Rihanna, Nas, Megan Thee Stallion call for NY police reform in open letter

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Rihanna, Nas and Megan Thee Stallion are among the artists to sign a letter calling for reform in the New York City Police Department.

Yesterday (8th June), a handful of artists, athletes and music industry professionals signed an open letter, asking New York City to repeal statute 50-A.

Statute 50-A is a law that conceals a police officers’ personnel records from public view, and those signing the letter urged the government to provide complete transparency on employees within law enforcement.

As well as Rihanna, Nas, and Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Elish, Migos and Post Malone have signed the open letter, alongside the likes of Avicii collaborator Aloe Blacc and David Guetta, plus record labels such as Columbia and Def Jam. 

“We mourn the killing of George Floyd and the unnecessary loss of so many black lives before his,” the letter begins, addressed to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as well as New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “We must hold accountable those who violate the oath to protect and serve, and find justice for those who are victim to their violence. An indispensable step is having access to disciplinary records of law enforcement officers. New York statute 50-A blocks that full transparency, shielding a history of police misconduct from public scrutiny, making it harder to seek justice and bring about reform. It must be repealed immediately.”

The letter further speaks about the statute, pressing that “50-A has been used far too often in the past and, without repeal, it will continue to be used to block justice.”

You can read the full letter and view the complete list of signees here.

The music industry and fans are among the hundreds to have donated to organisations and funds in aid of protesters in Minneapolis and black community initiatives following the killing of George Floyd. In May, Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was killed by white police officer, Derek Chauvin. Footage of the arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes, ignoring him as he repeatedly pleads, “I can’t breathe”.

Below, you will find some links to organisations/fundraisers you can donate to:

The George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

Black Visions Collective (BLVC): https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

#JusticeforFloyd: https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis

The Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate

Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Reclaim the Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2