Harry Fletcher
Oct 17, 2022
Drink Champs, REVOLT
The family of George Floyd are reportedly considering taking legal action against Kanye West after the rapper claimed that he was killed as a result of fentanyl and not at the hands of a Minnesota police officer.
West said “the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck” during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast.
The rapper was discussing Candace Owen’s documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM when he made the comments.
West said: “I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out.
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"One of the things that his two roommates said was they want a tall guy like me, and the day that he died, he said a prayer for eight minutes.”
He added: “They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.”
\u201cKanye West says George Floyd passed away because of fentanyl and that the cop\u2019s knee \u201cwasn\u2019t even on his neck like that\u201d\u201d— Kurrco (@Kurrco) 1665898369
Floyd, a Black man, was killed in an altercation with police in Minneapolis in May 2020, with a nine-minute video showing Officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on his neck.
Following the comments from West, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who represented Floyd’s family, took to Twitter to suggest that the family may now take legal action against West.
“While one cannot defame the dead, the family of George Floyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” he tweeted on Sunday.
“Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”
\u201cWhile one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye\u2019s false statements about the manner of his death.\n\nClaiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family\u2019s fight.\u201d— Lee Merritt (@Lee Merritt) 1665950823
It comes after the rapper initially sparked controversy by debuting a t-shirt that read 'White Lives Matter' at Paris Fashion Week.
West then joined right-wing Fox News host Tucker Carlson on his show to defend his t-shirt and claimed he felt his life had been threatened while wearing it.
In the interview, West also called out musician Lizzo for promoting being "unhealthy" and said his ex-wife had a 'close relationship' with the Clintons, among other things.
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