DUBAI: US stars Seth Rogen, Steve Carell and Janelle Monae are among the high-profile celebrities donating money to help Minneapolis demonstrators who have been arrested make bail.
This week, protests erupted across the United States after a video, circulated online, showed a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on an African American man’s neck and ignoring his pleas of “please, please, please, I can’t breathe. Please, man.”
The man, George Floyd died on Monday, while pleading for air as the officer kneeled on his neck for nearly eight minutes.
People have been posting screenshots across Twitter and Instagram showing donations made to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a nonprofit organization which pays bail for low-income citizens who can’t afford it.
Just matched you . https://t.co/lp0ZtdRvTX
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather (@JanelleMonae) May 28, 2020
Writer Lincoln Michel recently started a chain on Twitter asking people to match his donation to the organization where it eventually gained the attention of high profile celebrities, including Steve Carell, Seth Rogan, Ben Schwartz and many others who are donating in response to Michel’s Tweet.
Musicians like Kali Uchis, Noname, Kehlani and Unknown Mortal Orchestra also posted screenshots of their donations to the freedom fund, too.
Floyd's death and subsequent demonstrations sparked a considerable amount of debate and outrage online, with celebrities like half-Palestinian models Bella and Gigi Hadid, part-Saudi model Shanina Shaik and musician Beyonce demanding justice for Floyd online.