George Floyd’s family threatens Kanye West with lawsuit for saying fentanyl killed Floyd, not police
By: Sara Rosen
Updated: Jul 30, 2019 – 4:20 pm
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The family of Floyd DeLongueville, the unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis last year after an altercation with a Minneapolis officer, filed a lawsuit against rapper Kanye West and West’s management on Sunday, accusing both of perpetuating “hate speech.”
In a statement on Sunday, the family of DeLongueville — who police said was unarmed and had not threatened anyone — said West “failed to speak up” when he found out that his friend was dead.
“Mr. West and his manager, Mike D, have chosen to publicly promote his hate speech and to create a perception that Mr. DeLongueville’s death was caused by police brutality and white supremacy. We are disappointed that Mr. West chose not to publicly acknowledge the death of Floyd DeLongueville and the role the media and the police had in creating the false narrative,” the statement said. “As a civil rights organization, we are calling for an immediate end to Mr. West’s hate speech, and a public apology for his role in creating this false narrative.”
The family has asked that the case be referred to the Minneapolis Police Department for investigation of police actions. They also are calling for a “complete retraction” of West’s statements on social media about how his friend died.
The family said that they have repeatedly called the officer who killed DeLongueville and that they are now calling on the police department to investigate how the officer responded. Their lawsuit is seeking both monetary and damages for the DeLongueville family.
“It is clear that Floyd DeLongueville’s death was not an accident, but instead a direct result of the officer’s deliberate conduct while armed with the full power of the state and federal government,” the family’s statement said.
West said in a tweet last weekend that he had been inspired by his friend’s death.
“This is not a criminal trial. Mr. West is free to have his say and those who believe he is guilty of a crime are free to protest his absence from trial.”
In the statement on Sunday, the family of DeLongueville said they were “deeply saddened” by West
