George Floyd was killed on Monday in Minneapolis. He’s a black man who was handcuffed, pinned to the ground, and died after a white police officer rendered him unable to breathe by pressing and holding his knee down upon Floyd’s neck for an extended period of time. Video of the incident includes Floyd helplessly saying “I can’t breathe” while the cop holds him down in that position.
Titus O’Neil reacted to Floyd’s death on Instagram by expressing how hopeless he feels as a black father trying to raise two black men, in a country where these incidents of police brutality against black people are a recurring nightmare.
Dave Batista recorded a video where he expressed his frustration and anger over Floyd’s death:
I recommend that you listen to Batista’s entire video. Here is just one brief snippet of what he said:
“Everybody in America should have a problem with this. Every white person, every black person, every brown person, every yellow person. Every human being should have an issue with this. This man was murdered by this police officer...if you’re not speaking up and saying that you’re not okay with this, this shit’s gonna continue to happen. And if you’re not speaking out against this, then you’re a part of the problem, and you’re letting this happen. Because until we all get together and stand up and say we’re not okay with this shit, it’s gonna continue to happen.”
I will take Batista’s advice and use this platform here to say that I am not okay with this. George Floyd was needlessly murdered by law enforcement simply because he’s a black man. The United States of America has major problems with systemic racism that Floyd’s death is just the latest example. It’s right here in our faces, where it has always been, and it’s the most disgusting aspect of our society. This shit is very real, it permeates our culture, and we need to stand up against all forms of racism.