George Floyd’s family threatens Kanye West with lawsuit for saying fentanyl killed Floyd, not police
The family of Floyd’s murder victim, Eric Garner, is threatening to sue Kanye West over his claim in “Black Skinhead” that “Fentanyl killed him.”
“That is a lie. It killed him,” West wrote in his blog post, a response to the song that became popular after an arrest in Dallas.
West made the claim that police were trying to kill Garner by administering the deadly opioid in a vain attempt to find and arrest West. West’s claim, which he repeated in his recent interview with Billboard magazine, became a YouTube sensation and has inspired calls for further investigation by law enforcement agencies.
“If the police do it over and over again to stop black people, then it is not a crime,” West said, in words that sparked debate over whether police have the legal right to carry out mass arrest of members of minority communities who are suspected to be involved in crimes.
The Garner family, however, is furious over the suggestion that West is a racist. They released a statement saying it would be futile to sue West “because he is a powerful businessman who would be able to afford to mount a lawsuit with no resources whatsoever.
“He should understand that his actions, no matter how hurtful and damaging to the Garner family, are his sole and exclusive responsibility and choice.”
Feds: No evidence of excessive force by Dallas police
While the Garner family has said it will sue West, the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, told the Tribune-Review earlier this week that the family is not suing West because of his controversial post-Garner statement, but is instead suing West because of the way the family has responded to West’s claim.
“There is a real need for the Garner family to bring its views to the broader public. A response that is dismissive and insulting, rather than thoughtful and informed is not acceptable for any citizen to receive from a public figure in a high-profile situation,” Crump said.
The family’s statement said, “Our position has not changed. Mr. West’s actions are not in keeping with what the Garner family stands for and believe is his own personal agenda. As this situation has been widely documented by news media, he is free to express