George Floyd Honored by DC Citizens on What Would Have Been His 52nd Birthday

Описание: Washington DC—On October 14, community organizers and allies gathered on the National Mall to honor the life and legacy of George Floyd, whose 2020 murder by a white Minneapolis police officer sparked national protests. Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, ignoring Floyd’s warning that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s murder, like Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and more, highlighted the over-policing and police violence that Black Americans face.

Remember Your Oath (RYO) and FLARE, two organizations that maintain 24/7 protests outside Union Station, sponsored the remembrance, which occurred on what would have been Floyd’s 52nd birthday. Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, Coalition of Concerned Mothers (COCM), Freedom Futures Collective, Stop Police Terror Project DC, and Black Lives Matter D.C. partnered with them.

Organizers placed flowers across the platform in reverence of victims slain at the hands of police. Photos of police brutality victims from across America lined the tents and stage. One speaker observed that they represented only a fraction of the victims, and if they displayed every photo of people lost to police violence, they could cover the entire mall. The significance of the location wasn’t lost on the crowd. One woman held a sign proclaiming “I have the same dream,” referencing Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech at the March on Washington.

Sponsors held the event to honor Floyd’s legacy and to support those who lost loved ones to police brutality. It was especially important to recognize Floyd this year, as President Trump declared October 14th a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk, a conservative mouthpiece who shared the same birthday as Floyd.

His name only came up briefly during the event, by design. While organizers acknowledged the insult and outrage over Kirk’s Day of Remembrance, they were committed to keeping the event centered on Black voices and healing, and succeeded in doing so. “I believe that the event was incredible, it was a space that was held for the families of victims of prosperity to both tell their stories and find healing with each other. These families continue to fight for accountability for their stolen loved ones, and it’s important that we ensure their voices are heard,” Jolly Good Ginger, RYO founder and event co-emcee told D.C. Media Group. Several members of Congress initially planned to attend, but had to withdraw due to the government shutdown, then in its 14th day.

Full story at DCMediaGroup.us