A painting of George Floyd stands behind a group of people gathered at a memorial on the block where he was killed by police on June 2, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The grieving mother of George Floyds daughter on Tuesday demanded justice for him, saying he was a good father who did not deserve to die face down on the pavement, pinned under the weight of three police officers.
With her 6-year-old daughter Gianna clinging to her, Roxie Washington told reporters she wants all four officers involved in Floyds death to pay for the killing, which has sparked protests across the US and the world.
"At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families," Washington said. "Gianna doesnt have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle."
As Washington made her remarks during a brief news conference inside Minneapolis City Hall, Gianna, dressed in a white shirt, tennis shoes and light blue jeans clung to her mother, at times with a frown on her face.
"He loved her, he loved her so much," Washington said of Floyds feelings for their daughter. "Im here for my baby. Im here for George because I want justice for him, and I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good."
Washington was flanked by family lawyers and close family friend Stephen Jackson, a former National Basketball Association player, who carried Gianna into the building.
"Why do we have to see her pain? I am here to get justice for my brother ... and somehow, god dammit, we are going to get it," Jackson said, his voice echoing through the marble and stone rotunda. "It has to stop."
George Floyd, a gentle giant, remembered in hometown Houston march
George Floyds hometown of Houston held a memorial march for him on Tuesday, where attendees recounted a "gentle giant" whose legacy had helped the city largely avoid the violent protests seen elsewhere in the United States.
The mayors office said 60,000 people gathered downtown to honor Floyd, who died after a white police officer pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May
25.
Floyd lived most of his 46 years in Houstons historically black Third Ward neighborhood, located about a mile south of the park where the march began. He moved to Minneapolis in recent
years for work.
The memorial march was organized by well-known Houston rappers Trae Tha Truth, who was a longtime friend of Floyds - and Bun B, who worked directly with Floyds family for the event.
Houstons mayor and police chief attended.
"Were gonna represent him right," Trae Tha Truth, whose given name is Frazier Thompson III, told the crowd of several hundred people gathered for the march. "We are gonna tear the system from the inside out." He added, "George Floyd is looking down at us now and hes smiling."
After a prayer, the marchers exited the park and began to walk toward City Hall.
Democratic US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents portions of Houston where Floyd was raised, told the crowd that she would introduce police reform legislation in Congress on Thursday in honor of Floyd.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is black, said he understood marchers pain and told them they were making an impact.
"People that are in elected office and positions of power - we are listening," Turner said. "Its important for us to not just listen, but to do. I want you to know your marching, your protesting has not gone in vain. George did not die in vain."
Houston has so far largely escaped the violent protests, with some attributing that directly to the legacy of Floyd himself.
"The people who knew George the best help set the tone for Houston. They knew what he was about. He truly was a gentle giant, a sweet guy," said David Hill, a Houston community activist and pastor at Restoration Community Church, who knows the Floyd family.
(Source: Reuters)
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/18102
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