Hollywood celebrities Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, and John Legend are included in the list of celebs who’ve signed the open letter petitioning to defund all police departments after George Floyd’s death under police custody in Minneapolis.

The open letter, with the headline, “Black People Are Dying of Police Terror and Covid19. It is time to defund the police NOW,” calls for the defunding of police and using the money instead to create a public national healthcare system.

“Black communities are living in persistent fear of being killed by state authorities like police, immigration agents, or even white vigilantes who are emboldened by state actors. According to the Urban Institute, in 1977, state and local governments spent $60 billion on police and corrections. In 2017, they spent $194 billion,” the letter read.

Then it further read, “Despite continued profiling, harassment, terror and killing of Black communities, local and federal decision-makers continue to invest in the police, which leaves Black people vulnerable and our communities no safer.”

The letter was initiated by an organization called “Movement 4 Black Lives,” along with Black Lives Matter movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors. It was also signed by other famous celebrities and musicians, including Lizzo, Common, The Weeknd, Brie Larson, Jane Fonda, America Ferrera, and ACLU executive director Anthony Romero.

The letter also calls to dedicate the money given to the police force towards “building healthy communities, to the health of our elders and children, to neighborhood infrastructure, to education, to childcare, to support a vibrant Black future.”

Then the letter summarized its key points at the end, which are:

  • Vote no on all increases to police budgets
  • Vote yes to decrease police spending and budgets
  • Vote yes to increase spending on Health care, Education, and Community programs that keep us safe.

This isn’t the only thing celebrities are supporting amid the riots, protests, and looting happening all over the country, resulting in damages and burning of small businesses and black communities. They have also pledged to give cash donations to a freedom fund created to bail out protesters who were arrested.