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‘They’re Trying To George Floyd Me!’: BLM Co-Founder’s Cousin Dies Hours After Police Tase Him In Los Angeles

Twitter/Screenshot/public user: Isaac G. Bryan

Devan Bugbee Contributor
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The cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors died in Los Angeles, California, following a Jan. 3 scuffle with law enforcement.

“They’re trying to George Floyd me,” Cullors’ cousin, Keenan Anderson, 31, screamed, alluding to the controversial death of an African-American man who died during an arrest in Minneapolis in 2020, according to a video of the incident. A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer tried to restrain Anderson on the ground while another officer told him, “stop it or I’m gonna tase you.” The LAPD officer then tased Anderson several times for resisting arrest, according to an LAPD press release. (RELATED: Teen Allegedly Shoots Girl In The Head After She Refused To Pick Weed Off Floor: Police)

“My cousin was an educator and worked with high school-aged children. He was an English teacher,” Cullors said, blaming the LAPD for her cousin’s death, ABC reported. Anderson taught 10th grade English at the Digital Pioneers Academy in Washington, D.C., and was in Los Angeles visiting family and friends, Cullors said, according to the Washington Post.

The LAPD said it responded to a traffic collision incident Jan. 3 at around 3:38 p.m., where officers found a man, later identified as Anderson, “running in the middle of the street and exhibiting erratic behavior,” according to a press release. People involved in the accident on Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard told the police that Anderson was responsible for the crash. After the officer called for more units for a DUI investigation, Anderson attempted to flee, causing the officers to chase, subdue, and eventually tase him, according to the document.

Following the incident, Anderson was transported to a local hospital where hours later, he “did not respond to life-saving efforts by medical staff and was pronounced deceased,” the release read.