Apr 22, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Sharpton at Daunte Wright funeral: Time to get rid of the "stench of police brutality"

Photo of Al Sharpton wearing a mask and staring right at the camera

Rev. Al Sharpton attends a funeral held for Daunte Wright at Shiloh Temple International Ministries. Photo: Brandon Bell via Getty Images

Prominent civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a sharp rebuke of police brutality in his eulogy at the funeral of Daunte Wright Thursday, calling Wright a "prince" who didn't deserve to die.

Why it matters: Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, died on April 11 after police pulled him over for a traffic stop and shot him 10 miles from the scene of George Floyd's death.

  • Footage of the deadly encounter circulated online and led to mass protests in the Minneapolis suburb.
  • Wright's mother said he called her just before he was shot, telling her he had been pulled over because of an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, a traffic violation in Minnesota.
  • Police said the young father was pulled over for having expired license plate tags.

What he's saying: People came from "all over the country because you hurt one of our princes," Sharpton said. "[Police] thought he was just some kid with air freshener. He was a prince!"

  • "I don't care how much settlement they're given," he said, referring to the families of Black people killed by police. "You can never fill the hole in their hearts that was caused for no reason."
  • Now, activists have come to Minneapolis "as the air fresheners of Minnesota ... to get the stench of police brutality out of the atmosphere," Sharpton said.
  • "The time has come for police to understand they're not above the law ... and if you can't live up to the badge, don't take the oath and put it on."

Watch the video from Fox 9.

Photo of Daunte Wright's family holding each other and crying over Daunte Wright's wake
Left to right: Aubrey Wright, father of Daunte Wright; Rev. Al Sharpton; Katie Wright, mother of Daunte Wright; Diamond Wright, sister of Daunte Wright; and attorney Ben Crump give remarks during Daunte Wright's funeral at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries. Photo: Brandon Bell via Getty Images
Photo of Courteney Ross wearing a face mask with George Floyd's likeness
Courteney Ross, George Floyd's girlfriend, arrives at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries for Wright's funeral. Ross had taught Wright at Edison High School. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
Photo of a painting of Daunte Wright's profile at the site of his funeral
A painting at Daunte Wright's funeral. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
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