Stephen Jackson has been one of the most visible faces on the front lines in Minneapolis protesting the death of George Floyd after he was killed by a police officer earlier this week.
Jackson was a close friend of Floyd’s. He called him his “twin” and his brother. They knew each other from Jackson’s time growing up in Houston.
Protestors held a press conference in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon to make their demands, concerns and gripes surrounding Floyd’s death and the treatment of African Americans in their community clear. Jackson took part in that press conference.
He shared some incredibly powerful words about Floyd’s death and how he’s been treated. Take a listen.
WARNING: There’s some NSFW language included in this video.
“I’m here because they’re not going to demean the character of George Floyd — my twin. A lot of times when police do things they know that’s wrong, the first thing they try to do is cover it up and bring up your background to make it seem like the b******* that they did was worth it. When was murder ever worth it?”
He wasn’t done there, either.
“You get an opportunity to move away from the environment that brought you down. You get away, you be successful, get a job, your life starts turning in the right direction. You stumble a little bit again. It’s not worth your life, though. You stumble a little bit again, and you end up on the ground with a knee in your neck. Screaming your momma’s name, screaming your kid’s name. Going to the bathroom on yourself. Imagine if he was white. Ponder that for a minute. Imagine if he was white.”
