Unless you have been on a total hiatus in the fourteen days or perhaps, living under a rock – you have probably heard by now about the untimely demise of George Floyd. The news of his cruel death has made headlines and literally broke the internet. Now, more than ever, more people inside and outside the United States have been clamoring for justice for people of color. So much so, in fact, that celebrities who joined George Floyd were seen in the streets, among the protestors. 

With this tragedy opening an entire pandora’s box of questions and violent reactions – it would be understandable if you find yourself confused and in need of detailed explanations. Let us dive deeper into this whole shebang, shall we?

George Floyd’s Death 

Just recently, The New York Times published an entire reportage on George Floyd’s death – putting together the security footage, videos from witnesses as well as a good number of official documents which show that the choices made by the officers that day ended in a fatal mistake. 

The tragedy took place on the 25th of May. George Floyd, a 46-year-old man, was arrested by Minneapolis Police Officers. This happened right after the employee of a convenience store where George Floyd bought cigarettes accused him of paying with a fake 20 dollar bill. The employee then called 911 and from there, things went from bad to worse pretty quickly. Initially, the news that broke out only mentioned that he died under police custody.

 However, a few hours after his death, a video of the actual confrontation went viral. In the said video that was posted on Facebook by several different users, a police officer by the name of Derek Chauffin was seen pinning the victim to the ground with his knees right on top of the victim’s neck. What makes the video even more horrifying is that you can hear the handcuffed Mr. Floyd on the ground, saying that he could not breathe. To add insult to the injury, or in this case, tragic death – the Derek Chauffin did not take off his knees even after Mr. Floyd was seen unconscious. Mr. Chausin, who was also notably white, kept his knee atop the victim’s neck for a total of at least eight minutes and forty six seconds – thereby causing Mr. Floyd’s death. 

Honoring Mr. Floyd 

Shortly after his death, many of his nearest and dearest began sharing their favourite memories with George Floyd – whom they refer to as a gentle giant. One of his friends, Jonathan Veal, 45, shared with the press his fondest memory with the deceased. 

According to Mr. Veal, he first met Mr. Floyd more than three decades ago. They were only in 11th grade back then and it was the last day of school at Jack Yates High School in Houston. He recalled how their close group of friends, consisting of black teenagers, began contemplating about how they thought their senior year would pan out. The scene was almost like the ones you would see in most coming-of-age movies. They asked each other questions like “What do you think senior year would bring?” and “What do you want to do with your life?” 

Mr. Veal recalled that Mr. Floyd turned to him and said “I want to touch the world”. At the time, he was a tall and very promising star athlete. At the time, he thought that maybe he meant that he wanted to play in the NBA or perhaps, the NFL – they were 17-year-old teenagers, after all. 

Mr. Veal was not the only one who shared about how Mr. Floyd lived a good life. To his loved ones, he was fondly called “Big Floyd”. He was a father to a six-year-old girl Gianna who resides with her mother, Roxie Washington in Houston. According to Ms. Washington, he was no less than a good father to Gianna. 

He also left his girlfriend, Courtney Ross, behind. 

Celebrities Who Joined In Solidarity 

Since the occurrence of the tragedy on the 25th of May, a lot of celebrities joined George Floyd-related protests. Along with them, thousands of people from all over the United States have been speaking up against police brutality – most especially towards the Black community and the people of color. 

Ariana Grande 

The singer expressed her frustration over the lack of media coverage after she participated in a peaceful protest in Los Angeles, California, saying : “hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage. all throughout beverly hills and west hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. we were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. cover this too please.”

With this, Tinashe added that the Media “doesn’t want you to see peaceful protests” 

Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas 

The cute celebrity couple was photographed walking at a protest in Los Angeles. 

Halsey 

In a series of tweets, Halsey shared how many of the police troops tried to break the people apart through the use of tear gas and rubber bullets. The singer also shared that she, in fact, was one of the people who was directly hit by these rubber bullets. 

Cole Sprouse 

Apart from amplifying the spirits of the protesters by showing solidarity through his social media following, Cole Sprouse also joined the protesters. He even revealed that he was arrested, saying : ““I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica,” he wrote. “We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us. It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement.”

Timothee Chalamet 

Through a series of photos, the “Call Me By Your Name” actor shared photos of himself taking part in a peaceful protest in Los Angeles. 

Emily Ratajkowski 

In a series of photos and videos, the model shared how she took part in the protests. She was also able to film one of the cars burning. 

Machine Gun Kelly 

Through several photos, the musician demanded justice for the black community, saying “justice soon..” 

Ellen Page 

The “Umbrella Academy” star also took part in the protests that took place in Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Jamie Foxx 

The actor was seen in several locations to show his support for the protests. He also said that he was not there as a celebrity but as a part of the community. 

“These are my brothers. This means everything because, at the end of the day when we see you guys out here on the frontline, we want to let you know you got support.”

J.Cole 

Miguel 

George Floyd Funeral 

By the looks of it, the protests would not be ending anytime soon as people are still continuously talking about black lives matter and demanding to put an end to police brutality. 

As thousands gathered in Houston, Texas to pay their respects for George Floyd one last time, his family members share that they are hoping that this tragedy paves the way for a widespread call for change. 

The police officers who are responsible for his death have also been dismissed from service as of writing. 

To show further support to the cause, here are some organizations that you may be interested in : 

• Campaign Zero – dedicated to ending police brutality in America through the use of research-backed strategies. 
• Color of Change – encouraging and pushing decision makers to be more swift in responding to racial disparities. 
• Equal Justice Initiative – aims to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality.