On April 11th, a 20-year-old Black father named Daunte Wright was shot to death by police during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Police officer Kim Potter allegedly mistook her gun for a taser when she shot him. Today, she resigned today after serving 26 years on the force.
Thousands of Americans are protesting Wright’s tragic death and seeking ways to help — and the latest person to use their platform to do so happens to be Phoebe Bridgers. Our 2020 Artist of the Year took to social media on Monday to share an info graphic by Holistic Heaux. In it, they detail ways to support Wright’s two-year-old son Daunte Jr. and his girlfriend Chyna Whitaker, ranging from dropping off groceries and toddler clothing to donating gift cards and monetary funds. To help Wright’s family, Bridgers offered to draw free tattoos for anyone who proved they donated to the effort.
“I’ve been seeing some people on here who want tattoos in my handwriting… If you donate here I’ll write whatever you want,” tweeted Bridgers. “Comment a screenshot of your donation (not the dollar amount I don’t want anyone to be embarrassed about how much or how little they can give) and what you want me to write. Also FYI I can’t draw at all.”
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So far, Bridgers has been true to her promise. Hundreds of fans have sent screenshots to the Grammy-nominated artist with proof of their donations via PayPal and Venmo, and Bridgers has responded with photos of various handwritten lyrics in a simple inked script. As of five hours ago, Bridgers is still at it, despite some likely hand cramps at this point.
Earlier today, Wright’s family gave their first public press conference. During it, they called for accountability, expressed their deep grief and anger, and questioned why police felt the need to use force on their son in the first place. According to Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, her son called her to ask for advice when the police pulled him over because he believed they stopped him due to air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror, which is a minor violation of law in Minnesota. Police officials claimed they pulled Wright over due to expired registration tags, despite the fact that there’s a multiple-month-long backlog in mailing new tags due to the pandemic.
This isn’t the first time Bridgers has used her platform as a popular musician to offer assistance to others. She recently auctioned off the smashed guitar from her controversial Saturday Night Live set to the tune of over $100,000 and donated all of the profits to GLAAD. She’s also recorded tracks to benefit Planned Parenthood, voters’ rights, and homelessness prevention funds.
I’ve been seeing some people on here who want tattoos in my handwriting… if you donate here I’ll write whatever you want https://t.co/WsnXHPweEJ
— traitor joe (@phoebe_bridgers) April 12, 2021
also FYI I can’t draw at all
— traitor joe (@phoebe_bridgers) April 12, 2021
