Actor-singer Jamie Foxx joined a protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday in solidarity over the death of George Floyd. Foxx offered condolences and urged calm alongside Floyd’s longtime friend, retired NBA player Stephen Jackson.
“We’re not afraid to stand, we’re not afraid of the moment,” said Foxx. “And I think what you saw on television, to watch this man plead for his mother — as I sit with my two daughters, my nephews — what it does is, it over-complicates everything as a black man trying to tell his son or his daughter how to function in life.”
“Even the things that we’ve taught them don’t seem to work, and then there’s this thing of contempt of cop, where it is something simple, and how does it escalate to something like what we have today? All we’re trying to do is ask questions of why,” the Oscar-winning actor said.
Watch below:
Protests have turned violent in Minneapolis, while Louisville, Kentucky, and other parts of the country have seen similar unrest. President Trump requested that the Department of Justice investigate what the president called “the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd.”
The National Guard arrived in Minneapolis on Friday Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested on Friday and charged with third degree murder.
“All I wanted to do today was let you know that I’m not a celebrity,” continued Foxx. “I’m from Terrell, Texas, these are my brothers, this means everything, because at the end of the day, when we see you guys out here on the frontline, we want to let you know you got support.”
“We want to let you know that any time you need us, you can call us, we’ll come, we’re not afraid of this moment,” he added. “God bless George Floyd and his family.”
Foxx was joined by retired basketball player Stephen Jackson, who was a lifelong friend of Floyd’s.
“What’s killing me the most about this whole thing is being a professional athlete, so many people abuse your friendship and your kindness,” said Jackson. “And he was one of those guys that genuinely supported me. He didn’t call unless he really needed it. And you don’t have many people that genuinely support you without any motives and Floyd was that guy.”
At the press conference on Friday, Foxx mentioned that it is also importance of supporting others who “don’t get the visibility, and don’t get the cameras.”
“I’ve experienced this before, ” said Foxx. “[I was] able to watch the Rodney King [protests] when I was in L.A., able to talk to Sybrina [Fulton], Trayvon Martin’s mom, who I talk to still.”
“If you guys get a chance, please find a circle of mothers where there’s 100, 200 cases like this that don’t get the visibility, and don’t get the cameras, and they’re strong women,” he added.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.