Coco Gauff Joins Protests Over Death of George Floyd in Police Custody, Asks ‘Am I Next’ in Video Listing People of Colour Killed
Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was in a video seen kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed George Floyd despite the 46-year-old repeatedly complaining of his difficulty to breathe, was later charged with murder and third-degree treatment after Floyd died leading to massive outrage in the country.
Tennis teenage sensation Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff has joined the protests against the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Unites States. Gauff, who burst to the scene at Wimbledon 2019, released a video in joining the chorus of protestors across the country following the death of Floyd in police custody. Gauff had also earlier taken to twitter to express her discontentment at the treatment meted out to Floyd when he was arrested by the Minnesota police. Barack Obama on Death of George Floyd in Minnesota: Racism Cannot Be ‘Normal’ in US.
Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was in a video seen kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd despite the 46-year-old repeatedly complaining of difficulty to breathe, was later charged with murder and third-degree treatment after Floyd died leading to massive outrage in the country. 'Rest in Peace George Floyd' Trends on Twitter, Netizens Offer Condolences With #BlackLivesMatter Message Amid Raging Protests Over His Death Across US.
Coco Gauff Voice Outrage Over George Floyd's Killing
Gauff had soon taken to twitter to express her pain and grief on having to watch people of skin colour being mistreated. "I am in tears watching this video... everyday innocent people are dying because of our skin color. No one deserves to die like that. I just can’t believe this. This needs to stop,” she had tweeted followed by another tweet in which she promised to “always use my platform to help make the world a better place.” She had also launched a free-toll number asking people to sign a petition to demand justice for ‘George Floyd.
Gauff Express Grief Over Floyd's Death
The 16-year-old, on Friday, shared a TikTok video on her social media pages expressing her voice against racism. “This is why I am using my voice to fight against racism,” she captioned the video. In the video, Gauff can be seen in a black hoodie and she stands as photo-cuts of Floyd Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin and others flash through the video. All the pictures shown in the video are of people of colour who were indiscriminately killed.
Gauff Launches Petition for Justice for George Floyd
Ahmaud Arbery was a 25-year-old man who was shot dead by three men on February 23 while running a residential neighbourhood in Georgia. His video was also recorded. Taylor, on the other, was an emergency medical technician who was shot dead by the police in her house. Martin was a high school student who was similarly killed by the police in school. His death in 2012 sparked the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Cori Coco Gauff Pays Tribute to All Color People Killed Fatally
Gauff later appears in the video with her hands raised as the message “Am I next?” flashed on the screen. I am using my voice. Will you use yours?” the video ends. Gauff joins a host of US athletes, including NBA great LeBron James, in protesting the death of Floyd.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2020 02:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).