More than two dozen of Minnesota's most recognizable CEOs are signatories of a letter mourning the killing of George Floyd and calling for change at their respective businesses.
Venture capitalists, meanwhile, have released a letter of their own condemning the actions of Tom Austin, an investor who threatened to call the police on a group of black entrepreneurs who were using the gym in their shared building.
The CEO letter, released by health system Children's Minnesota, is signed by 28 local CEOs, including the leaders of corporations like Best Buy Co. Inc. Cargill Inc., General Mills Inc and US Bancorp. It addresses the death of Floyd earlier this week during an altercation with Minneapolis police officers, including one who kept his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes while the man said he was having trouble breathing. The incident triggered days of protests that spun into violence, with hundreds of storefronts damaged or looted.
"His death while being restrained by Minneapolis police officers is yet another senseless loss of life — one that reflects deeply ingrained, long-standing injustice within our society," the letter reads. "It is hard to watch the video of the event as it is clearly evident Mr. Floyd was not treated with the dignity and respect he was due as a human being. These acts are painful and traumatic for our entire community, especially our communities of color. "
The signatories committed to making "substantive change" in their organizations, though they didn't specify what those changes would be.
Startup coalition Forge North also put out a letter signed by 18 venture capitalists and angel investors in response to what the letter describes as "racial profiling" by Austin at the gym in the Mozaic East building in Uptown Minneapolis. Austin believed that members of the social media agency Top Figure were in there without permission, even though Top Figure is a tenant of the WeWork in the same building.
"We, the Minnesota Venture Capital community, reject Tom Austin’s actions," the letter reads. "We are committed to broadening and demystifying the closed networks that usually accompany venture capital. Our doors are open, and to our communities of color and all underrepresented entrepreneurs – we stand by you.'
