Families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery release joint statement
“We’re devastated about the senseless violence that has broken the hearts of our families,” they said.
The families of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd are calling for a Congressional hearing and a national task force that will focus on ending racial violence and increase police accountability.
“We’re devastated about the senseless violence that has broken the hearts of our families,” the families said in a joint statement. “While we are grateful for the outpouring of love and support, it’s important that now – more than ever – we use our voices to enact change, demand accountability within our justice system and keep the legacies of Breonna, Ahmaud and George alive. This is a national crisis and our government needs to take immediate and widespread action to protect our black and brown communities.”
Back in March, Breonna was fatally shot at least eight times when police forcibly entered her apartment under a search warrant for a narcotics investigation. The officers claim that they announced themselves and returned gunfire once her boyfriend fired at them. Breonna’s mother, however, says that the officers did not knock and did not find any drugs in her daughter’s home. The suspect they were looking for had already been arrested.
Ahmaud was jogging through a neighborhood in Georgia when he was hunted and killed by Gregory and Travis McMichael. They hopped in their truck, followed him and confronted him because they believed he was a suspect in a string of robberies that allegedly took place in the neighborhood. Ahmaud was not involved in any robberies and it took over two months for the two men to be arrested and charged with his murder.
George recently died at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers and the entire ordeal was caught on camera. The store called 911 after George allegedly tried to forge a check. Officers then say he resisted arrest. He was pinned down on the concrete by three officers. One of the officers had his knee planted into his neck to the point where he couldn’t breathe. He lost consciousness and was transported to a hospital where he later died.
Civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Benjamin L. Crump are representing the families and will hold a virtual press conference on Friday, May 29 at 11 am ET on Facebook.com/TeamRoc. They will discuss the families’ plans to pursue justice in the wake of these horrific crimes.