Khloe Kardashian gave an impassioned and detailed statement in response to the nationwide riots in the death of George Floyd.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 35, said in the caption that she’d ‘rewritten this so many times,’ and that while ‘words feel empty, or somehow not enough,’ she ‘can’t sit silently’ amid the national crisis.
The national unrest began less than a week ago in Minneapolis when Floyd, a 46-year-old security guard, died after police officer Derek Chauvin – who has since been fired and charged in the incident – kneeled on the back of his neck (while he was handcuffed), rendering him unable to breathe in a horrifying incident that was caught on camera.
The latest: Khloe Kardashian, 35, gave an impassioned and detailed statement in response to the nationwide riots in the death of George Floyd, 46
The Good American entrepreneur, who’s mom to two-year-old daughter True with ex Tristan Thompson, said she’s ‘angry, heartbroken and disgusted by the murder of George Floyd’ and the similar incidents that preceded it.
‘We have seen this too many times,’ she said. Black people have been discriminated against, victimized and murdered for too long, and have shown superhuman resiliency in the face of constant adversity.’
‘It is incomprehensible to me that it’s 2020 and people continue to restrict, stereotype, damage and oppress people of color, and that racism is a constant reality. It breaks my heart to think about parents having to teach their children how to stay alive.’
Khloe said that she was praying ‘equality for all, understanding and love’ and ‘hopeful that together we can get help get justice for George and his family, and every black American who has been murdered, mistreated, abused and ignored.’
Determined: Khloe said she’s focused on spreading awareness against racial inequality
Moving: The reality star added art to her social media to depict the tragic injustices
Khloe acknowledged her large platform as a celebrity and vowed to continued to spread social awareness against the systemic injustices that doomed Floyd and many before him.
‘I will use that privilege to fight for you,’ she said. ‘I will not let George Floyd’s name be forgotten. I will speak up and speak out against discrimination fearlessly and louder than ever before.’
She wrapped up in writing, ‘Change MUST happen! Black Lives DO matter! We can, we must, and we will change the future.’
In the incident, arresting officers said Floyd matched the description of a forgery suspect, and subsequently resisted them when they took him into custody.
Reaction: Prostetors took to the streets around the 3rd Precinct Police Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week
On alert: A drone showed National Guard troops assembled at the LA Convention Center after being activated by California Governor Gavin Newsom amid the unrest
In an accompanying clip, Chauvin was seen pinning his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleaded with him to relent.
‘Please, please, please, I can’t breathe,’ Floyd said. ‘Please, man … my stomach hurts, my neck hurts, everything hurts … I can’t breathe.’
Floyd later died in police custody in a nearby hospital.
Chauvin faces charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, though the trio of officers he was with, who were also fired, haven’t been charged in connection with the incident.
In the wake of the jarring sequence of events, riots began in Minnesota and spread both nationwide and internationally, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets, even amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In the three straight nights of rioting, the Associated Press reported that at least 4,100 arrests were made in connection with the demonstrations in major metropolitan areas nationwide.
The incident has drawn parallels to the Los Angeles riots of 1992 which broke out after police were acquitted in their trial over the beating of Rodney King, which was caught on video camera. In the five days of rioting, more than 60 people died, 2,000-plus were hurt and damages to destroyed property topped $1 billion.