"I Can't Breathe"
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man was handcuffed by police and pinned face-down to the ground by 3 officers as a fourth officer looked on. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, officers kneeled on Floyd's neck, torso and legs. Despite Floyd's repeated pleas to the officers stating, "I can't breathe," the kneeling continued. Floyd became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead.
This is far from the first time an unarmed black person has been killed in America. Floyd's murder comes on the tail of multiple incidents resulting in the death of an unarmed black person this year. On February 23, 2020, armed civilians shot and killed 25-year-old black man, Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia while he was out jogging. On March 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky, police breached the home of 26-year-old EMT, Breonna Taylor, without warning just before 1am. She was shot at least 8 times and killed in her bed by police.
The Floyd murder - coupled with decades of violence and injustice against black people in the U.S. - has sparked outrage and mass protests across the country. Below are but a small handful of resources to help increase your knowledge and understanding:
"A Decade Of Watching Black People Die," NPR, May 31, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/865261916/a-decade-of-watching-black-people-die
"8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," New York Times, May 31, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html
"Systemic Racism Explained." https://youtu.be/YrHIQIO_bdQ
"I Can't Breathe: Black Men Living and Dying in America," CNN Special, anchored by Don Lemon, Aired May 31, 2020. https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2020/05/29/cnn-special-i-cant-breathe-black-men-living-dying-in-america/
"A Conversation on Racial Inequality & Injustice," hosted by GISH, streamed live on May 30, 2020. Actors Jensen Ackles, Danneel Ackles, and Misha Collins listen LIVE to activists and black thought leaders Daryl Davis, Briona Jenkins, Rev. Deborah Johnson & Baratunde Thurston for a LIVE, inspiring conversation about racial inequality & injustice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSSIbuuEg0
"From Ferguson to Baton Rouge: Deaths of black men and women at the hands of police," Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2016. https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-deaths-20160707-snap-htmlstory.html#2014
"Mapping Police Violence," https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/ (last update: May 29, 2020)
"2019 Police Shootings Database," Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/
"2018 Police Shootings Database," Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/police-shootings-2018/