'Justice for George Floyd' Becomes Largest-Ever U.S. Change.org Petition, Eclipsing 'Hillary Clinton for President'

A petition for bringing charges against the four police officers involved in George Floyd's death is now the largest Change.org petition ever created in the United States, with nearly 4.9 million signatures and counting.

Floyd's death drew widespread attention after a video of Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck went viral, sparking nationwide protests. A Change.org petition by Kellen S. calling for the four officers to be charged is the fastest-growing petition on the website and garnered more than 4,896,000 signatures in just three days.

On Friday, it also became the largest Change.org petition created in this country, surpassing one urging the Electoral College to make 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton president. The four-year-old petition asked "conscientious electors" to support the popular vote and vote for Clinton instead of then-candidate Donald Trump. Before closing, it reached 4,893,525 signatures.

"The world is shaken, and it has shown through the fast growth of this petition," Alaina Curry, a spokesperson for Change.org, told Newsweek.

Kellen S.'s goal in starting the petition in the wake of Floyd's death was to get the attention of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. It called for the Minneapolis Police Department to fire the officers involved and for charges to be filed "immediately."

Newsweek reached out to Benjamin Crump, the Floyd family's attorney, for comment on the petition's growth but did not receive a response before publication.

Frey announced on Tuesday that the officers were fired, posting on Twitter that "this is the right call." The mayor didn't name the officers, but they were later identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Derek Chauvin, the officer seen in the video with his knee on Garner's neck.

In an update on the petition, Kellen thanked everyone who shared and signed the petition and said the next step is to have charges brought against the officers. She encouraged people to call Freeman and express their wish that the officers be charged.

Freeman acknowledged people's strong desire for justice during a press conference on Thursday, calling the video "graphic and horrific and terrible." While the video showed behavior that "no person should do," his job is to prove someone violated a criminal statute, he said.

"That's what I have to prove, and there are cases that you can quickly and easily evaluate. Most cases, particularly cop use-of-force cases, are specifically more complex and have to be done right."

An expeditious and thorough investigation will be conducted, according to Freeman, but he pointed to the Freddie Gray case as a cautionary tale about rushing to charge. Officers involved in Gray's 2015 death were quickly charged, but none were found guilty. Three had charges dropped, and three were acquitted during a trial.

During a Friday interview with CNN, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison backed up Freeman's point about ensuring there's an "airtight" case before bringing charges. He urged people to be patient because "if it's not a solid case, we will be sorry later." Ellison added that he had "every expectation" that charges will be filed soon.

"This has gone farther than I have ever imagined!" Kellen told Change.org, speaking of the petition. "I hope that this helps bring the justice for George Floyd and his family that they deserve."