This morning, the world was shocked-- once again-- by the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of a police officer. This particular tragedy actually recalls another killing by police officers, that of Eric Garner, as both victims pleaded that they could not breathe as the police officers closed their respective airways.
The Minneapolis man who died is George Floyd. His name has begun to trend across the internet, as people rally in his support and demand justice. It's caused many rappers to speak out too, enraged by what they saw on the disturbing video footage, calling for more than just another protest.
The video showed a police officer forcing his knee on to Floyd's neck, preventing his ability to breathe. Floyd pleaded, "I cannot breathe! I cannot breathe!" And eventually, he stopped breathing. He was later taken to the hospital, where he died.
He was originally arrested as a forgery suspect, although there are no new details concerning this.
A protester prays in front of the memorial of George Floyd who died in custody on May 26, 2020 / KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images
While the police officers involved in the arrest of Floyd have yet to be identified, the Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo has confirmed that four officers were fired, calling them "former" employees.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, calling the incident "wrong at every level."
"This does not reflect the values that Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to instill. It does not represent the training we've invested in or the measures we've taken to ensure accountability. Being black in America should not be a death sentence," Frey said.
We'll keep you posted as more details emerge in this ongoing story.