WATCH: Lizzo Calls For America To Abolish Their Police Force
10 June 2020, 07:27
Lizzo calls for comprehensive police reform
The 'Juice' singer took to TikTok to share her thoughts on the current state of law enforcement, urging that it needs to change following the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
After the tragic murder of George Floyd, Lizzo has shared a statement with her 7.7 million fans on TikTok, suggesting that there needs to be a change with America's police.
In the video clip, the 'Truth Hurts' singer says "Imagine a world where the properly trained people are called during times of crisis, instead of people who get six months of training, and have been negligent on the job, AKA killing people and getting away with it."
> Nine Ways You Can Donate Money And Support #BlackLivesMatter
Lizzo - who has been very vocal about the systemic racism and #BlackLivesMatter movement - continued, saying "Imagine domestic abuse being handled by people who know how to deescalate.
"Imagine violent crimes being handled by people who are taught how to deal with violent crimes and won't be scared for their lives and accidentally kill an unarmed person based on the colour of their skin.
"Imagine the possibilities of people who are actually trained in their field coming through to actually help societal issues, and not thugs with guns," she said, finishing with "Abolish the police as we know it. Imagine a safer future for America."
Previously, Lizzo has urged her fans to vote in the upcoming elections, as well as generally supporting the movement by donating to causes and signing petitions.
Lizzo speaks out over death of George Floyd
Lizzo has joined the likes of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber in signing an open letter for police reform, calling on New York politicians to revoke a law that protects police's disciplinary records from being seen by the public.
"We must hold accountable those who violate the oath to protect and serve, and find justice for those who are victim to their violence," says the letter. "An indispensable step is having access to disciplinary records of law enforcement officers.
"New York statute 50-A blocks that full transparency, shielding a history of police misconduct from public scrutiny, making it harder to seek justice and bring about reform. It must be repealed immediately."
This comes after police murdered George Floyd, as one officer pinned him to the ground and kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes, despite Mr Floyd stating that he couldn't breathe.
George's sister, Philonise Floyd, has set up a fundraiser in memorial to George, which is said to "cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counselling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist [the Floyd] family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George."
In the two weeks that the fundraiser has been live, it has raised nearly $14 million. You can donate to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund here.
