In a statement on the team’s Twitter account Tuesday, the Orioles “committed to advocate for the change our country needs today and to root out racism and prejudice of any kind” following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.
The statement comes amid local and national protests against police brutality and racial injustice sparked by Floyd’s death and other black people killed by police in America. Floyd died last week after being pinned by the neck to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer for several minutes, a scene captured on video and widely shared on social media that led to charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter against since-fired officer Derek Chauvin.