On Wednesday evening, Bruce Springsteen dedicated his SiriusXM radio show to George Floyd — the unarmed black man who was senselessly murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, and whose death sparked a slew of global Black Lives Matter protests.
During the radio show, Springsteen took a moment to muse on the state of the union, declaring that America is “on fire and in chaos,” with a government that offers “only the most tepid and unfeeling response” to racial injustice and the coronavirus pandemic.
The show saw Springsteen play his 2001 police brutality protest ‘American Skin (41 Shots)’. Instead of announcing the song, Springsteen made a poignant remark about the tracks running time: “Eight minutes. That song is almost eight minutes long,” he said. “And that’s how long it took George Floyd to die, with a Minneapolis police officer’s knee buried into his neck. And that’s a long time. And that’s how long he begged for help and said he couldn’t breathe. The arresting officer’s response was nothing but silence and wait. Then he had no pulse, and still it went on.”
Springsteen dedicated the song to the states protesting for Black Lives Matter, and as a vigil to the memory of George Floyd. “That goes out to Seattle, to New York, to Miami, to Atlanta, to Chicago, to Dallas, to Philadelphia, to Washington, to Los Angeles, to Asbury Park, to Minneapolis and to the memory of George Floyd,” he shared.
“May he rest in peace. As we speak, 40 million people are unemployed. One hundred thousand-plus citizens have died from COVID-19, with only the most tepid and unfeeling response from our White House. As of today, our black citizens continue to be killed unnecessarily by our police on the streets of America. And as of this broadcast, the country was on fire and in chaos.”
This week, a number of country-wide protests will be taking place across Australia, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter marches in the US, and the systemic suffering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at the hands of police.
There have been 432 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the 1991 royal commission, and not a single conviction. You can find a list of protests below.
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Check out ‘American Skin (41 Shots)’ – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band:
Sydney
Stop All Black Deaths in Custody: Vigil for George Floyd
When: 3-5 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: 20 Lee St, Chippendale
Organisers: The Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA), the Anticolonial Asian Alliance and the USYD Autonomous Collective Against Racism.
Wear black in remembrance and in solidarity
Melbourne
Stop Black Deaths in Custody – Justice for George Floyd #BLM
When: 2-5 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: Parliament House
Organisers: Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR)
Adelaide
Solidarity with Minneapolis! Justice for George Floyd
When: 12-1:30 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: Victoria Square (Tarndanyangga)
Organisers: Adelaide Campaign Against Racism and Fascism
Brisbane
Black Lives Matter – Stop Black Deaths In Custody Meanjin (BNE)
When: 1-5 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: King George Square
Organisers: FISTT (Fighting In Solidarity Towards Treaties)
When: 12 PM, Saturday, June 6
Where: Queen Street Mall
Organisers: Independent
Canberra
Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest. Justice for George Floyd!
When: 3 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: Embassy of the USA
Organisers: Independent
This event will gather outside the American embassy in Canberra to show to call for justice for George Floyd and other black victims of police brutality in the US.
“Stand with me in solidarity against the unlawful murder of George Floyd and the other African American men, women and children, who’s lives were unjustifiably taken because of their race,” the event says.
Newcastle
Stop Black Deaths in Custody – Justice for George Floyd #BLM
When: 2-5 PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: Civic Park
Organisers: FISTT (Fighting In Solidarity Towards Treaties)
Byron Bay
When: 2PM, Saturday, June 6th
Where: Byron Bay Recreation Grounds
Organisers: Bunyarra Culture Collective
