Latest news with #RevAlSharpton
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Remembering George Floyd, Five Years After His Death
Commemorations were held across the U.S. to mark five years since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, sparking global protests. In Houston, Floyd's hometown, his family gathered near his grave for a memorial service led by Rev Al Sharpton. Meanwhile, Minneapolis hosted a gospel concert and church service as part of its annual Rise and Remember Festival at George Floyd Square. Floyd's aunt, Angela Harrelson, urged the public to keep fighting for justice and reform, saying the movement must continue. Floyd was murdered in 2020 by Officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands remember George Floyd on fifth anniversary of death
Americans across the country remembered George Floyd five years after he was killed by police, with special gatherings in the city where he grew up and the one where he died. The murder of Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin led to nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. On Sunday, Floyd's family gathered in their hometown of Houston near Floyd's gravesite for a service led by the Rev Al Sharpton, while Minneapolis held several commemorations. What many hailed as a national "reckoning" with racism after Floyd's death, though, seems to be fading as President Donald Trump starts to roll back police reforms in Minneapolis and other cities. The Associated Press reported that thousands of people, including police reform and civil-rights activists, gathered on Sunday for the anniversary. In Minneapolis, a morning church service and evening gospel concert were part of events to mark the events of 25 March 2020, at the annual Rise and Remember Festival in George Floyd Square, the intersection where Floyd was murdered and which has since been named to honour him. "Now is the time for the people to rise up and continue the good work we started," Angela Harrelson, Floyd's aunt and co-chair of the Rise and Remember nonprofit, said in a statement about the festival. In Houston, where Floyd grew up and where he is buried, local organisations held poetry sessions, musical performances and speeches by local pastors. Rev Sharpton, a civil rights leader, held a press conference and memorial service with Floyd's family, as well as elected officials and friends. They called for changes begun in the wake of Floyd's to continue, especially pushing President Donald Trump to keep up federal police reform agreements. Floyd was murdered in 2020 during a police arrest in Minneapolis when Chauvin, a white police officer, stood on his neck for more than nine minutes. The killing - captured on a bystander's phone camera - sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of force. Chauvin has been serving a 22-year prison sentence after he was convicted of murdering the 46-year-old. Other officers were convicted for failing to intervene in the killing. In a post on X, Rev Sharpton said Floyd's death had "forced a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism and galvanized millions to take to the streets in protest". "The conviction of the officer responsible was a rare step toward justice, but our work is far from over," he said. In the wake of Floyd's death, under former President Joe Biden, the justice department opened civil investigations into several local law enforcement agencies, including Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix and Lexington, Mississippi, where investigators found evidence of systemic police misconduct. The department reached agreements with both the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments that included oversight measures like enhanced training, accountability, and improved data collection of police activity. But last Wednesday, the Trump administration said those findings relied on "flawed methodologies and incomplete data". Administration officials said the agreement were "handcuffing" local police departments. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though, said this week that his city would still "comply with every sentence, of every paragraph, of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year". Since returning to office, Trump has also taken aim at Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) measures intended to reduce racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Early in his tenure, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI policies in the federal government, some of which were the result of protests during what is often called "Black Lives Matter Summer", held after the deaths of Floyd and others, Critics including Trump say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory. Addressing West Point on Saturday, he said that in ending DEI in the military the administration was "getting rid of the distractions" and "focusing our military on its core mission". Meanwhile, the mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, removed Black Lives Matter Plaza, a strip of road that was emblazoned with the phrase near the White House. This week, a famous mural of Floyd in Houston was destroyed as part of a building demolition, as well, according to Houston Public Media. Recent surveys suggest Americans believe there have been few improvements for the lives of black people in the US five years after Floyd's passing, including a May survey from Pew Research Center in which 72% of participants said there had been no meaningful changes. The number of Americans expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement has also fallen by 15% since June 2020, the same survey suggests. Trump administration to scrap police reform measures in some US cities Chauvin sentenced for violating George Floyd's rights Minneapolis police 'engaged in pattern of racism'
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Americans remember George Floyd on fifth anniversary of his death
Americans across the country are remembering George Floyd five years after he was killed by police, with special gatherings in the city where he grew up and the one where he murder of Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin led to nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. On Sunday, Floyd's family gathered in their hometown of Houston near Floyd's gravesite for an event led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, while Minneapolis held several many hailed as a national "reckoning" with racism after Floyd's death, though, seems to be fading as President Donald Trump starts to roll back police reforms in Minneapolis and other cities. In Minneapolis, community members planned a morning church service, a candlelight vigil and an evening gospel concert on Sunday to remember Floyd. The events were a part of the annual Rise and Remember Festival taking place in George Floyd Square, the intersection where Floyd was murdered and which has since been named to honour him. "Now is the time for the people to rise up and continue the good work we started," Angela Harrelson, Floyd's aunt and co-chair of the Rise and Remember nonprofit, said in a statement about the festival. In Houston, where Floyd grew up and where he is buried, local organisations planned poetry sessions, musical performances and speeches by local was murdered in 2020 during a police arrest in Minneapolis when Chauvin, a white police officer, stood on his neck for more than nine minutes. The killing - captured on a bystander's phone camera - sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of has been serving a 22-year prison sentence after he was convicted of murdering the 46-year-old. Other officers were convicted for failing to intervene in the killing. In a post on X, Rev Sharpton said Floyd's death had "forced a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism and galvanized millions to take to the streets in protest". "The conviction of the officer responsible was a rare step toward justice, but our work is far from over," he said. In the wake of Floyd's death, under former President Joe Biden, the justice department opened civil investigations into several local law enforcement agencies, including Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix and Lexington, Mississippi, where investigators found evidence of systemic police misconduct. The department reached agreements with both the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments that included oversight measures like enhanced training, accountability, and improved data collection of police last Wednesday, the Trump administration said those findings relied on "flawed methodologies and incomplete data".Administration officials said the agreement were "handcuffing" local police departments. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though, said this week that his city would still "comply with every sentence, of every paragraph, of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year".Since returning to office, Trump has also taken aim at Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) measures intended to reduce racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Early in his tenure, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI policies in the federal government, some of which were the result of protests during what is often called "Black Lives Matter Summer", held after the deaths of Floyd and others, Meanwhile, the mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, removed Black Lives Matter Plaza, a strip of road that was emblazoned with the phrase near the White House. This week, a famous mural of Floyd in Houston was destroyed as part of a building demolition, as well, according to Houston Public Media. Recent surveys suggest Americans believe there have been few improvements for the lives of black people in the US five years after Floyd's passing, including a May survey from Pew Research Center in which 72% of participants said there had been no meaningful changes. The number of Americans expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement has also fallen by 15% since June 2020, the same survey suggests.
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Cities tied to George Floyd mark the 5th anniversary of his death
MINNEAPOLIS — Religious services, concerts and vigils are set to mark Sunday's fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer even as police reform and civil rights activists face what they see as a backlash from the Trump administration. Events in Minneapolis center around George Floyd Square, the intersection where police Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes, even as the 46-year-old Black man's cried 'I can't breathe.' The events started Friday with concerts, a street festival and a 'self-care fair,' and culminate with a worship service, gospel music concert and candlelight vigil on Sunday. In Houston, where Floyd grew up, family members planned to gather Sunday at his gravesite for a memorial service led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. In a park about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away, a memorial service will take place, followed by five hours of music, preaching and poetry readings and a balloon release. The remembrances come at a fraught moment for activists, who had hoped the worldwide protests that followed Floyd's murder on May 25, 2020, would lead to permanent police reform across the U.S. and a continued focus on racial justice issues. Even with Minneapolis officials' promises to remake the police department , some activists contend the progress has come at a glacial pace. 'We understand that change takes time,' Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said in a statement last week. 'However, the progress being claimed by the city is not being felt in the streets.' President Donald Trump's administration moved Wednesday to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville that called for an overhaul of their police departments following the Floyd's murder and the killing of Breonna Taylor. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, the U.S. Justice Department had aggressively pushed for aggressive oversight of local police it had accused of widespread abuses. Trump also declared an end to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government and his administration is using federal funds as leverage to force local governments, universities and public school districts to do the same. Republican-led states also have accelerated their efforts to stamp out DEI initiatives.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
George Floyd's murder shook the country. Can his mural help it heal?
The Brief The mural is expected to be a popular destination as the city prepares to mark the 5-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder. Local artists created the iconic image on the side of a building at the corner where Floyd was killed. It has attracted visitors from all over the world. As the city prepares for the 5-year anniversary of Floyd's death, one of the artists reflected on the mural's lasting impact. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As protests and riots swept over Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an iconic painting emerged as a destination for healing. Five years later, one of the artists who created the colorful mural reflects on the impact it has had in a "sad place to be." The backstory Cadex Herrera knew the mural he helped create after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 would inspire grief, sadness, and, hopefully, healing. But he didn't fully appreciate his own emotional response until he saw the image at Floyd's funeral. As Rev. Al Sharpton delivered his eulogy, Herrera watched online as his work was broadcast throughout the world. "And that's when I just lost it. All my defenses broke down," Herrera said during a recent interview with FOX 9. "I couldn't even stand up because it hit me so hard." Why you should care The colorful mural, which contains the names of others killed by police officers in recent years, has since attracted visitors from all over the world. It will likely become a destination for many more this week as the city prepares to mark the 5-year anniversary of Floyd's murder. Herrera and two other artists started transforming the brick canvas without the store owner's permission. After seeing the image take shape, Herrera said the owner offered to pay them but the team declined. "That was the end of that conversation," Herrera said. Big picture view The intersection of 38th and Chicago Ave where Floyd was killed, now known as George Floyd Square, continues to struggle. Neighbors are frustrated with violent crime. Business owners are frustrated with stalled plans to re-develop the area. But like in 2020, the mural has endured. It was created as protests and riots swept through south Minneapolis. Herrera, who teaches art to young students in St. Paul, believes it offers people a place to reflect and heal. "Every time someone drives by, they're reminded of what happened here. They see George Floyd's name and they remember it. And I think that's part of the point of having all these artists create all this artwork is that we cannot forget what happened," he said. "We cannot forget what happened to George Floyd and all of the different individuals who have suffered his fate."
