George Floyd's death: George Clooney says 'Anti-black racism is 'Our Pandemic'

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Web Desk

George Clooney has penned a powerful essay after the death of George Floyd, saying: 'This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we've yet to find a vaccine.'

The -59-year-old actor recalled the events of 1992 when a jury acquitted four white LAPD officers of the violent beating of a black construction worker, Rodney King .

The Oscar winner, in his essay for The Daily Beast, also honored Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Laquan McDonald and Floyd, people of color who were all killed by police brutality.

The actor, in response to weekend of protests, shared his words: "We don’t know when these protests will subside. We hope and pray that no one else will be killed. But we also know that very little will change."

He continued: "The anger and the frustration we see playing out once again in our streets is just a reminder of how little we’ve grown as a country from our original sin of slavery," Clooney continues. "The fact that we aren’t actually buying and selling other human beings anymore is not a badge of honor."

Clooney called for "systemic change in our law enforcement and in our criminal justice system," as well as fairness in the justice system that treats all "citizens equally."

"This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we’ve yet to find a vaccine," writes Clooney. "It seems we’ve stopped even looking for one and we just try to treat the wound on an individual basis."