Like so many others in the Hip Hop community, Russell Simmons is speaking out about the recent police killing of George Floyd. In the wake of the 46-year-old’s murder, the Def Jam Recordings co-founder outlined seven ideas to help stop corrupt law enforcement officers from killing another black person.
Simmons shared the outline — titled “What the Hip Hop Community Demands! — again Instagram over the weekend, which includes holding police accountable, assigning prosecutors who are “not beholden to the police unions to indict, prosecute and convict dirty cops” and cultural sensitivity training.
He wrote in the caption, “I cannot get a full consensus since the community is so vast But we can all agree we want police accountability. I have been fighting police brutality for 30 plus years since fuck the police !!! Same issue over and over PROSECUTORS!!!
“We need independent prosecutors I’m getting support from multiple Congressman and women and hip hops most powerful voices …I want prosecutors separate from and free from police control… Every time a policeman is reported for any misconduct it goes to a different independent prosecutors office SIMPLE.”
In closing, Simmons issued a call-to-action to several of his peers, family members and politicians — from LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg and Public Enemy to his niece Angela Simmons and two daughters Aoki Lee and Kimora Lee.
“Let’s go,” he added.
Simmons initially shared the post last week and explained he’d had some mixed reactions.
“in order to save lives we must change the culture in order to change the culture we need legal and systematic changes,” he wrote in the caption. “disclaimer…i have sent this to many many hip hop thought leaders and some have objections mostly because they have additional demands so there is no full consensus.
“I’m not sure we can arrive at one on time to meet the demand for action. The thing in the center of this demand letter has been in the center of the problem of police accountability for the 30 years that i have fought against police brutality.”
Floyd died on May 25 after fired Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, sparking protests and riots across the globe.
Fired MPD Officer Derek Chauvin Arrested For George Floyd Killing — Charged With Murder
Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter, was taken into custody four days after Floyd’s death. The other three officers involved in the incident — J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — were arrested last week and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
According to CBS News, the 44-year-old Chauvin had his first court appearance on Monday (June 8). A judge set his bail at an unconditional bail of $1.25 million or $1 million with conditions. The other officers are being held on $750,000 bonds.
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