George Floyd was an African American man who was wrongfully murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020. The police officer behind the crime was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for killing the father of five by kneeling in floor. your throat for more than nine minutes. Note that this article is not intended to be about the social issues surrounding the murder of George Floyd, but an exploration of the disaster surrounding the “Floydies” NFTs.
Floydies NFTs Collection
The initial collection of Floydies NFTs was released by unofficial trustees on OpenSea starting December 7 – a week after the officer who killed Floyd pleaded not guilty. OpenSea withdrew the collection of NFTs following backlash from those concerned about equality and human rights. Some believe that digital art is “overtly racist caricatures.” The project attracted labels such as “awful” and many campaigned for its denunciation and removal from marketplaces such as OpenSea. Others claimed to perceive digital assets as a “commemoration” of the life of George Floyd.
The original Floydies didn’t have much financial success on OpenSea before they were taken down, but they came in for a lot of criticism on Twitter. The highest priced NFT costs 0,05 ETH ($97,39). The lowest price cost 0,007 ETH ($13,72). The curator of the first Floydies release took to Twitter to announce the release and link to the collection on OpenSea. The post gained over 3.000 likes and 4.100 retweets in just three weeks.
Many versions of Floydies NFTs followed. The highest bid for one of the Tokens non-fungibles was $12. Others sold for significantly less. Despite OpenSea releasing many versions of Floydies, the curators keep releasing other versions – “George Floyd Defender of Ukraine”, “George Floyd on the Moon”, “George Floyd Explore the Sea”, “In Memory of George Floyd 108” and “ George Floyd on the Shining Moon”. Following the Floydies’ popularity, another market, Scatter Art, continued selling George Floyd’s NFTs. Although I recently deleted the collection on copyright issues.
Floydies NFTs Collection Issues
Many NFT projects write descriptions about the reasons behind their project to attract buyers. The description on OpenSea for the original Floydies NFTs collection read: “Having a Floydie is a great way to express yourself and your beliefs! Floydies are a unique and progressive way to celebrate the monumental life of George Floyd.”
While blockchain applies human rights activism in many ways, many find this hard to believe in regards to the Floydies. The main problem with these NFTs is that there is no sign that the profits are going to good causes such as Floyd’s family, Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd Memorial Foundation.
There is no excuse for the proceeds not to be donated. One of the most significant benefits of NFTs is that curators can easily donate auction proceeds using marketplaces like OpenSea and Rarible. All curators need to do is set a payment address for their organization’s cryptocurrency wallet address in advance. So people have taken to Twitter to express their outrage at the trustees behind the Floydies using the murder for financial gain.
Another concern regarding the Floydies is what the images manifest. Many different types of Floydies circulated in the Web3 space. Digital assets showcase tasteless designs such as Floyd dressed as a police officer, angel, astronaut, lackey, standing in front of a trans flag, and more.
NFT Collection “SEENINJUSTICE”
Following Floydies and the many dubbed versions, George Floyd’s brother Terrance Floyd has created his own collection with much more taste. There are 9.000 “SEENINJUSTICE” NFTs in collaboration with Confront Art on the Flow blockchain. The digital assets feature sculptures of George Floyd alongside Breonna Taylor. Sadly, Taylor was also killed in the United States by police in 2020. She was shot by one of the seven officers who broke into her Kentucky apartment to investigate a drug trafficking operation.
Unlike the collections above, these NFTs highlight the need to fight for justice while raising money for relevant charities – The Breonna Taylor Foundation, John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation and We Are Floyd Org. In addition, the NFT charity campaign also partners with the families of the late Representative John Lewis, along with the participation of Grammy Award-winning TV presenter and singer Dionne Warwick.
Bottom Line
Many Floyd NFTs degrading the African American wrongfully murdered by a police officer in the United States are circulating. The bill despises not only George Floyd and his beloved family, but also the progressivism, equality and other politics behind black culture. If you are interested in keeping a mini George Floyd in your wallet, you can purchase an NFT “SEENINJUSTICE”, the collection launched by the Floyd family, by donating to relevant charities.
