BLM Protests in Denmark as Black Lives Matter Goes Global
The Black Lives Matter protests that have sprung up in the wake of the killing of George Floyd are no longer just an American movement. The George Floyd protests have spread around the world, as protests have erupted in London, Japan, New Zealand, and Denmark. This BLM protest in Copenhagen, Denmark is just one example of the far reaching battle against police brutality and racial injustice, as protesters chant I can’t breathe in a variety of languages and cultures. Racial injustice is a truly global issue, and while the United States might have its own shameful history, the world itself can no longer deny that Black Lives Matter.
82 shot, 22 fatally, over Chicago’s most violent weekend of 2020
enty-two people were killed and at least 60 others were wounded by gun violence in Chicago’s most violent weekend of the year so far, which also saw widespread protests, riots and looting throughout the city in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
More than half of the weekend’s victims were shot on Sunday as the city reeled from violent protests Saturday night that led to hundreds of arrests and the implementation of a curfew.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said Monday that of the total fatal shootings over the weekend, 17 homicides occurred on Sunday alone. The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed 15 for Sunday, with another three at unknown locations.
The weekend’s toll surpasses the tally from the same weekend in 2019, when 52 people were wounded — 8 fatally — in citywide gun violence.
Sunday, May 31
The latest fatal shooting happened Sunday night in West Garfield Park on the West Side.
Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert for gunfire found the 18-year-old shot in the right side of her head at 10:51 p.m. in the 4200 block of West Van Buren Street, according to Chicago police. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Several hours before that, a man was killed and two other people were wounded in Austin on the West Side.
They were standing outside with a group about 8:30 p.m. in the 5100 block of West Madison Street when someone fired shots, according to police. The 27-year-old man was hit in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital. He was transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An 18-year-old woman was also shot three times in the leg and a 21-year man was hit in the foot, police said. Both were taken to Mount Sinai in fair condition.
Another man was killed about half an hour earlier in Burnside on the South Side.
He was driving about 8 p.m. in the 900 block of East 93rd Street when someone in a dark-colored Grand Prix started shooting, police said. The man was hit several times in the head and crashed his vehicle in the same block moments later. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier that evening, one man was killed and another was injured in the Back of the Yards on the South Side.
They were in a vehicle at 6:43 p.m. in the 4600 block of South Marshfield Avenue when someone fired shots, police said. A 26-year-old man was hit in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other man, 20, was shot in the leg and taken to the University of Illinois Hospital in fair condition.
Several hours before that, a 28-year-old man was shot to death near Greater Grand Crossing on the South Side.
He was standing about 4:43 p.m. in the 7100 block of South Vincennes Avenue when a male in a red Chevy Impala opened fire, police said. The man was shot multiple times and was taken to St. Bernard Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Less than half an hour earlier, an 18-year-old woman was fatally shot in West Englewood on the South Side.
She was shot during an argument with a male suspect about 4:25 p.m. in the 5900 block of South Carpenter Street, police said. He sped off in a dark-colored sedan.
The woman was taken to St. Bernard Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified her as Keishanay Bolden. Autopsy results found she died from a gunshot wound to the torso and ruled her death a homicide.
About an hour before that, a man was killed in Back of the Yards.
The 18-year-old was shot in the chest about 3:20 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Ashland Avenue, according to police. He was dropped off at Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A man died after being dropped off at a West Side hospital with a gunshot wound less than an hour earlier.
The 25-year-old was taken to Norwegian American Hospital, 1044 N. Francisco Ave., about 2:40 p.m. with gunshots to the right side of his neck and his upper back, police said. He was pronounced dead. It was not immediately clear where the shooting occurred.
About 50 minutes earlier, another man was found shot to death in East Garfield Park on the West Side.
He was found with multiple gunshot wounds about 1:50 p.m. in an alley in the 3900 block of West Madison Street, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ten minutes before that, two men were killed in Calumet Heights on the South Side.
The men, 39 and 31, were driving about 1:40 p.m. in the 1600 block of East 95th Street when someone in a dark-colored SUV pulled up and opened fire on their vehicle, police said. Both men were shot in the head and pronounced dead on the scene.
Earlier Sunday morning, a 37-year-old man was found shot to death in a Marquette Park home on the Southwest Side.
He was found about 10:05 a.m. inside a residence in the 3300 block of West 71st Street, with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation.
About 20 minutes before that, a man was found shot to death in the Gold Coast on the Near North Side.
He was found with multiple gunshot wounds about 9:45 a.m. in the 200 block of East Huron Street, police said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Nearly five hours before that, another man was killed in Austin.
Someone in a vehicle pulled up beside the 25-year-old man and shot him multiple times about 5:25 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 36-year-old man was fatally shot earlier Sunday in Englewood.
Someone in a vehicle pulled up and shot him in the chest and leg about 12:37 a.m. in the 6800 block of South Laflin Street, police said.
The man, identified as Angelo Bronson of Ashburn, was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center at 1:11 a.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Saturday, May 30
On Saturday night, a man was shot to death in River North amid downtown protests.
Bernardino Mercado, 26, was walking on the sidewalk with another male about 11 p.m. in the 100 block of West Hubbard Street when he exchanged words with a male suspect in a car, authorities said. The suspect then got out of the car and started hitting the male with a handgun. He then shot Mercado in the chest before continuing to hit the other person with the gun. The suspect eventually got back in the car and drove away.
Mercado, who lived in Avondale on the Northwest Side, was pronounced dead at the scene, police and the medical examiner’s office said.
Five other people were injured in downtown shootings during the protests.
Earlier Saturday night, a man was killed in a shooting in Belmont Central on the Northwest Side.
Fernando De Leon, 34, was shot twice in the chest at 9:51 p.m. in the 2300 block of North Meade Avenue, authorities said. De Leon, who lived in Belmont Central, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Less than three hours before that, a 26-year-old woman was shot to death in Chicago Lawn on the South Side.
Officers responded about 7:19 p.m. in the 2900 block of West 63rd Street and found her with multiple gunshot wounds, Chicago police said. She was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified her as Noel Dominguez of Berwyn.
Earlier that morning, a man was killed in Austin.
Officers found David L. Green unresponsive about 8:30 a.m. in the 800 block of North Lorel Avenue, with a gunshot wound to the left side of his body, under his arm, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Several hours before that, another man was fatally shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
Gregory A. Lewis, 21, was riding in a vehicle at 2:54 a.m. in the 500 block of East 115th Street when someone shot at him from a passing car, authorities said. Lewis, who lived in West Pullman, was hit in the neck and chest and driven to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Minutes earlier, a woman was shot to death in Avalon Park on the South Side.
Danyal P. Jones, 30, was standing on a front porch about 2:50 a.m. in the 8100 block of South Woodlawn Avenue when a male walked up and fired shots, authorities said. Jones, who lived in Gresham, was hit in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Friday, May 29
The weekend’s first homicide left a 23-year-old man dead Friday in Englewood on the South Side.
Deonte Fleming was on the sidewalk about 7:08 p.m. in the 1200 block of West 70th Street when someone in a vehicle shot him in the chest and side, authorities said. Fleming, who lived in Scottsdale on the Southwest Side. was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center at 7:37 p.m.
The weekend’s nonfatal shootings included a person shot while protecting an Avondale liquor store on the Northwest Side Sunday amid widespread looting in the city and suburbs.
The male was protecting the Binny’s Beverage Depot about 10:30 p.m. at 3934 W. Diversey Avenue when gunshots rang out, according to police. He was hit in the right arm and taken in good condition to Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Teen victims
Several teenagers were also among the weekend’s victims.
A man and a 17-year-old boy were shot Sunday night in Englewood.
They were sitting in a parked vehicle at 10:51 p.m. on Peoria Avenue when someone fired shots, police said. The teen was hit in the left arm and back while the 24-year-old man was shot in the right arm. Both were taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Saturday night, another 17-year-old boy was wounded in Ravenswood Manor on the Northwest Side.
He was riding in a vehicle about 3:15 a.m. on Montrose Avenue when he heard gunshots and realized he was hit in the arm, police said. The driver took him to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition.
On Friday evening, another teen was shot in Austin.
About 6:23 p.m., the 17-year-old was on Corcoran Place when someone got out of a blue vehicle and fired shots, police said. The teen was struck in the foot and taken to Rush University Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.
More than 30 others were hurt by gun violence across Chicago between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.
Last weekend, Chicago saw its deadliest Memorial Day weekend in five years with 10 shot dead and 39 others wounded.
Early Monday, the Chicago Police Department announced that it would be delaying the release of its crime statistics from the month of May “in light of recent activity and to ensure we have the most accurate statistics.”
Photo Credit: chicago.suntimes.com
7-Eleven employees recall watching store burn down
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — Businesses and neighborhoods across the area continue cleaning up after rioters ransacked them overnight and one of the hardest hit was a 7-Eleven in downtown St. Louis.
Police and protesters clashed in downtown St. Louis Monday night, throwing fireworks, breaking windows and doors, looting and, eventually, setting fire to the 7-Eleven near Union Station.
The fire has left employees out of a job and Sierra Shields and her co-workers wondering how they’ll pay upcoming bills.
“Like my whole world just fell. That was all I had, my job,” Shields said. It just felt like somebody was taking something from me and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Shields left work at 7-Eleven around 8 Monday night, just before rioters took over.
It just started to get crazy around here, gun shots, sirens, we heard yelling it sounded like explosions,” Shields said.
Shields watched in shock as agitators fired shots into the store, even throwing sledgehammers and scooters to get in. She says looters grabbed anything they could before lighting the building on fire.
“You’re hurting the minority. This is minority owned, minority mainly worked here so I don’t see how this is spreading their message at all,” Shields said.
Franchise owner Abe Eshein had no idea what was happening until his phone rang and he turned his TV on.
“I was sitting and one of my employees was by the store and called me and said that the store was being looted at the time,” Eshein said. “I was just horrified to find the business I had for 30 years burn right in front of my eyes, it was very upsetting and emotional moment.”
Shields says the store was a resource for everyone in the community, especially the elderly and homeless. As she looks for another job, she worries for them and for the future of her community saying, “I see the fall of St. Louis, that’s what it looks like to me. Everything is just falling.”
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Cops mistakenly handcuff residents instead of would-be looters
Dramatic video shows armed California business owners and local residents in a standoff with looters — then getting handcuffed when the cops finally show up.
The footage shows two residents from a Van Nuys neighborhood and the owners of a liquor store, who are holding rifles, in a verbal beef with a small group of would-be looters, with the entire incident caught by a Fox11 News TV crew at the scene.
One resident, identified only as Monet by the station, is seen trying to flag down passing police cars, while the liquor store owners tell the looters, “We’re closed.”
But when police do show up, they handcuff the woman and two others and put them up against the liquor store wall — even as the store owners and Fox11 reporter Chistina Gonzalez yelled at the cops for going after the wrong people.
“I was handcuffed, thrown up against the wall with my husband, my brother-in-law,” Monet told Gonzalez in an interview Monday night. “The officer that was behind me, I was explaining to him, no, we’re trying to help.”
Police finally released the three, and officers can be seen running across the street after the looters.
Monet said the trouble began when she saw that looters, including a group that was sitting inside a car, were attempting to break into a neighboring gold store, and said she stepped in because she’s known the owner for more than 30 years.
“They were going after the gold store,” she said. “But being that me and my son and I were out in the front with the owner of the liquor store, they just wanted to jump out the car and they wanted to harass me because I was talking a lot of stuff.”
“And I just turned around, ‘We’re not doing that,’” she said. “‘We’re not tearing up nothing over here.’”
The confrontation came on the seventh day of protests and riots in the wake of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
“I understand the protest,” Monet said. “I understand what this is about. I’m fighting for the same protest. But what we’re not going to do is we don’t want other people from different cities and tear up where we live, because we have to rebuild this.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/cops-mistakenly-handcuff-residents-instead-of-would-be-looters-video/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
‘We come to riot’: Illinois man livestreamed handing out explosives
An Illinois man livestreamed himself handing out explosives and destroying property — exclaiming at one point, “We come to riot, boy” at Minneapolis protests over George Floyd’s death, officials said.
Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, faces numerous charges including civil disorder, possession of unregistered explosives and participating in and organizing riots in the Twin Cities, according to court documents filed in federal court.
In videos posted to Facebook, Rupert showed himself handing explosives to others last week and encouraging them to throw them at law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit.
“I’ve got some bombs if some of you all want to throw them back,” he said while handing out an item with brown casing and a green wick.
Shortly after a person throws a device, an explosion can be heard in the background, officials said.
Footage also showed him appearing to light a Sprint store on fire — before later entering and stealing from an Office Depot, according to the affidavit.
“We come to riot, boy! This is what we came for!” Rupert can be heard saying in that video.
He later shared on Facebook on Saturday that he was headed to Chicago to “loot” there, the affidavit said.
By early Sunday, he posted more videos of himself in and around the Windy City, where he talks about starting a “riot,” officials said.
Rupert was arrested early the same day for violating an emergency curfew in the city, officials said.
During his arrest, officers found several destructive devices, a hammer, a heavy-duty flashlight and cash in his vehicle, officials said.
Rupert appeared Monday for a hearing in federal court in Chicago, where a judge ordered him transferred to Minnesota to face the charges, according to the Star Tribune.
With Post wires
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/we-came-to-riot-man-live-streamed-handing-out-explosives/
Photo Credit: Knox county jail, Ill.
Brothers, ages 6 and 7, killed while driving grandparents’ car
Two young Missouri brothers, ages 6 and 7, died in a crash after taking their grandparents’ car out for a joyride, authorities said.
The boys died Friday in rural Jackson County when their grandparents’ 2007 Buick LaCrosse went airborne at least twice after running off East Blue Mills Road and hitting a guardrail, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol crash report obtained by KSHB.
The Buick, which was driven by the 7-year-old, then struck a nearby wire before rolling over as it hit a tree and ultimately caught fire in a creek, authorities said.
The identities of the boys, who were from Independence, have not been released, KSHB reports.
The young driver lost control of the Buick just before it went off an embankment, WDAF reports.
Speed is believed to be a “contributing factor” in the crash, including why the vehicle flipped and landed on its roof, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Andy Bell told NBC News.
The youngsters also drove through a field during their unauthorized ride, Bell said.
“It’s pretty unique, to say the least, and devastating,” Bell told NBC News.
Investigators were looking into how the boys initially took possession of the Buick, Bell said.
Neither boy was wearing a seat belt at the time, KCTV reports.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/young-missouri-brothers-who-took-grandparents-car-die-in-crash/
Photo Credit: twitter
Saks Fifth Avenue is wrapped in razor wire to prevent looting
Saks Fifth Avenue surrounded its flagship Manhattan store with razor wire on Tuesday to keep thieves from smashing their way in and making off with troves of expensive merchandise, The Post has learned.
The luxury retailer has also hired private security guards with specially trained dogs to protect the premises in the wake of Monday night’s looting of Macy’s iconic, Herald Square location.
At Saks, workers on Tuesday afternoon began attaching chain-link fencing to plywood that was previously installed to cover the luxury store’s famed display windows.
The second phase of the job saw workers further fortify the fencing with a coil of razor wire along the top edge.
At least seven German shepherds, Belgian Malinois and pit bull dogs were also on hand, along with guards who will use them to patrol outside the store in an attempt to deter looters amid the ongoing protests over the racially charged, May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“God willing, I hope they don’t show up and it goes smoothly,” one guard said.
The guard noted that the dogs “aren’t friendly.”
n addition to the fencing and the guards, Saks rented four massive floodlights — at a total cost of more than $16,000 — to illuminate the streets surrounding the store, sources said.
The NYPD has access to live video from rooftop surveillance cameras on Saks and other nearby luxury retailers, and planned to monitor the feeds as the night progressed, police sources said.
Extra cops were also deployed to the area in the wake of increased violence and looting during the protests that began in the city on Thursday, the sources said.
Several hundred protesters who were marching along Fifth Avenue passed by Saks shortly after 7 p.m., chanting slogans that included “George Floyd,” “Black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe.”
The latter slogan echoed the pleas of Floyd, who was black, as white cop Derek Chavin — since charged with third-degree murder — was recorded kneeling on his neck.
The commotion caused by the protesters sparked a loud round of barking from the dogs and many people in the crowd paused to snap photos of the excited canines.
A contingent of about 30 NYPD cops in riot gear followed the activists as they continued marching north.
At Macy’s, scores of crooks were recorded swarming an entrance to the self-proclaimed “world’s largest store” shortly before a citywide curfew went into effect at 11 p.m. Monday.
The brazen lawlessness there and elsewhere in the city led Gov. Andrew Cuomo to declare that Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD “did not do their job” and President Trump to tweet “Bring in National Guard!”
Tuesday’s curfew was pushed up to 8 p.m., with non-essential traffic barred in Manhattan south of 96th Street.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/saks-fifth-avenue-is-wrapped-in-razor-wire-to-prevent-looting/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
YouTube star Jake Paul claims he wasn’t looting after video shows him at damaged Arizona mall
YouTube star Jake Paul denies that he “engaged in any looting or vandalism” despite being seen with friends on video at an Arizona mall as people around them appeared to be damaging property Saturday night. Demonstrators all over the country continued to protest the death of George Floyd over the weekend, calling for an end to police violence. Floyd died at police hands in Minneapolis early last week.
“To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism,” the influencer said in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday. The 23-year-old claimed he and his friends “spent the day doing our part to peacefully protest” Floyd’s death and claimed they were tear-gassed for filming the protests.
Floyd died after a police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as he moaned that he couldn’t breathe. A viral video of the incident sparked the ongoing protests, some of which have turned violent, all over the nation.
“We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging,” added Paul. “I do not condone violence, looting or breaking the law.”
However, Paul added in the statement that he understands the “anger and frustration that led to the destruction we witnessed.”
pic.twitter.com/kwsQ2jyMm1— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 31, 2020
Multiple videos showing Paul and his group at the Arizona mall surfaced on Twitter late Saturday and into Sunday morning. New York Times Reporter Taylor Lorenz was one of many who shared the viral videos on the platform. She claimed the footage showed Paul and his friends “‘looting’ and trashing property in a Scottsdale mall last night amid protests.”
Much of the footage appears to be Instagram stories posted by Paul’s photographer/videographer, Andrew Blue. Blue also put out a statement on his Instagram stories denying their party took part in the alleged looting or vandalism.
The viral videos appear to show Paul walking around both the outside and the inside of the mall wearing a white face mask with a red stripe. Multiple people are seen on camera damaging the property, walking into stores and running around.
The footage doesn’t clearly show if Paul did or didn’t participate in the alleged vandalism or take anything from the businesses.
Paul is no stranger to public incidents and viral moments. He recently admitted his brief supposed marriage to YouTube star Tana Mongeau last year was fake, after speculation the nuptials were a publicity stunt, according to Entertainment Tonight. Earlier this year, Paul alleged he and former One Direction member Zayn Malik, had a tense interaction in Las Vegas. Malik’s model girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, later called Paul out on Twitter for his comments, reports ET.
YouTube star Jake Paul and his friends were caught “looting” and trashing property in a Scottsdale mall last night amid protests pic.twitter.com/KyrE87TvA9— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) May 31, 2020
Article via CBS
Kate Hudson’s Fabletics brand cuts ties with influencer Myka Stauffer
Kate Hudson’s Fabletics is one of a host of brands that have canceled ties with influencer Myka Stauffer after she announced she had “rehomed” her adopted son, Huxley, because of his “medical needs,” including autism.
Ohio-based YouTuber Stauffer and her husband revealed last week they had given up the Chinese-born 4-year-old after adopting him in 2017. Huxley was given to another family even though Stauffer once gushed, “I wouldn’t trade him [for] anything!” in a 2018 Instagram post, which doubled as a paid ad for Dreft laundry detergent for newborns.
When asked by a fan, Hudson said on Instagram that Stauffer was “terminated.”
Other brands that have cut ties with Stauffer include Playtex Baby, Chili’s Suave and Big Lots.
Article via PageSix
Music industry to go silent for Black Out Tuesday following George Floyd protests
The music industry is planning to turn off the music and hold a day to reflect and implement change in response to the death of George Floyd and the killings of other black people.
Several top record labels organized Black Out Tuesday as riots erupted around the world sparked by Floyd’s death as well as the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Music-based companies Live Nation and TikTok, as well as the Recording Academy, posted to social media that they planned to support and stand with the black community.
“On Tuesday June 2nd, Columbia Records will observe ‘Black Out Tuesday,’” the Sony label home to Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, Adele and John Legend said in a statement. “This is not a day off. Instead, this is a day to reflect and figure out ways to move forward in solidarity.”
“We continue to stand with the Black community, our staff, artists, and peers in the music industry,” the company continued. “Perhaps with the music off, we can truly listen.”
https://www.instagram.com/columbiarecords/?utm_source=ig_embed
Resources, ways to donate: How you can take action from home after the death of George Floyd
Others that have joined Black Out Tuesday include the Sony imprints RCA Records and Epic Records; the Universal Music Group divisions Republic Records, Def Jam, UMG Nashville, Capitol Records and Island Records; and the Warner Music Group imprints Atlantic and Warner Records. Smaller, independent labels as well as music publishing companies and management firms have also signed on.
UMG’s Interscope Geffen A&M said that in addition to joining Black Out Tuesday, the label home to Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar would not release music this week — the first label to do so.
“Instead, IGA will contribute to organizations that help to bail out protesters exercising their right to peacefully assemble, aid lawyers working for systemic change and provide assistance to charities focused on creating economic empowerment in the Black community,” its statement read.
IGA postponed new music releases MGK, 6lack, Dylan, Jessie Ware, Smokepurp, Lil Mosey, Billy Raffoul, Max Leone and more in coordination with their partners Alamo, LVRN, The Darkroom, Bad Boy and more.
MTV, VH1, CMT and others go dark for 8 minutes and 46 seconds
At 5 p.m. ET/PT today, MTV and the Entertainment & Youth Group brands of ViacomCBS are going dark and suspending all programming for 8 minutes and 46 seconds – the length of time former Minneapolis Police Department Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s complaint.
8 minutes, 46 seconds and ‘inherently dangerous’: What’s in the criminal complaint in the George Floyd case
MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Net, Pop, VH1, TV Land, CMT + Logo will all participate.
Musicians including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Demi Lovato, Post Malone and Harry Styles have spoken out following Floyd’s death and the worldwide riots. Jay-Z released a statement late Sunday calling for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to prosecute those responsible for killing Floyd.
“I, along with an entire country in pain, call upon AG Ellison to do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law. This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have,” Jay-Z said. “I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right. Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters and mothers in pain and look at yourselves.”
Racial tensions were also running high after two white men were arrested in May in the February shooting death of black jogger Arbery in Georgia, and after Louisville, Kentucky, police shot Taylor to death in her home in March.
The R&B duo Chloe x Halle, who will release their sophomore album “Ungodly Hour” on Friday, posted a cover of the classic civil rights anthem and protest song “We Shall Overcome” to Instagram.
“This week has been very heavy for all of us. We’ve been trying to, not understand, because there’s no way to understand the terrible killings — we just have heavy hearts this week and are just trying to do everything we can to pray and lift each other up with our voices,” Halle said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“With everything going on, we felt like music can be very healing, because it’s been that way for us in kind of keeping us sane during this time,” Chloe added. As much as we could, we just wanted to share our gift of song to even just lift spirits for even a few seconds.”
Article via USAToday