Niecy Nash and her Reno 911! castmates are offering support to the family of George Floyd.
On Friday, the Emmy-nominated actress, 50, appeared on Good Morning America to announce a $10,000 donation in the name of the police comedy series' cast. Nash said while they poke fun at law enforcement antics on the show, the reality of police brutality is a serious problem.
"Our cast of Reno 911!, we play bumbling cops on TV," she began. "But in real life, this is no laughing matter to any of us. I'm the mother of a black son, and I'm devastated. Our entire cast is brokenhearted about the passing of George Floyd."
She continued, "Prayerfully, this donation will be a small step toward healing for his family."
The charitable effort was spearheaded by costar Cedric Yarbrough, whose hometown of Minneapolis is at the heart of the tragedy and the ongoing protests for justice. "We hope that this small gesture will help the Floyd family," said Yarbrough, 47, in a statement to GMA.
Reno 911! — which first premiered in 2003 and recently premiered a revival iteration on Quibi — also stars Wendi McLendon-Covey, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney and Carlos Alazraqui, among others.
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A GoFundMe campaign set up for Floyd's family has surpassed $1 million in donations. The fundraising page — created by Floyd’s sibling Philonise Floyd — attracted more than 75,000 donations as of Friday morning, bringing its total to about $1.775 million.
Floyd, 46, had his final moments caught on-camera, with viral footage sparking widespread outrage on social media. In the video, an officer — later identified as Derek Chauvin — is seen placing his knee firmly on the back of Floyd's neck as he lies face down on his stomach, next to a patrol car.
Floyd can be heard in the video groaning in pain while bystanders plead with Chauvin to be more gentle. Throughout the clip, he repeatedly asks for help, telling the officers that he cannot breathe and says that "everything hurts."
A number of celebrities spoke out about the killing, calling for justice and action against police brutality. Ava Duvernay — who directed Nash in the Netflix limited series When They See Us — wrote on Twitter that "We must act" for Floyd.
"You deserved your breath, your dignity, your life. Not to die in the street, murdered by a white cop’s knee on your neck," wrote Duvernay. "You deserve our tears, our prayers, our rage, our action. We must act – for you – and for all of those were no cameras are present. We must. #GeorgeFloyd."
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