George Floyd was everywhere, yet nowhere, at events across America on Tuesday.
The ordinary Black man, who was murdered under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer one year ago, was remembered for triggering a nationwide reckoning on race and putting a permanent face on change, both real and aspirational.
“We that are still above ground gotta make some noise!” implored a singer on stage at a downtown Minneapolis park, where people gathered for a rally dubbed “Rise and Remember George Floyd,” a day to celebrate Black culture. Almost everyone wore a T-shirt that in some way recalled Floyd.
Floyd is buried in Houston, Texas next to his mother. His death triggered worldwide demonstrations, some violent. The former Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted on three counts last month, including second-degree murder.
Tuesday started in Minneapolis with the city’s mayor leading a statewide moment of silence for nine minutes and 29 seconds, the amount of time Floyd lay underneath Chauvin’s knee, which was caught on a bystander’s cell phone video.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio led other elected officials and civil rights leaders in taking a knee for that same amount of time.
In Dallas, Texas, a march and rally outside the Dallas Police Department was part of a series of week-long events there and a symphony based in California planned to stream a live, free concert in Floyd’s honor.
At the White House, Floyd’s family met with President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders as the family pushed for a bill, now stuck in Congress, that is named for Floyd. The bill calls for changes and more accountability in policing nationwide.
In Minneapolis, there were two main events to mark Floyd’s death.
The event in the downtown park was held on a warm, windy day. People gathered in front of a stage to watch traditional African dances and listen to what felt like a Black church revival service. Listeners stood up from their chairs, held their hands in the air and swayed as singers and rappers delivered heartfelt lyrics while butterflies were released.
Yet the mood on stage was a mix of light-hearted celebrating and seething anger. Among the speakers were family members of others killed by police, demanding more police accountability, and a poet who angrily repeated the shouts of demonstrators last year: “If George don’t get it [justice], shut it down!”
The mood was more upbeat a few miles away at the spot where Floyd died, now called George Floyd Square, where children’s activities mixed with dancing and passionate performances by singers. Later on Tuesday, a candlelight vigil was set for 8 p.m. local time, which was around the time Floyd was murdered. The intersection has become a sprawling monument of flowers and artwork, now visited by tourists from around the world.
But it remains a complicated place: crime is still a problem in the neighborhood, and in fact, Tuesday got off to a jarring start when people in the square ducked for cover at the sound of dozens of gunshots. A woman was later reportedly taken to the hospital with critical but not life-threatening injuries.
Floyd’s death led to big changes in police departments around the nation, first and foremost in the Minneapolis police department. Corporate America changed, too. Some companies began tying the pay of executives to minority hiring goals, and Juneteenth, the often overlooked celebration of the emancipation of America’s slaves, became a paid holiday for some.
But speakers on stage in Minneapolis made it clear they want to see far more changes.
“The movement never stops,” said one woman, after a singer optimistically sang, “Better days are coming soon.”
Source: Anadolu Agency