As the world still struggles to make sense of the inhumane death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, former NBA star Stephen Jackson took to Instagram to mourn the loss of the man who he affectionately referred to as “Twin.”
“This is what I gotta wake up to, huh? Floyd was my brother, man. We called each other ‘Twin,’” he said in a video clip, fighting through tears. “My brother was only out there in Minnesota, he was changing his life. He went to Minnesota, he was driving trucks. I just sent him two, three boxes of clothes. My boy was doing what he was supposed to do, man, and y’all go kill my brother, man. I’m on my way to Minnesota, man. Whatever I can do, can’t let this ride, dog. Y’all not going to be mad until it hits your front door. Bullshit.”
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Clearly devastated, the All the Smoke podcast co-host then transformed his Instagram feed into a public memorial for his childhood friend.
“All u wanted to do was stay fly and be great. This pic tore me down,” Jackson wrote on Instagram. “Nobody was more proud of my growth and my fatherhood more than #BigFloydDaGod. We will get justice. They will be writing a big check for your kids on behalf of Minnesota Police Dept. and u can bet dat Jack. Rest Easy Twin u wasn’t suppose to make it through the life u had change for the better then go out like this. Fuk dat.”
As we reported on Wednesday, the FBI is currently investigating Floyd’s death.
The FBI is investigating the death of a black man in Minneapolis after local police violently arrested him Monday night. Video of the arrest, which shows a white police officer kneeling on the man’s neck as he lay face down on the street, was filmed and posted online within hours of the encounter.
The man, whose identity has not been confirmed, is thought to be in his 40s and died in the hospital shortly after the arrest, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. As video taken by a bystander began circulating online Tuesday morning, city politicians have decried the arresting officers’ actions.
As a result of their actions, four police officers have been fired for what Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described as “wrong at every level.”
“This does not reflect the values that [Police] Chief Arradondo has worked tirelessly to instill,” Frey said. “It does not represent the training we’ve invested in or the measures we’ve taken to ensure accountability. Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jackson and the friends and family of George Floyd.
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