George Floyd’s family calls on Congress to pass police reform, 4 years after his murder

CNN
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George Floyd’s family marked the fourth anniversary of his murder by renewing their call for Congress to pass legislation to reform American policing named after him.

“Change is needed,” Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, said during a news conference Thursday where Democratic lawmakers announced their latest effort to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The bill passed the then-Democrat-controlled House in June 2020. But it remained stalled in the Senate.

Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee reintroduced the bill Thursday, days before the fourth anniversary of Floyd’s killing. It calls for law enforcement to be held “accountable for any misconduct in court,” as well as police training and policy reform.

“We have the opportunity to enact bold, comprehensive reform of policing practices to correct and prevent unnecessary deaths. Congress must pass the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicingAct of 2024,» Rep. Jackson Lee wrote in a Facebook post.

Philonise Floyd agreed.

“In their minds, they (police) view you as a target just because you are someone of color,” he said. “Ultimately, if they can pass federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, then they can pass federal laws to protect people of color.”

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed on May 25, 2020 while in police custody. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck and back for nearly nine minutes. as Floyd pleaded for help and said he couldn’t breathe.

The following year, Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in a state trial and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. He later pleaded guilty in federal court to depriving Floyd of his civil rights.

Three other former Minneapolis police officers also faced state and federal charges and received prison sentences for their roles in Floyd’s killing.

Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis, called on her fellow lawmakers to “think about the lives that could have been spared if we had the courage to act.”

“We need a clear national standard to deliver on the promise of equal protection under the law,” she said.

The killing of George Floyd sparked a wave of protests against racial injustice and police brutality across the world. Four years later, Floyd’s death is still painful for his family, who were inclined to join the ranks of Black Americans spurred into action after their loved ones were killed by police.

“When I watched this video (of his death), I promised myself I would do something. And I didn’t stop doing something,” Floyd’s uncle, Selwyn Jones, told CNN.

This spring, Jones joined Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who was also killed by police in 2014, to explain how they turned their pain into purposeful activism at Harvard University.

Jones said he co-founded Hope929.org, a charity dedicated to empowering people marginalized by society, to bring about change in honor of his nephew.

“What I can do is accept the atrocities that were inflicted on her that day and make a difference,” he said.

But he is not optimistic about the fate of this legislation.

“I’m frustrated because I don’t think this will ever be adopted. And if that’s the case, it will have to be watered down, but we were promised that this bill would pass,” he said.

Jones said he and his family will continue to carry on Floyd’s legacy. He said he plans to attend a celebration in Floyd’s honor this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“It’s going to be business as usual,” Jones said. “Let us all sit down and eat and drink and be merry and take care of one another.”