A year after George Floyd's murder: What now, and what next?
| Minneapolis
The intersection where George Floyd took his final breaths is to be transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the anniversary of his death, with food, children鈥檚 activities, and a long list of musical performers.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be turning mourning into dancing,鈥� rapper Nur-D tweeted. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be celebrating 365 days of strength in the face of injustice.鈥�
Mr. Floyd, who was Black, died on Memorial Day 2020 after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for about 9 1/2 minutes. Mr. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.
The site of Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death, 38th and Chicago, was taken over by activists soon after and remains barricaded to traffic. The 鈥淩ise and Remember George Floyd鈥� celebration, including a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m., caps several days of marches, rallies, and panel discussions about his death and where America is in confronting racial discrimination.
Family members of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin,聽Daunte Wright,聽and other Black men slain by police gathered for a discussion about the state of policing in the U.S. and racial inequities in the frequency of fatal encounters with law enforcement.聽The families also discussed the role of lawmakers in making changes to hold police accountable and how community members can support the loved ones of those killed by police.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to actually lose a child in order for you to have that passion,鈥� said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin. 鈥淲e need allies, we need people to support us and lift us up when we鈥檝e fallen down and when you all have fallen down we need to lift you all up.鈥�
Many members of the Floyd family are scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, in a private meeting with President Joe Biden, who called family members after the Chauvin verdict and pledged to continue fighting for racial justice.
Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said he hoped Mr. Biden will renew his support for policing reform named for George Floyd that would ban chokeholds and no-knock police raids and create a national registry for officers disciplined for serious misconduct.
鈥淣ow is time to act,鈥� Mr. Crump said Tuesday on CNN. 鈥淣ot just talk but act.鈥�
Mr. Floyd鈥檚 brother Philonise, appearing alongside Mr. Crump, said he thinks about George 鈥渁ll the time.鈥�
鈥淢y sister called me at 12 o鈥檆lock last night and said 鈥楾his is the day our brother left us,鈥欌�� he said, adding: 鈥淚 think things have changed. I think it is moving slowly but we are making progress.鈥�
Nur-D, whose real name is Matt Allen, took to the Minneapolis streets in the days after Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death, often providing medical assistance to protesters who were shot or gassed in confrontations with police. He eventually founded an organization, Justice Frontline Aid, to support safe protest.
He described the past year as 鈥渓ike we鈥檝e lived 20 years inside of one鈥� and hoped that people would feel 鈥渉onesty and a real sense of togetherness鈥� during Tuesday鈥檚 celebration at what鈥檚 informally known as George Floyd Square.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e angry, you can be angry. If you鈥檙e sad, you can be sad,鈥� Nur-D said in a follow-up interview. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e feeling some sense of joy over the verdict and some sort of like step in the right direction, and you want to celebrate that, do that as well.鈥�
The event was organized by the George Floyd Global Memorial. Angela Harrelson, an aunt of Mr. Floyd鈥檚 and a member of the board of directors, said the organization has stockpiled 3,000 items surrounding Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death 鈥� things like artwork left behind in the square 鈥� and will display some of them in a pop-up gallery.
The event was due to start at 1 p.m., the same time Gov. Tim Walz asked Minnesotans to pause for a moment of silence to honor Mr. Floyd. Mr. Walz asked that the moment last for 9 minutes, 29 seconds 鈥� the length of time that prosecutors say Mr. Chauvin had his knee on Mr. Floyd鈥檚 neck.
Mr. Walz鈥檚 proclamation says Mr. Chauvin鈥檚 guilty verdict was a step in the right direction, 鈥渂ut our work to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination has not ended. True justice for George Floyd will come only through real, systemic change to prevent acts like this from happening again 鈥� when every member of every community, no matter their race, is safe, valued, and protected.鈥�
The state鈥檚 seemingly polite exterior, exemplified by the nickname 鈥淢innesota Nice,鈥� has long concealed some of the country鈥檚 worst racial disparities 鈥� especially when it comes to employment, housing and education.聽
Samuel Myers Jr., director of the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota, has spent years documenting what he calls 鈥淭he Minnesota Paradox.鈥�
鈥he graduation rate for high school students hit a historic high of nearly 84% in 2019. But for Black students, it was below 70%. And while two-thirds of white students met state reading proficiency standards, only a third of Black students did.
鈥innesota had the highest rate of home ownership in the nation at nearly 73% according to a 2013 report. For U.S.-born Black Minnesota residents, it was just 26%.
鈥he median household income for Minnesota in 2019 was $77,000 for white households and about $42,000 for Black households.
Residents are still debating whether anything has changed 鈥� or will.
鈥淐hange will come out of this,鈥� said Walt Jacobs,聽who chaired the African American & African Studies department at the University of Minnesota before becoming the social sciences dean at San Jose State University. He聽edited a collection of essays on racial dynamics after Mr. Floyd鈥檚 death that was published this month. 鈥淭he question is how much change? What will the extent of the change be?鈥�
This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽
