WASHINGTON — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey marked the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s demise, claiming town has modified dramatically within the time since, and rekindling a debate about racial justice.
“Right this moment, we keep in mind George Floyd, who was murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer six years in the past. That second modified our metropolis eternally,” Frey posted on X.
“It pressured Minneapolis to confront painful truths about race, policing, inequity, and belief — and demanded exhausting conversations and accountability. Since Floyd’s homicide, our metropolis has been challenged not simply to say we’ve modified, however to show it.”
Floyd, a black man, had been confronted by ex-police officer Derek Chauvin for utilizing a counterfeit $20 invoice at a grocery retailer. After confronting him, Chauvin, who’s white, pinned Floyd all the way down to the bottom together with his knee on his neck for about 9 minutes, captured in a disturbing video.
Throughout that point, Floyd cried out, “I can’t breathe.”
A health worker deemed his demise a murder, straight brought on by cardiopulmonary arrest — coronary heart failure attributable to an absence of respiratory. That examiner additionally discovered that his fentanyl intoxication and use of methamphetamine seemingly performed a task in his demise.
Floyd’s household employed a health worker who blamed his demise on asphyxia and rejected the concept that medicine performed a major position in his demise.
Chauvin is at present serving out a 22-and-a-half-year sentence after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter, unintentional second-degree homicide, and third-degree homicide.
“We’ve labored exhausting to reform policing, strengthen our division, and rebuild belief with neighbors – whereas understanding there may be nonetheless extra work forward,” Frey added. “This anniversary additionally comes as reconstruction begins at George Floyd Sq. and work continues on the Folks’s Approach.”
“The load of what occurred continues to be with our metropolis six years later – and the duty to maintain shifting ahead collectively is just too,” the mayor concluded. “I do know we will maintain constructing a Minneapolis that’s safer, extra accountable, and extra worthy of the individuals who name it dwelling.”
Frey was mayor of Minneapolis on the time of Floyd’s demise and throughout the upheaval that adopted.
“At first I believed this needed to be a parody. I believed no method this fruity ass mayor was probably honoring George Floyd on Memorial Day… However right here it’s,” Fox Information character Tomi Lahren chided on X.
“George Floyd died from a Fentanyl overdose,” right-wing pundit Laura Loomer chimed in with a screenshot of the post-mortem report. “Right this moment, George Floyd is six years sober, and completely no one misses that profession prison, drug addict, THUG. Right here’s a web page from his post-mortem report.”
“Right this moment we keep in mind the veterans who gave the final word sacrifice in protection of our freedoms. Not drug addicts who overdosed,” Townhall.com columnist Dustin Grage jabbed.
“It modified your metropolis, state and my nation for the more severe. Rioters in your facet killed folks and did billions in financial harm. And for what? Defunding police insurance policies which have led to extra folks being killed,” reporter Andy Ngo fired again.
Frey went on to herald Memorial Day as effectively, praising it as “a time to recollect the courageous service members who gave their lives for our nation and the freedoms we get pleasure from as we speak.”
