Music And Film Community Raising Funds To Support George Floyd's Death Protest

Demonstrator illustration (Twitter @andyratto)

JAKARTA - Members of the music and film community around the world are raising funds to help protesters following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis on the evening of Monday, May 25, after falling out with police officers. Floyd was killed when a white police officer knelt on the neck of an African-American man during the arrest.

Since that incident, the four officers involved have been fired. However, neither of them has faced criminal charges. The incident has caused hundreds of protests on the streets of Minnesota.

A fundraiser set up to help those who protest has spread after being shared by artists from across the music and film industries.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund helps arrested protesters access bail as the protests continue. You can see some of the campaign support that has been received from the likes of Noname, Jameela Jamil and CupcakKe in the tweets below.

Just gave $ 1000 to @MNFreedomFund. Celebrity accounts that follow me ... match 🤝https: //t.co/qMW7GnTpJs

- Noname (Noname) May 28, 2020

Matched. X

- Jameela Jamil 🌈 (jameelajamil) May 28, 2020

Matched https://t.co/vTTwzppxp3 pic.twitter.com/ho3G2MfueP

- CupcakKe (CupcakKe_rapper) May 29, 2020

Reports of Floyd's murder said officers responded to a phone call from the grocery store claiming Floyd used a counterfeit check. Police later accused Floyd of resisting. But the information is still vague.

Footage of the incident showed Floyd on the floor screaming "I can't breathe" and "don't kill me" to an officer kneeling by his neck. Witnesses were heard shouting, "Bro, he doesn't even move", while others asked the officer being questioned, "You're going to sit there with your knees to your neck?"

In a press conference held on Tuesday, May 26, the Minneapolis police department said Floyd died shortly after the medical incident.

They added: "[The officers] handcuffed the suspect and realized that the suspect was suffering from medical pressure [before] calling an ambulance."

The mayor of Minnesota apologized to the Floyd family on Thursday morning, saying "[Floyd] shouldn't have died" and that the incident could not be justified for any reason.

He continued: "For five minutes we watched a white officer press his knee against the neck of a black man," said Frey. "Five minutes. This officer is inhuman.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer speaking on behalf of the Floyd's, released a statement saying they were seeking justice and wanted answers after the incident.

"This excessive and inhuman use of force killed the life of a man who was detained by police for questioning the allegations of nonviolence," said Crump. The FBI is currently investigating the incident.

The incident sparked outrage on social media where the perpetrators of the arts asked the officer concerned to be punished. Ice Cube, Janelle Monáe, Garbage, Sleaford Mods, Shame and Glass Animals are some of the artists who open their voices.