I can't breathe

political slogan

I can't breathe is a slogan tied to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The phrase comes from the last words of Eric Garner. He was an unarmed black man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by New York City police officers.[1]

A number of other black men and women said the phrase. That included George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. The officer had his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.

The words I can't breathe have become a protest chant.[2]

Floyd told Minneapolis police officers more than 20 times that he couldn't breathe.[3]

References change

  1. "Three Words and 70 Cases". New York Times. Retrieved Sep 2, 2020.
  2. "George Floyd Protesters Lie Down on Main Street in Kansas City and Chant 'I Can't Breathe'". The Kansas City Star.
  3. "George Floyd Told Minneapolis Police Officers He Couldn't Breathe More than 20 Times". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved Sep 2, 2020.