Biden on George Floyd killing: ‘We can’t ignore that we are in a country with an open wound right now’

Biden spoke at a fundraiser hosted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is in the running for his vice presidential pick, and Whoopi Goldberg raising $1.6 million

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Vice President Joe Biden, pictured on Monday, Memorial Day, on Thursday said the killing of George Floyd shows ‘We can’t ignore that we are in a country with an open wound right now’

Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said at a virtual fundraiser Thursday night, hosted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Whoopi Goldberg, the killing of George Floyd shows  “We can’t ignore that we are in a country with an open wound right now.”

“A wound far older and deeper than George Floyd’s — George Floyd’s killing — and his brutal, brutal death captured on film. His final words, pleading for breath. ‘Let me breathe, I can’t breathe.’ It’s ripped open anew this — this ugly underbelly of our society.”

The fundraiser with Duckworth, mentioned as a potential Biden running mate, raised $1.6 million, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The pool report, by Bo Erickson of CBS News, said “the approximately 80-minute-long fundraising concert brought together musicians David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright, Joe Walsh and Jimmy Buffett,” with 1,200 virtual attendees, according to the campaign.

Rocker Walsh campaigned for Duckworth when she ran against and beat then-Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill. for a north suburban House seat.

More from Biden on Floyd: “I urge the protestors to exercise their rights peacefully and safely. But people all across this country are enraged and rightly so.

“Everyday African Americans go about their lives with constant anxiety and trauma of wondering ‘Will I be next?’ Sounds like an exaggeration but it’s not. These tragedies, these injustices cut at the very heart of our most sacred of beliefs: that all Americans, equal in rights and in dignity, are part of an ingrained systemic cycle of racism and oppression that throughout every part of our society.

“We need to make sure justice is real for the Floyd family. That the protections and the rule of law are real for every American. That officers in the Floyd case must be held accountable, including with the FBI investigation and independent Department of Justice civil rights investigation. You know, if we’re not committed as a nation, with every ounce of purpose in our beings — not just to binding up this wound in hope that somehow the scab once again will cover things over — but to treat the underlying injury, we’re never going to eventually heal. That’s the reason I’m running. This campaign is about healing this country ….”

Duckworth, a wounded Iraq war vet, on President Donald Trump:  “Real commanders, real leaders take charge. They don’t shift the blame to others when the going gets tough. That’s what we have in the White House right now. We have a commander in chief who attacks those who are lower than him. He attacks those who are weaker. He doesn’t accept any of the blame for his mistakes. In fact, he has allowed this country to flounder instead of lead.”

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