All the celebrities who have signed an open letter to defund police budgets
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Celebrities have signed an open letter advocating for state and local governments to defund the police.
The petition was started by The Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of black-rights organizations.
The letter demands that officials use a portion of the funds previously allocated to police for causes such as education and healthcare.
John Legend, Lizzo, Natalie Portman, and more celebrities signed the letter.
Celebrities including Lizzo, John Legend, and Jane Fonda have signed an open letter pushing for a decrease in police budgets and reallocation of government funding to community programs.
The Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of black-rights groups, released the petition as part of their "week of action" from June 1 to 7 to combat racism and police brutality in the US.
The letter points to the deaths of individuals like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor along with the black communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The letter states that police brutality and the disease are "connected and consequential to each other," noting that the American government has chosen to invest in police and military rather than healthcare.
"Despite continued profiling, harassment, terror and killing of Black communities, local and federal decision-makers continue to invest in the police, which leaves Black people vulnerable and our communities no safer," the letter reads.
The letter suggests instead of increasing funding for law enforcement, state and local governments should reroute the money "to create a public national healthcare system." The letter also recommends giving a larger portion of budgets to neighborhood infrastructures, childcare, education, and other causes that "support a vibrant Black future."
Here are the celebrities who have signed The Movement for Black Lives' letter.
John Legend signed the letter and donated money to The Movement for Black Lives.
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The Grammy-winning singer added his name to the petition, Variety reported.
He also pledged to donate money to Movement for Black Lives, National Lawyers Guild, and The Bail Project to protect Americans' "first amendment right to peacefully protest oppression and injustice."
Lizzo demanded that government officially decrease police budgets.
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According to Rolling Stone, the musician signed Movement for Black Lives' letter.
Lizzo also expressed her support for those in Minneapolis, the city where Floyd died, during an Instagram Livestream. She shared several links to bail funds, community relief efforts, and initiatives to defund the police, noting that she had made donations.
"Minneapolis, I love you. I see you. I hear you. I see your truth. I know your heart. You are good people, you are tired of being oppressed," the musician said, encouraging people to protest to "honor" Floyd's life.
Taraji P. Henson signed the open letter.
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The actress wrote her name on the letter to join the movement, Complex reported.
Henson has also shared footage of the protests to her Instagram page and urged people to vote in the presidential primary election.
Natalie Portman also wrote her name to advocate for reallocated budgets.
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Variety listed the actress amongst the name of celebrities who signed the letter.
In addition to advocating for a decrease in police budgets, she also shared a video of novelist James Baldwin speaking about race to her Instagram account. Portman added his quote, "You always told me it takes time... how much time do you want for your progress?"
The Weeknd signed the letter and shared his donation receipts.
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Complex also reported that The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, signed the letter to defund police.
The musician also posted screenshots of his donation receipts, showing that he gave $200,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, $200,000 to The Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, and $100,000 to National Bail Out.
Common called to reallocate funds from the police.
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The rapper signed the open letter, according to Rolling Stone. He's also shared images from the protests, promoted the Black Lives Matter movement, and encouraged his followers to vote.
Jane Fonda linked to the open letter on her website.
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The actress promoted the Movement for Black Lives' message after signing the letter, according to Variety.
Fonda linked to the petition in the latest blog post on her website. In the post, she interviewed a Newark, New Jersey, resident to explain how her community has become "a national model for complementary strategies to policing."
America Ferrera used her hometown of Los Angeles as an example of why she was advocating to decrease police budgets.
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ABC News reported that the actress joined the movement to defund the police.
She also promoted the letter on her Instagram page, stating that she's "enraged" by the amount of the money that goes to the police in her hometown of Los Angeles, California.
"In my home city of Los Angeles, 54% of the city's budget goes to police! OVER HALF!!! I can't even find 'education resources' on the Mayor's budget pie! A healthy society is not built on policing! We need healthcare, education, jobs and social services! If you're not enraged by this than you're not paying attention," she wrote.
Brie Larson signed the open letter as well.
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The actress petitioned to defund police, according to ABC News.
Larson also called on her followers to "use your voice" and push back against Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposed allocation of the city budget. She included a graphic claiming that police would receive sizably more than the city's fire department, public works, and parks under his plan.
Megan Rapinoe stated that she signed the petition to defund police.
Associated Press
"I signed on to #DefendBlackLives and to push to #DefundThePolice," the professional soccer player wrote on Instagram. She also shared the link to the letter for her followers to sign.
Rapinoe also posted a graphic from Campaign Zero suggesting policies for police departments to put into practice. Some of the policies included banning chokeholds and strangleholds, requiring warning before shooting, and requiring de-escalation.
Yara Shahidi signed the letter and suggested areas her community could invest the money.
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The actress signed Movement for Black Lives' letter, according to Rolling Stone.
She also posted a graphic from Instagram that suggested Garcetti use the funds to house the homeless, provide school resources, and expand mental health care — rather than give more money to the police.
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