Minnesota Governor says Jay-Z called him seeking justice for George Floyd

"It was so incredibly human," Governor Walz said

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has revealed that Jay-Z called him over the weekend (May 30) to demand justice for George Floyd.

In a press conference, Walz revealed that the acclaimed rapper phoned him “stressing to me that justice needs to be served”.

“It was so incredibly human,” Walz said of his call with Jay-Z.

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The Governor said that Jay-Z called him not as a performer, but as a father.

“It was a dad – and I think quite honestly a black man whose visceral pain of this that he knew. His words summarised that justice needs to be served here.”

“He said he feels the compassion and the humanity of these folks who are speaking,” Walz said.

“He knows the world is watching, and how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country. It’s a positive sign that someone of stature, that has a presence like that, is focused in the moment of what Minnesotans are focused on.”

Jay-Z is one of many artists to call for justice following the death of George Floyd. Beyoncé, who is married to Jay-Z, posted a video to Instagram over the weekend, saying that “we need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight…We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalise this pain.”

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Elsewhere, actor John Cusack claims that police “came at [him] with batons” while he filmed protests in Chicago. The High Fidelity and Say Anything star shared a video of police yelling at him and allegedly hitting his bike.

Most recently, Halsey revealed that she had been hit by a rubber bullet while protesting for justice for African-American victims of police brutality.

“I am extremely privileged,” she admitted, “at close range it would have caused serious injury.”

Derek Chauvin, the officer alleged to have been responsible for Floyd’s death on May 25, has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

Three other officers, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, have also been identified as involved in Floyd’s death. All four have now been fired, with Hennepin County Attorney, Mike Freeman, revealing that more charges could follow.

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