EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee says that she is " angry, horrified" and "ashamed" over the alleged murder of a black man in police custody as well as President Donald Trump 's response to the subsequent protests and riots.
George Floyd , an unarmed black man, died on Monday (May 25) as Minneapolis police arrested him outside a convenience store on a report of a counterfeit bill being passed. The 46-year-old was seen on a bystander's video gasping for breath during an arrest in which an officer knelt on his neck for almost eight minutes. In the footage, Floyd is heard pleading with officers, "I cannot breathe... Don't kill me," while the officers ignore his pleas. He eventually stops talking and moving.
On Thursday night, protesters filled the streets outside a Minneapolis police station and set fire to it. Trump tweeted that the protesters were "THUGS," and wrote: "Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
Twitter put a warning on the tweet, saying it violated it rules by "glorifying violence."
Earlier today, Lee took to her social media to share the following message: "I am angry, horrified, ashamed and have been trying to put my thoughts into words all day.
"Evil abuses of power and murder in the streets... A president who calls a press conference in the middle of a nationwide outcry, only to try and change the subject and not even MENTION the murder of George Floyd and the immeasurable injustices that came before it, on top of his threatening, racist tweet.
"My blood boils...
"This is what I want to say: Your voices are not unheard. We are grieving with you and this is not ok."
This past February, Lee opened up about her political views for the first time, explaining that she couldn't "stand by" and keep her mouth shut while her "country's freedom is taken away." He decision to speak out was apparently prompted by the GOP-controlled Senate's vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment without calling witnesses.
She wrote at the time: "I do not accept lying, cheating or bullying from my government… Accepting this abuse says it's okay for our leaders to lie to us, cheat on us, make decisions without our input, and silence us when we try to speak up. This isn't about your policies or beliefs, it's about our freedom."
Lee added: "I will never bow down to a dictator."
EVANESCENCE 's long-awaited new album, "The Bitter Truth" , will arrive later this year. The disc's first single, "Wasted On You" , came out last month and is the first in a series of songs that the band will make available from "The Bitter Truth" incrementally, culminating in the release of the full album.
