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BARBIE JONES, 32 CHICAGO I saw the video and I was just watching, and I’m like, all of these people standing around and no one stopped the officer… and then when I saw the paramedics and everybody pull up I’m like, is this okay, like why isn’t anyone stopping him, like why is his leg still on his neck while the paramedics are right there? So I was just kind of confused, actually, watching the video. ÉZÉ AMOS, 46 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA I just saw clips of it on Facebook. What happened to that man—I just don’t get it. When I was moving here from Nigeria, coming to the U.S.—for me, it was like the place where you’re guaranteed safety, everything works, people know what they’re doing. It’s America—there are crosswalks! And to see things like this happening, it’s like… what? How could anyone ever do that to another human being? JOSIE STANFIELD, 28 PRINEVILLE, OREGON I believe I was at my house the first time I finally just caved in and watched it, because it was months of people talking about it… And I was like, okay, I’m just gonna watch this. Just gonna suck up and watch it. So then I watched it here at my house. I can’t believe the video, you know—him calling out for his mom. And I was just enraged and heartbroken and just confused—how that happens in broad daylight. SYLVIE THODE, 21 NEW YORK CITY I was in quarantine, and I think I saw it on Twitter and watched it and was just horrified, obviously, just physically revolted. And it was an odd moment, though, because I remember I saw it the day that I had my first college 23
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graduation event—all that sort of coincided. So I saw it in the morning and I had to go and have a whole celebration later that afternoon. JUSTIN WILLIAMS, 37 BALTIMORE I was working from home and I was sitting in my home office till late that night trying to think through what was happening. I was seeing reactions to the video, and as someone who is policy-minded and used to dealing with politicians, I think—and I’ll say it publicly—I’m worried about the reelection of President Trump. I mean, as a Black land-use attorney I know that Baltimore’s problems can be traced to both parties, but President Trump called Baltimore a “disgusting, rat-and-rodent-infested mess.” And so I was trying to think about how—I mean, obviously, I felt terrible about what happened and was thinking through, Can people on the outside who have some platform, can we shift the debate a bit? Can we help shift debate in a way that will help improve things locally on specific issues, but also more broadly, and at the same time make sure that Donald Trump doesn’t get reelected? JAMES GABRIEL, 35 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK The video, which I have not seen, is almost nine minutes long. I forget how long the Rodney King video is, I think it’s shorter, but it’s still quite long and there’s no escape. Whereas we’ve seen other videos where it’s 45 seconds. And so I think that there was a length and inescapability. You know, if you had seen that at work, you might not have watched the whole thing if your boss was coming around to pick up your latest assignment. EMILY WOLFENBARGER, 38 KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE I’ve never watched the video. Which I feel like is privileged, to not have had to see that, but I began seeing images from it. I was working from home on my laptop like I do every day. And for some reason, that moment was 24

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BARBIE JONES, 32

CHICAGO

I saw the video and I was just watching, and I’m like, all of these people standing around and no one stopped the officer… and then when I saw the paramedics and everybody pull up I’m like, is this okay, like why isn’t anyone stopping him, like why is his leg still on his neck while the paramedics are right there? So I was just kind of confused, actually, watching the video.

ÉZÉ AMOS, 46 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

I just saw clips of it on Facebook. What happened to that man—I just don’t get it. When I was moving here from Nigeria, coming to the U.S.—for me, it was like the place where you’re guaranteed safety, everything works, people know what they’re doing. It’s America—there are crosswalks! And to see things like this happening, it’s like… what? How could anyone ever do that to another human being?

JOSIE STANFIELD, 28

PRINEVILLE, OREGON

I believe I was at my house the first time I finally just caved in and watched it, because it was months of people talking about it… And I was like, okay, I’m just gonna watch this. Just gonna suck up and watch it. So then I watched it here at my house. I can’t believe the video, you know—him calling out for his mom. And I was just enraged and heartbroken and just confused—how that happens in broad daylight.

SYLVIE THODE, 21

NEW YORK CITY

I was in quarantine, and I think I saw it on Twitter and watched it and was just horrified, obviously, just physically revolted. And it was an odd moment, though, because I remember I saw it the day that I had my first college

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