Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday for the rally in front of the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis where a month ago former policeman Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering the black man by kneeling on his neck, The Guardian reported.
Many marchers carried signs with pictures of Floyd, Philando Castile, and other black men killed by police.
Amid chants of “no justice, no peace!” and “Say his name,” Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and St Paul mayor Melvin Carter watched alongside a dozen of Floyd’s family members as speakers called for justice for families of black men slain by police.
“It has been a long year. It has been a painful year,” Floyd’s sister Bridgett told the crowd on Sunday. “It has been very frustrating for me and my family for our lives to change in the blink of an eye — I still don’t know why.”
Members of George Floyd’s family, and others who lost loved ones to police encounters, have joined crowds in Minneapolis for a march that was one of several events planned nationwide to mark the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.
Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday for the rally in front of the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis where a month ago former policeman Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering the black man by kneeling on his neck.
Many marchers carried signs with pictures of Floyd, Philando Castile, and other black men killed by police.
Amid chants of “no justice, no peace!” and “Say his name,” Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and St Paul mayor Melvin Carter watched alongside a dozen of Floyd’s family members as speakers called for justice for families of black men slain by police.
Tuesday will mark one year since Floyd’s death sparked worldwide protests and calls for change in policing in the US.
Speakers at the event included several local activists, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, the Rev Al Sharpton, who called on the US Senate to pass legislation on policing in Floyd’s name. The legislation, which would bring about the most significant changes to policing on the federal level, would ban the use of chokeholds and establish a national database of police misconduct.
“We want something coming out of Washington. We want something that will change federal law,” Sharpton said. “There’s been an adjournment on justice for too long. It’s time for them to vote and make this the law.”
The program of events marking the first anniversary has been organized by the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Bridgett Floyd.
The events will also include a number of roundtable discussions featuring activists and family members of other Americans killed by police, including Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by New York City police in 2015, and Katy and Aubrey Wright, the parents of Daunte Wright, who was killed by police in a Minneapolis suburb last month.
Floyd was placed in a fatal knee-to-neck restraint by Chauvin in May last year. The incident was captured on video by a number of bystanders and sent shockwaves around the world. Last month Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and two other felonies and faces up to 40 years in prison. Three other officers involved in the arrest are awaiting trial.
RHM/PR
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