It is now being reported that all four former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s murder have been charged! Additionally, the charges for the officer that had his knee on Floyd’s neck were elevated from third to second-degree murder.
As protest against police brutality and in support of black lives erupts all across the United States, several celebrities are chiming in. Below is a statement from hip-hop and R&B star Lauryn Hill.
“The rules of engagement need to change, and most, if not all people, need to rehabilitate the mental programming that we’ve been indoctrinated with. There needs to be an acknowledgment that these mental attitudes are deeply embedded in the psyches of many many Americans, regardless of race, about who deserves to feel safe and who doesn’t.
There also needs to be honest dialogue about the different needs of people without defensiveness and insensitivity. That kind of nuanced conversation needs to be led by informed, compassionate, and no-nonsense communicators who can both advocate for their own collective security, while considering the collective needs of people who occupy a different space and vantage point.
We need highly capable people who can help rebalance an economic paradigm that was born from a system of free labor and exploitation, and only works as long as certain people are excluded from the full promise of freedom.
We have the potential to create new educational paradigms and community economic support systems that help remove people from the CONDITIONS of desperation that lead to violence and looting. Capitalism should be challenged to evolve.
Community, we have the know-how and the intellectual and spiritual resources to help give birth to a new world that promotes more balance and thereby better health for everyone. My goal is to help connect some of this energy so we can help set in motion the ground work that so many have already begun to lay.
#blackrage”
“I can’t breathe.” These were the last words of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Minnesota man, a beloved friend, brother, and coworker.
Floyd, a black man, died on May 25th, 2020, at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin, a white officer who used his knee to pin Floyd’s throat to the ground, choking him beyond motionlessness for over eight minutes, despite Floyd’s cooperation and desperate pleas to live. Three other officers – Tou Thao and two unidentified officers – backed Chauvin up and held Floyd down while bystanders screamed, filmed, and begged the officers for mercy on behalf of Floyd, to no avail.
George Floyd was being arrested for potentially using a counterfeit bill for groceries. Police video shows that he did not resist arrest.
The four officers have been terminated by the Minneapolis Police Department, but this is not enough. We are demanding the attention of Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman and the immediate arrest and second degree murder charge of all four officers involved in this senseless and merciless killing.
Pop icon Janet Jackson is upset about the ongoing mistreatment of African Americans by members of the police force. The singer shared the following post late Sunday night.
#BlackLivesMatter
#NoJusticeNoPeace
Text “FLOYD” to 55156 for George
Text “ENOUGH” to 55156 for Breonna
Text “JUSTICE” to 55156 for Ahmaud
To demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder & justice for all our brothers and sisters lost to police violence. Take action and don’t stop until justice is served. ✊🏿
Little over a year ago American singer Lucky Daye gave us his debut studio album Painted. One of the biggest songs from that project was the single Roll Some Mo, which also has a video.
Fast-forward to 2020 and Lucky Daye and his team at Keep Cool / RCA Records have decided to remix and release the aforementioned track. This time around they have invited Jamaican reggae star, Chronixx, to collaborate on the record. Click here to check it out.
AZ, from the hip-hop group The Firm, has released a thought provoking video for his song “Found My Niche.“
Based on how the visuals starts out, with several young black men holding and openly displaying guns, it would leave one to assume that AZ and those involved in the creation of the video, are in support of that lifestyle; but that is not the case. Prior to the start of the actual song, AZ takes time to recite a poem in which he voices concern about the disturbing mindset of America’s inner-city black youth.
To fully appreciate the depth of both the song and video we are encouraging everyone to simply watch the clip.
“You Are Beautiful“ is Pearl Cutten’s second release from her upcoming EP ‘Fragments Of My Soul.’ The song is inspired by Pearl’s diverse cultural and religious background, which has not only enriched her life but has also challenged her free spirit.
According to Pearl; “respect, humanity and love for one another is the greatest love of all so if you choose to call that higher love God or something else, it really does not matter because it is these values that make you beautiful as a human being.”
Born in Botswana to a native mother and an Indian father, Pearl moved to Denmark when she was 14 years old due to her Danish stepfather. She originally started making music as a teenager to combat loneliness but it quickly became her chosen path in life. As music started occupying most of her creative time, Pearl developed her skills in several different genres: R&B, soul, jazz, house and afrobeat.
After she moved to Aarhus she still maintained strong links with her people in Botswana despite being far apart. Now settled in Denmark, she has perfected her skills in soul, afro and jazz, and regularly performs on local shows, as well as at special events in and around Europe.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 