OCA-GS Chapter Statement of Unity, George Floyd
June 1, 2020
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Greater Seattle Chapter, is deeply disturbed and saddened by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday, May 25. Mr. Floyd was an unarmed Black man apprehended by four police officers for alleged low-level forgery, placed in handcuffs, and pinned down by the neck until he could no longer breathe. OCA stands in solidarity with Black communities and calls upon AAPI communities across our state to join the call for justice for Mr. Floyd.
During the encounter, bystanders filmed the exchange. In the video, Mr. Floyd was heard repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” and “Please, I can’t breathe.” Concerned bystanders gathered and implored the officers to let Mr. Floyd breathe, but Officer Derek Chauvin continued to kneel into his neck, even after Floyd stopped struggling and fell unconscious. Mr. Floyd died soon after the encounter. The following day, all four officers were fired from the Minneapolis police department.
“They need to be charged with murder because what they did was murder” said Rodney Floyd, George Floyd’s brother in an interview. Plain and simple: George Floyd should be alive today. There is no justification for the officers’ use of lethal force. “We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd. Deaths like Mr. Floyd’s, which remind us of the police killings of Eric Garner and other Black individuals, point to the systemic racism behind individual and structural hate crimes,” said Bruce Huang, OCA-Greater Seattle President.
The fact that Asian American Officer Tou Thao stood to defend his colleague, and antagonized the bystanders who called for compassion, is not lost upon us. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders must stand up for Black communities by calling out institutional racism and the anti-Blackness within our own communities.
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Our own local chapter will continue to monitor these events and their impact on our local community.
