Hey White Leftists: Step Aside, Be Quiet, & Send George Floyd’s Family Some Money.

At the bottom of this rant, you will find a list of things you should do that can really help. Donate to George’s family. Sign Petitions. Support good organizations. 

By David Icke Turner

“Man cannot be freed by the same injustice that enslaved it.”

― Pierce Brown

Sorry y’all. But history has demonstrated time and again that authentic self-determination must be established by and for those who seek it. No ruling class has ever voluntarily handed over power, rights, or justice. Our species has a habit of treating the other as animals until they demand dignity at the end of a sword. 

The protests and riots in Minneapolis will be emulated across the nation as we collectively express our rage for the injustices we have watched on video. The pleas of help by George Floyd were not heeded by the officers around him but millions of Americans have his cries firmly planted in our hearts. This has galvanized a collective outpouring from all walks of life and the support from white people so far has been important. Yet more important is the need for Black voices and experiences to be centered in this discussion and movement. Self-reliance, self governance, and self determination are essential to any freedom movement. 

Let’s face it; the surge in white leftist interest in social justice causes has not been beneficial to the African-American struggle. The ‘woke’ movement put African-American issues on the back-burner.

Something changed around 2014-15. We were having real discussions about police brutality and the prison-industrial complex. Protests in Ferguson made it clear how America’s historic treatment of African-Americans was reaching a boiling point despite many claiming we lived in a ‘post-racial’ society. Finally for fuck’s sake. On the tips of our tongues were the names of victims. Eric Garner. Sandra Bland. Trayvon Martin. This opened up a bevy of conversations all inextricably tied to America’s yet to be concluded reconciliation of it’s slavery and continued oppression of Africans on this continent. There seemed to be a resounding consensus that righting this wrong was a precursor to any other attempts at moving towards a more just society.

Then poof. In a blink of an eye, social justice discussions seemed to take a perverse turn towards the inane. Suddenly, the discussion turned to representation at the Emmy’s, depictions of various groups in video games, Aziz Ansari’s shitty date, and dramatic changes in fictional characters from The Little Mermaid. The thought of the endless outrages du jour from the last several years can drive you mad. Seeing what we see today, so many of them seem trivial.

The mutation of social justice movements into mainstream fad has been an obstacle to black liberation. It has created a near endless array of new causes every day which help us ignore our ‘original sin’. Now more than ever it is time for those seeking racial, economic, and social justice to put police brutality at the very top of the to-do list. We will never, ever have any semblance of a free society in America until this mortal wound we have carried for so long is addressed. With all due respect to my white leftist, anarcho-punk friends, you need to take your hands off the steering wheel. We just can’t trust you to drive anymore.

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

George’s brother, Philonise Floyd, is collecting money to cover funeral and burial costs, as well as see the Floyd family through this hard time.

Donate here. 

Fund for Gianna Floyd

Sister Bridgett Floyd is fundraising to support George’s daughter Gianna:

Donate here.

Bail out protestors who are being arrested for demanding justice.

he Minnesota Freedom Fund pays for bail bonds for people who can’t otherwise pay. They have been bailing out protestors who have been arrested. Donate here.

Sign the #JusticeForFloyd petition.

Color of Change is circulating a petition demanding the 4 officers “have their pensions revoked, be blocked from ever working in law enforcement again, and to be charged with murder.”

Signing the petition will send a letter to Mayor Jacob Frey and District Attorney Michael Freeman. You can sign online or text FLOYD to 55156.

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#JusticeforFloyd: Text 'Floyd' to 55156 to demand the officers who killed #GeorgeFloyd are charged with murder. . . It happened again. His name was George Floyd, and on May 25th he was murdered by Minneapolis police officers. George Floyd was a Black man, who was murdered in broad daylight after a grocery clerk called the police thinking he was writing a bad check. For seven minutes, George laid on the street while officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao held their knee on his neck as he was struggling to breathe. He lost consciousness and yet they continued to strangle him. Numerous bystanders pleaded with the police officer to let him go, while Floyd said the words “I can’t breathe,” several times, but the officer refused to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck. After the murder, officers called his death a "medical problem." And it wasn't until the video was released clearly showing them choking him, did we finally see the truth. This was a blatant and disgusting coverup to prevent accountability for their brutal act of police violence. This is incomprehensible. His life was taken in a senseless act of violence at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, all for being “suspected” of writing a bad check. Police continue to hunt down Black folks in cities across America and we refuse to sit silent. It was not too long ago we heard Eric Garner utter the same last words, “I can’t breathe.” And just months ago, officers stormed Breonna Taylor’s home and murdered her in a botched investigation. We must honor George Floyd’s life by seeking justice for him and his family. Officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao, and two other officers who were present, were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. Though it does not absolve them, the officers were held accountable for murdering George Floyd, so this is a step in the right direction. We are also calling on Mayor Jacob Frey to ensure the officers 1) do NOT receive their pensions and 2) are BANNED from ever becoming police officers again. Text 'Floyd' to 55156 to demand #JusticeForFloyd.

A post shared by Color Of Change (@colorofchange) on May 26, 2020 at 2:08pm PDT