Prominent sports figures have taken to social media to speak out after video began to spread showing a white Minneapolis cop with his knee on the neck of a black man who later died.
Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James was one of them, which is why he took to Instagram and posted a photo split in half between the action of one officer placing his lower leg on Mr. Floyd’s neck and another photo of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling.
Police chief Medaria Arradondo said he asked for an investigation after receiving “additional information” and viewing the video taken by bystanders begging officers to listen to the man saying “I can’t breath.”
“Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference, via the Star Tribune. “For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee into a black man’s neck. Five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you’re supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th last night is awful. It was traumatic. It serves as a reminder of how far we have to go.”
He continued, visibly shaken: “Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth, he should still be with us this morning.”
The mayor said the officers involved have been relieved of their duty.
