Above: A woman stands on the roof of the Cup Foods store in Minneapolis, beneath a billboard remembering George Floyd.
Earlier this evening my friends Calvin and Joseph and I joined several hundred others to mark the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020). We gathered at the site of Floyd’s death, not far from my home in south Minneapolis.
George Floyd was an African American man murdered by police during an arrest after a store clerk suspected he may have used a counterfeit $20 bill at Cup Foods at the intersection of 38th St. and Chicago Ave. Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
After Floyd’s death, protests against police brutality, especially towards Black people, and systemic racism erupted in Minneapolis and St. Paul and quickly spread across the United States and the world. As he was dying, Floyd was heard to say, “I Can’t Breathe.” This became a rallying cry during the subsequent protests.
Chauvin was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter on April 20, 2021. The trial of the other three officers at the scene of Floyd’s death is scheduled to begin August 23, 2021.
George Floyd was a catalyst, for as Charity Croft has said:
The moment that the world saw [George Floyd’s] neck being kneeled on is the moment that we decided enough is enough. It is the moment when we said that we will no longer tolerate the suffering and oppression and execution of marginalized people. His death was the moment that we as a community said, No more!
Following are some pictures I took earlier this evening at the intersection of 38th St. and Chicago Ave. in south Minneapolis, an area now known as George Floyd Square.
Above: My friend Calvin being interviewed by a German film crew.
On the anniversary of his death, I want to remind all of us that we’re still searching for justice for George Floyd. Convicting his killer isn’t enough. True justice can only come from dismantling the systems that allowed him to die.
We are still fighting to remake our criminal justice system – and especially the people who enforce it. But I see a future where no one has to fear police violence. A future where everyone is safe.
A future with justice for George. Rest in power.
Related Off-site Links:
Moment of Silence Marks Year Since George Floyd’s Death – The Associated Press, Jon Collins, and Matt Sepic (MPR News, May 25, 2021).
What George Floyd’s Death Has Done for Americans’ Ability to Feel Empathy – Bill Chappell (MPR News, May 25, 2021).
Campaigns to Defund Police Have Seen Major Wins – and They’re Not Stopping
– Asha Ransby-Sporn (TruthOut, May 25, 2021).
UPDATES: Investigation Shows Minneapolis Police Show Pattern of Violating Rights, Attorney General Merrick Garland Says – Steve Karnowski and Jim Salter (PBS NewsHour, June 16, 2023).
Department of Justice Finds Minneapolis Police Had a Pattern of “Unconstitutional Policing” – Martin Kaste and Don Gonyea (NPR News, June 17, 2023).
8 Takeaways From the Justice Department Probe of Minneapolis Police – MPR News (June 17, 2023).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• “I Can’t Breathe”: The Murder of George Floyd
• He Called Mama. He Has Called Up Great Power
• Honoring George Floyd
• “New and Very Dangerous”: The Extreme Right-Wing Infiltration of the George Floyd Protests
• Mayor Melvin Carter: “The Anger Is Real, and I Share It With You”
• Emma Jordan-Simpson: “There Will Be No Peace Without Justice”
• “An Abolitionist Demand”: Progressive Perspectives on Transforming Policing in the U.S.
• Out and About – Spring 2020
• A Very Intentional First Day of the Year
• Bearing Witness
• “And Still and All, It Continues”
• The Problem Is Ultimately Bigger Than Individuals. It’s Systemic
• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz: “We Need to Make Systemic Changes”
• “Let This Be a Turning Point”
Images: Michael J. Bayly.
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