George Floyd was an unarmed African American man that died needlessly this week after being arrested and pinned down to the ground by police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck.
The horrible incident was caught on video and quickly went viral…
Floyd could be heard saying the words, “I can’t breathe,” and, “I’m about to die.”
He had to feel the life leaving his body — and, yet, no one helped him.
All four police officers involved were fired, and the mayor of Minneapolis — along with protestors around the nation — are demanding justice. Today, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Protests are being held around the country, and an 8 p.m. CT curfew for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., went into effect today following three nights of riots.
This is a heartbreaking situation. We have to do better as a people.
We live in one of the best countries in the world and we should feel safe to experience the freedom we have and the lives we live. Even if someone is being arrested, they shouldn’t be treated like they aren’t human.
If someone who is defenseless cries out for help while they are dying … they should receive help.
Please take time today to think about how valuable life is and how we can do better at showing love and empathy.
At Karmagawa, we’ll continue to expose stories like this in hopes that they’ll inspire change.
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Video is a powerful tool to show what is happening in the world — and we need more people to tell those stories.
Decisions to change will only happen if we look ourselves in the mirror.
We joined forces with professional filmmaker Amir Zakeri to create a course about the art of storytelling through video — and if it interests you, it’s on presale now.
Check out this video to learn more.
How did watching this video make you feel? Leave a comment below.
(Cover image: Bumble Dee/Shutterstock)