This is not normal. Except it is.

On Monday, George Floyd was murdered by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, while three additionalofficers stood by and watched.Yet again, a Black man was targeted and suffocated to death by the people who should, ostensibly, “protect and serve.” UNITE HERE condemns this action and demands swift and complete justice for Mr. Floyd and his family.

For months we have grappled with “the new normal” of living in the midst of COVID-19. We’ve struggled with job loss, with wearing masks, with the need to socially distance. What we need to grapple with, and change, is the historic normal. The commodification and the brutalization of Black people. From Emmett to Trayvon to Sandra to Tamir to Eric to Philando to Botham to Breonna to George Floyd and too many others—it has become “normal” to see our Black Brothers and Sisters being killed, and we cannot and will not stand idly by.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Floyd. Black Lives Matter, George Floyd’s life matters. Justice must be served, and our country must change, because this “normal” should not be normal.