One Year After Death of George Floyd,
Tragedy Links Two Families & Adds to Calls for Justice
About 10 miles from the courthouse in Minnesota where the world is watching the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, 20-year old Daunte Wright was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Sunday when an officer reportedly mistook her gun for her taser.
There are several common threads that link Wright and Floyd: both were fathers, both were in the Minneapolis area, and it has even been revealed that Floyd's girlfriend was Wright's teacher. Also eerily similar to this time last year are the demonstrations that have erupted in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota as an all-too-familiar situation unfolds. But we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the most glaring connection between the two: both were Black men, and victims of a systemic discrimination that dates back hundreds of years before they were even born.
Without hesitation, HAND will continue to reaffirm its commitment to racial equity and declare that Black Lives Matter. We look forward to continuing this important work alongside our members to pursue racially just and equitable communities.
Daunte Wright. George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Philando Castile. Freddie Gray. Michael Brown. Korryn Gaines. Alton Sterling. Sandra Bland. Tamir Rice. Eric Garner. Shantel Davis. Trayvon Martin. Botham Jean. We STILL say their names.
You can learn more about Daunte and what happened here.
