(AllHipHop News) The nation is currently dealing with the fallout from several high-profile cases of African-Americans being killed at the hands of police officers or ex-police officers. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd all, unfortunately, became hashtags in the last four months.
The families of Taylor, Arbery, and Floyd have united to call for a congressional hearing and a national task force to craft new bipartisan legislation centered on ending racial violence and increasing police accountability. They also released a joint statement.
“We’re devastated about the senseless violence that has broken the hearts of our families,” reads the families’ statement. “While we are grateful for the outpouring of love and support, it’s important that now – more than ever – we use our voices to enact change, demand accountability within our justice system and keep the legacies of Breonna, Ahmaud, and George alive. This is a national crisis and our government needs to take immediate and widespread action to protect our black and brown communities.”
Additionally, the families are declaring a state of emergency. They plan to create a task force designed to organize national sanctions – such as rolling boycotts, travel embargoes, and corporate withdrawal – in the areas where the homicides occurred.
Plus, the families plan to present and amplify legislation designed to reduce police violence and increase accountability. They will also present a case to the United Nation Human Rights Committee, calling for sweeping changes to America’s criminal justice system.
Civil Rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Benjamin L. Crump are representing all three families. A virtual press conference will be held on Friday, May 29, at 11 am ET/10 am CT on Facebook.com/TeamRoc. CNN commentator/criminal justice reform activist Van Jones will be moderating the conference.
Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot eight times inside her own Louisville, Kentucky home on March 13 when law enforcement served a “no-knock warrant” in the wrong apartment. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, faced criminal charges for firing at and injuring a cop even though he was unaware that the people entering his residence were police officers. Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine eventually dismissed all charges against Walker.
On February 23, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was killed in Glynn County, Georgia while jogging. He was fatally shot by two white men, one of which was a former police officer. Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were charged with murder over two months later because of overwhelming pressure following footage of the killing being released to the public. William “Roddie” Bryan, the man who recorded the shooting of Arbery, was also charged with felony murder.
George Floyd appeared to die on camera as white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin purposely pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost 9 minutes as the 46-year-old man was handcuffed on the ground. The four officers involved in the attempted arrest on May 25 were fired, but demonstrations broke out in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area as protestors demand Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng are arrested and charged with murder.
