After the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by Minnesota police during a Sunday traffic stop, artists and celebrities are making sure his story is heard. They want people to say his name.
Major stars like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and professional sports teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves took to social media to speak out about the young father’s death, and mass protests broke out across Minneapolis over the past two nights.
According to NBC News, Wright was pulled over for having expired license plates, and was accidentally killed after an officer mistook her gun for a taser. The killing took place only miles away from the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd. Wright’s killing and Chauvin’s trial have reignited conversations about systemic racism and the lack of accountability for police officers in the United States.
“REST IN PEACE DAUNTE WRIGHT,” Beyoncé posted on her website, along with a photo of him.
Others, like Ariana Grande, reshared a popular Instagram post with a list of resources being collected for Wright’s girlfriend and year-old son. Demi Lovato, Michael B. Jordan, and Kim Kardashian also reshared infographics summarizing the events and how to help.
“Look at this kid. With his kid,” wrote Jamie Foxx on an Instagram post with a photo of Wright and his son. “Where is the compassion? Where is the benefit of the doubt?? #Dauntewright you deserve better. We deserve better… god bless your family and [your] little one.”
Sports leagues, including the NBA, MLB, and NHL, all postponed their local games out of respect.
In a tweet about the incident, President Joe Biden said trust among law enforcement needs to be rebuilt. “I’m thinking about Daunte Wright and his family — and the pain, anger, and trauma that Black America experiences every day,” he said.
Protests continued in the streets of the Minneapolis suburb where Wright was killed. “No justice, no peace,” crowds chanted in the suburb of Brooklyn Center during the second night of protests.
On Monday evening, Trevor Noah spoke about Wright on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. “Maybe if the police weren’t so quick to draw any weapon, then maybe people wouldn’t die because of a mix-up,” he said. “Don’t you find it amazing that cops think everything is a gun, except their own gun? If you have a cellphone in your hand – ‘Oh, that’s a gun.’ You’re holding a wallet, ‘Oh that’s a gun.’ Their own gun? ‘No, not a gun.’”
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: A Brief History of Policing in the United States
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