Beyoncé is speaking out against the unjust death of George Floyd with a call to action.
She shared the message on her Instagram addressing Floyd’s murder and how we as Americans can no longer “normalize this pain.” While Miles Davis’ “So What” was playing in the background, she said her message wasn’t just for people of color, but for all races. “No more senseless killings of human beings,” she said. “George is all our family in humanity. He’s our family because he is a fellow American.”
She then directed her followers to sign the change.org petition seeking justice for Floyd, who was killed during an arrest in which an officer put his knee on his neck until he couldn't breathe. Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital following the incident. As of this writing, the petition has over 6.3 million signatures and is currently capped at 7,500,000.
The petition states it is trying to reach the attention of Mayor Jacob Frey and DA Mike Freeman to have all four officers charged and fired immediately. Former Minnesota officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday. However, the three other officers have been fired, but not charged.
Beyoncé has previously honored Floyd’s name shortly after his death. On the homepage of her website, she displayed a photo of Floyd with the caption “Rest in Power George Floyd.”
