Justice For George Floyd
• In response to the death of George Floyd, Entercom Chairman, President & CEO David Field was moved to share his candid thoughts with fellow Entercom employees. The memo, obtained by RAMP, reads, in part, “What an extraordinary week this has been. Last Monday’s unconscionable murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer has ignited a tumultuous week of protests and violence across our nation. We understand the rage over this tragedy and other senseless deaths of Black Americans and fully support peaceful protests and other efforts to build a better and more just, equitable and inclusive nation. It is deeply painful to watch our cities burn, local businesses looted, fellow citizens turn on each other and our social fabric tear as peaceful protests are exploited and turn violent, all at a time when we are already reeling from enormous simultaneous health and economic crises. Violence merely deepens the pain in our society and distracts us from focusing on the real issues and solutions.”
After praising the work being done by Entercom staffers across the country, Field (left) went on to strike a cautiously optimistic tone, saying, “If America’s history tells us anything, it is that as ugly as things may be, better times should lie ahead. Entercom is committed to doing our part to foster a more just, harmonious, inclusive and equitable nation. We believe the vast majority of Americans share that stance as we see evidenced all around us in the everyday actions and good will of our teammates and fellow citizens. We also remain committed to being an inclusive workplace that does not tolerate racism.”
In closing, Field wrote, “As a nation, We The People must strive to ‘form a more perfect Union.’ We must ensure that we are indeed ‘One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,’ or else as Abraham Lincoln warned ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.'”
• Billy The Kidd, afternoon personality on iHeartMedia Top 40 KHKS (106.1 Kiss FM)/Dallas became understandably emotional yesterday afternoon when talking about how George Floyd died after now former cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds — a horrific event that ignited an unprecedented wave of protest — and violence — across America.
“I think we all want justice for George Floyd,” Billy said. “I just can’t shake the thought of what George Floyd went through. I don’t think people really truly understand how long eight minutes and 46 seconds is, and it breaks my heart. To pay tribute to George Floyd, I want to stop the station and I want you to feel how long this is…” And with that, DFW endured the agonizing sound of dead air for eight minutes and 46 seconds…
• Northshire Alternative 102.7 WEQX/Manchester, VT-Albany, NY will be actively participating in Black Out Tuesday today — PD Jeff Morad tells RAMP that the station will show its solidarity by running 1:02.7 seconds of silence at the beginning of every hour all day. [Photo: Judy Griesedieck for MPR News]
