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Nickelodeon pauses programming in honor of George Floyd with 'I can't breathe' message | TribLIVE.com
Movies/TV

Nickelodeon pauses programming in honor of George Floyd with 'I can't breathe' message

Samson X Horne
Samson X Horne
2699810_web1_AP19200122136518
AP
The Nickelodeon booth on Day One at Comic-Con International on Thursday, July 18, 2019, in San Diego, Calif.

Nickelodeon stopped its programming Monday evening for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while airing a black screen with a message that said “I can’t breathe” in an attempt to bring awareness to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a week before.

Floyd, 46, was a black man who died after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd lay face down and was handcuffed.

Floyd cried “I can’t breathe” several times during the ordeal. Protests have been on full display — some turning to riots and others deadly — throughout the nation in the wake of Floyd’s untimely demise.

Chauvin was subsequently fired and is facing third-degree homicide charges.

During the blackout, the network played a countdown with the words “I can’t breathe” slowly flashing, accompanied by breathing audio.

Many social media users Tuesday posted black screens as “photos” with captions that read “I can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter.”

Prior to the station’s blackout, Nickelodeon delivered another statement.

“You have the right to a world that is peaceful. You have the right to be treated with equality, regardless of the color of your skin,” a message read. “You have the right to be protected from harm, injustice and hatred. You have the right to an education that prepares you to run the world. You have the right to your opinions and feelings, even if others don’t agree with them.”

Viewers were also given information about Color of Change, telling them to text ‘DEMANDS’ to 55156 to “call on public officials across the country to take real action.”

Nickelodeon’s messages were met with mixed reviews:

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Categories: AandE | Movies/TV
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