Billionaire business mogul and founder of Gates Foundation, Bill Gates has joined thousands of protesters all over the world to seek justice for the African-American man, George Floyd who was killed by a police officer in the US.
Recall that Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old man died on May 25, 2020, in the hands of a White police officer in Minneapolis.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, who was seen in the viral video with his knee on Floyd’s neck, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter which some blacks and protesters believe were not harsh enough for the crime.
But Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later announced that the charges against Chauvin had been upgraded to second-degree murder and that new charges have been filed against the other three officers involved.
Reacting, Gates in a tweet via his Twitter account on Tuesday also condemned the killing of black people in the US, calling for an end to such an inhuman act.
He said “The horrifying killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and far too many other Black people and the protests they sparked are shining a light on the brutal injustices that Black people experience every day in policing, criminal justice, education, health care, housing, the workplace and all other areas of their lives.
“l am committed to listening and learning more about systemic racism and what I can do with my actions and words to help create a more equal and just future.
“Black lives matter.”
Meanwhile, Chauvin was arraigned before Judge Jeannine Reding, who increased his bail from $500,00 to $1.25 million during his court hearing on Monday.