George Floyd will be buried in Houston Tuesday two weeks after his death while detained by police on a Minneapolis street, and more anti-racism rallies inspired by his treatment are slated to take place in the United States and Europe.
Thousands of mourners paid tribute on Monday, walking past his open coffin at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas, where Floyd grew up.
Some of the bereaved bowed their heads, others made the sign of the cross or raised their fists. Many wore face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in a service that lasted more than six hours. The funeral will be a private ceremony and he will be buried next to his mother’s grave.
“I’m glad he got the start he deserved,” said Marcus Williams, a 46-year-old black resident of Houston, outside. “I want the police killings to stop. I want them to reform the process for justice and stop the killings.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, died on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
Disarmed and handcuffed, he was lying face down on the street, out of breath and moaning for help before being silent, images filmed by a passerby showed it.
His death sparked protests in American cities against black racism and systematic mistreatment.
Although generally peaceful, there have been episodes of arson, looting and confrontations with the police, whose often muscular tactics have fueled rage.
The affair also plunged President Donald Trump into a political crisis. He repeatedly threatened to order the army to take to the streets to restore order and fought to unite the nation.
Protests have invigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and raised demands for racial justice and police reform to the top of the political agenda before the November 3 presidential election.
“I’m here to protest the mistreatment of our black bodies. This will only stop if we continue to protest,” said Erica Corley, 34, one of hundreds of people attending a rally in the suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland, Washington.
Around the world
Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world, particularly in countries with a history of colonialism and participation in the slave trade.
In Britain, thousands of people of all races gathered in several cities this weekend. In the port city of Bristol, the statue of Edward Colston, who made his fortune in the 17th century from the African slave trade, was shot and thrown into the harbor.
A demonstration is scheduled Tuesday evening at the University of Oxford to demand the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a 19th century businessman in southern Africa long accused of imperialist exploitation.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered a revision of London’s statues and street names that largely reflect the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria.
“It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and our city owe much of their wealth to their role in the slave trade and although this is reflected in our public domain, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been deliberately overlooked, “said Khan.
The British Parliament held a minute of silence at 11 a.m. to mark the death of Floyd.
In France, the family of a black French man who died in police custody called a national demonstration on Saturday and rejected an offer of government talks.
Adama Traoré died in July 2016 after three police officers used their weight to restrain him. His family and supporters demanded that the officers involved be held accountable. No one has been charged.
Thousands of people marched in Paris last Saturday to mark the death of Traore and in solidarity with the American demonstrators.
Charge of murder
Derek Chauvin, 44, the police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck and is charged with second degree murder, made his first appearance in Minneapolis court via video link Monday. A judge ordered that his bail be increased from $ 1 million to $ 1.25 million.
The co-accused of Chauvin, three fellow officers, are accused of having helped and encouraged the murder of Floyd. All four were dismissed from the police the day after Floyd’s death.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met with Floyd’s relatives in Houston on Monday.
“He listened, heard their pain and shared their unhappiness,” said family lawyer Benjamin Crump. “This compassion meant the world to this grieving family.”
Democrats in Washington in Congress announced legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime and to allow victims of police trouble and their families to sue law enforcement for damages in a civil court, thereby ending a legal doctrine known as qualified immunity.
Trump resisted calls to fund the police, saying that 99% of the police were “great people.”
In Richmond, Virginia, a judge issued a 10-day injunction blocking the state governor’s plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
