Monday, May 25th was a solemn day for friends and family of Minneapolis resident, George Floyd. Police responded to a shopkeeper’s phone call regarding someone attempting to use a counterfeit bill at his establishment. Upon arrival, they placed Floyd under arrest before one officer pinned him to the ground with his knee across his neck for seven full minutes. Despite his consistent insistence that he couldn’t breathe and onlookers pleading with the officer, the situation resulted in the completely unnecessary and avoidable death of Floyd.
In the days following the tragedy, protesters have taken to the streets of Minneapolis where Floyd was killed. Many were blasted with tear gas and rubber bullets after they threw rocks at police cars, set fires and engaged in looting. The widespread destruction has left some parts of the city unrecognizable, and local law enforcement is doing its best to get the situation under control.
Minneapolis isn’t the only place reeling from Floyd’s death, however, as the story has caused immense frustration and sadness across the nation. More and more people are taking to social media to speak up on the issue, including famous rapper Ice Cube, who posted on his Twitter to ask the question: “How long will we go for Blue on Black crime until we strike back?”
How long will we go for Blue on Black Crime before we strike back??? https://t.co/sXDq7SXl6W
— Ice Cube (@icecube) May 26, 2020
Ice Cube then went on to call on the FBI to step up and begin finding and removing racist cops, though the post was subsequently removed. In another tweet, he posted a photo of the officer who killed Floyd next to another photo of a man wearing a hat that reads “Make Whites Great Again.”
A wolf in wolves clothing. The demons are among us. #Fightthecowards pic.twitter.com/UYw7zXNabQ
— Ice Cube (@icecube) May 27, 2020
The post quickly received Twitter’s “manipulated media” tag, as the photo of the person wearing a white supremacy hat has been confirmed not to be the officer who killed Floyd. Either way, though, it’s clear Ice Cube remains passionate about the issue alongside millions of other angered and terrified Americans.
As for the officer, he’s been fired from his job, but it’s uncertain if he’ll face charges for killing George Floyd.
