one green planet
one green planet

A cop charged in the murder of George Floyd crowdfunded $750,000 to get out of jail on bail. Thomas Lane was released after he raised enough money to seek bail. Lane held Floyd’s legs while Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck until he died. Lane has been charged with aiding and abetting the alleged murder.

Lane had been on the police force for four days when Floyd died and was “doing everything he thought he was supposed to do as a four-day police officer,” his attorney, Earl Gray, told CNN this week. Lane’s co-defendants, Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng all remain in jail as of Wednesday evening.

Protests continue around the country and more government officials are speaking out against police brutality and the need for police reform.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf tweeted that he plans to take executive action on police reform in the state, “I’m taking executive action on police reform in Pennsylvania. We can’t go on without acknowledging that our system was built on a foundation of racism. We can do better. We must do better. Change starts now.” His plans include multiple committees on law enforcement and local citizen advisory boards.

Information put together by CNN found that 12 cities and municipalities have banned or have started the process to ban chokeholds in policing. The cities include: Phoenix, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Broward County (Florida), Chicago, Miami, Washington, DC, New York City, Minneapolis, Denver, and Houston. Minneapolis made headlines earlier in the week when its city council announced it would take steps to defund the city’s police department.

Democrats put police reform legislation forward on June 8 to make changes at a federal level, including bans on chokeholds, a National Police Misconduct Registry and incentives for local departments to create racial bias training. “The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in our country,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass said during the bill announcement.

Read all our coverage on the protests against racism in One Green Planet:

Here’s what you can do:

Many organizations like Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, and the NAACP are working to empower black Americans and achieve justice for those impacted by racist systems.

Also, remember to register to vote if you haven’t already. This is one of the simplest ways to make your voice heard as a citizen.Here are some resources for you:

Places to Donate:

Petitions to Sign:

For a more extensive resource list, please see the collection put together by Black Lives Matter.

Through this grief and anger, we must unite and work together to create the change we want to see. Let’s make sure no black child has to ever say these heartbreaking words ever again.

If you’re attending a protest, please be safe and careful and maintain social distancing, if possible.