Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Justin Bieber have all backed a major open letter calling for police reform.
The US stars have joined forces with record labels such as Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to support Congress’ Justice in Policing Act of 2020.
The support, which was also backed by the likes of Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande and Post Malone, follows the death of George Floyd last month. He was killed after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest.
The open letter reads: “Since the killing of George Floyd just one month ago, our country has seen protests grow, attitudes shift, and calls for change intensify. We in the music and entertainment communities believe that Black lives matter and have long decried the injustices endured by generations of Black citizens.
“We are more determined than ever to push for federal, state, and local law enforcement programs that truly serve their communities. Accordingly, we are grateful for movement of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 in the US House of Representatives and urge its quick passage.”
It goes on: “The Justice in Policing Act is not about marginal change; it takes bold steps that will make a real, positive difference for law enforcement and the communities they serve. ‘We celebrate the long-overdue rejection of qualified immunity, emphasising that law enforcement officers themselves are not above the law – that bad cops must be held accountable and victims must have recourse.”
The act also vows to “establish a national standard for the operation of police departments’, ‘mandate data collection on police encounters”, and “streamline federal law to prosecute excessive force”.
The letter concludes: “Our communities and nation look to you to take a stand in this extraordinary moment and we respectfully ask that you vote YES on the Justice in Policing Act of 2020.”
It comes after Lizzo shared a powerful message on the Minneapolis protests that erupted in the wake of Floyd’s death.
Discussing the racism that’s “in the veins of this country,” Lizzo said: “What they just told me is at this point all the violence, the majority of the violence that’s happening in that city, is coming from the KKK and the heavily militarised police.”
Jay-Z called for justice for Floyd, saying “I am human, a father and a black man in pain and I am not the only one,” while Billie Eilish wrote “if I hear one more white person say ‘all lives matter’ one more fucking time I’m gonna lose my fucking mind” in an impassioned Instagram post.
