4. Mary

    #BlackLivesMatter

  5. Careen

    Absolutely disgusting and this is America land of the free

  6. Ron

    White armed men can threaten state troopers, and nothing happens, they are allowed to threaten out representatives .Armed African Americans should take to the streets, watch how fast they outlaw guns in public.

  7. Rebecca Shumard

    We demand justice for George Floyd.

Mastodon