George Floyd protests continue for tenth day in Minneapolis, NYC, Atlanta and other cities

Peaceful protests sparked by the death of George Floyd continued for a tenth straight day in cities across the US on Thursday as activists insisted they will not back down on their demands for police reform and an end to systematic racism. 

In Minneapolis, hundreds of people turned out for a memorial service honoring Floyd, who was killed after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest on May 25.

‘George Floyd’s story has been the story of black folks. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be is you kept your knee on our neck,’ the Rev Al Sharpton said in a fiery eulogy. 

‘It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say: “Get your knee off our necks!”‘ 

Those gathered at the tribute stood in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time Floyd was pinned to the ground while Chauvin and three other officers ignored his repeated pleas that he couldn’t breathe.  

Floyd’s brother, Philonise, held a prayer vigil at the site where his sibling was killed. ‘Everyone wants justice for George, we want justice for George,’ he told the crowd. ‘He’s going to get it.’

In New York City, Floyd’s other brother, Terrence, addressed a crowd gathered at a memorial rally in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. 

‘At the end of the day, my brother’s gone, but the Floyd name lives on,’ Terrence said. ‘I’m just thankful when I hear about the memorials going on. I hear they’re going on all over the world.’  

Meanwhile thousands of protesters took to the streets in Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle and many other cities holding signs with Floyd’s image and powerful messages including  ‘Enough’, ‘I Can’t Breathe’ and ‘Black Lives Matter’.  

MINNEAPOLIS: George Floyd’s brother Philonise addresses the crowd chanting ‘No Justice, No Peace’ outside of a memorial service on Thursday

NEW YORK: Floyd's brother, Terrence, marches with a crowd during a memorial rally in Brooklyn

NEW YORK: Floyd’s brother, Terrence, marches with a crowd during a memorial rally in Brooklyn 

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of people sit on the ground during a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of people sit on the ground during a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

PHILADELPHIA: Protesters carry signs and chant as they march through LOVE Park in Philadelphia on Thursday

PHILADELPHIA: Protesters carry signs and chant as they march through LOVE Park in Philadelphia on Thursday

ATLANTA: Mayor Keisha Bottoms attended a demonstration outside Centennial Olympic Park on Thursday evening

ATLANTA: Mayor Keisha Bottoms attended a demonstration outside Centennial Olympic Park on Thursday evening

AUSTIN: Members of the Austin police department march with the UT football team to the State Capitol on Thursday

AUSTIN: Members of the Austin police department march with the UT football team to the State Capitol on Thursday

The Minneapolis service – the first in a series of memorials set for three cities over six days – took place at a sanctuary at North Central University, just a few blocks from where a judge set bail at $750,000 each for the three Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting murder in Floyd’s death.

All four officers were fired the day after Floyd was killed and Chauvin is facing up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder.  

During his eulogy Sharpton vowed that this will become a movement to ‘change the whole system of justice’.

‘Time is out for not holding you accountable! Time is out for you making excuses! Time is out for you trying to stall! Time is out for empty words and empty promises! Time is out for you filibustering and trying to stall the arm of justice!’ he said.

The service drew the Rev Jesse Jackson, Sen Amy Klobuchar and other members of Congress, including Reps Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ayanna Pressley. Among the celebrities in attendance were T.I., Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Marsai Martin.

‘All these people came to see my brother,’ Philonise Floyd told the crowd at the memorial in awe as he recounted their childhoods playing catch and eating banana-mayonnaise sandwiches. 

‘That’s amazing to me that he touched so many people’s hearts because he touched our hearts.’ He and other family members spoke lovingly of Floyd, who was well over six feet tall, which earned him the nickname ‘Big George’.

The casket was covered in red roses, and a vibrant image was projected above the pulpit of a mural of Floyd painted at the street corner where he was arrested by police on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store. The message on the mural: ‘I can breathe now.’

The sanctuary normally seats 1,000, but because of the coronavirus outbreak, the capacity was reduced to about 500, and many mourners wore masks, some with ‘I can’t breathe’ on them.

Outside, hundreds chanted Floyd’s name as a hearse prepared to carry him away.

After the Minneapolis event, his body will go to Raeford, North Carolina, near where he was born, for a public viewing and private family service on Saturday. 

A public viewing will be held Monday in Houston, where he was raised and lived most of his life.

In the US, where protests had been marked by bouts of lawlessness since last week, relative quiet continued for a second straight night Wednesday following a decision by prosecutors to charge the three other officers at the scene and file a new, more serious count of murder against Chauvin.

But that news made little to no impact on the size and frequency of demonstrations on Thursday as activists made it clear that their frustration and outrage run much deeper than the Floyd case alone. 

MINNEAPOLIS: The Rev Al Sharpton delivers a passionate eulogy at the memorial of George Floyd at North Central University

MINNEAPOLIS: The Rev Al Sharpton delivers a passionate eulogy at the memorial of George Floyd at North Central University 

MINNEAPOLIS: George Floyd's family members surround his golden casket at the Lindquist Sanctuary at the North Central University on Thursday during the first of three memorial services in the next six days in his honor

MINNEAPOLIS: George Floyd’s family members surround his golden casket at the Lindquist Sanctuary at the North Central University on Thursday during the first of three memorial services in the next six days in his honor

MINNEAPOLIS: George Floyd's casket leaves the sanctuary at North Central University after the memorial service

MINNEAPOLIS: George Floyd’s casket leaves the sanctuary at North Central University after the memorial service 

Terrence Floyd was overcome with emotion as he acknowledged the role his brother’s death played in launching a massive civil rights movement during the memorial rally in Brooklyn.  

He struggled to collect himself before he spoke, prompting attendees to chant words of encouragement — ‘Take your time’ and ‘You are not alone.’

Quiet fell over the crowd when he began speaking, describing his realization that his brother’s death had turned into his purpose.  

At the conclusion of that memorial a large number of attendees marched together from Cadman Plaza and over the Brooklyn Bridge to Lower Manhattan and up through Washington and Union squares.  

Terrence stood just behind the front line of marchers carrying a yellow and black banner that read ‘Justice For George Floyd’. 

NEW YORK: Protesters take a knee before continuing their march on the Brooklyn Bridge after attending a memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday

NEW YORK: Protesters take a knee before continuing their march on the Brooklyn Bridge after attending a memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday

In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Police Department Chief Erika Shields stopped by a demonstration outside Centennial Olympic Park on Thursday evening.  

Speaking through a megaphone, Bottoms thanked the crowd and said she understood their message, saying: ‘You all matter to me’ and that ‘there’s something better on the other side of this for us, and there’s something better on the other side of this for our children’s children.’

‘I look forward to continuing to stand with you all,’ she said. She also encouraged people to vote in next week’s local elections and recommended that those who have been protesting get tested for COVID-19. 

Despite an outpouring of boos and jeers from hecklers in the crowd, Bottoms told reporters afterward that she was happy with how the visit went.  

‘I wanted to see and feel what our crowds are feeling, what the energy is,’ she said.  

ATLANTA: Peaceful protesters take the streets of Atlanta for the seventh day in a row on Thursday

ATLANTA: Peaceful protesters take the streets of Atlanta for the seventh day in a row on Thursday 

In Chicago, more than 400 protesters marched through the streets of Grayslake Thursday afternoon chanting the names of black people killed at the hands of police, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Laquan McDonald. 

The crowd stretched about a half mile and shut down Illinois Route 83 and the entrance to the College of Lake County.

Many of the protesters were students from local schools, including 21-year-old Jeremy Glende of Gurnee.  

‘I’m out here because I’m tired of seeing people who look like me getting killed across the country,’ Glende told the Chicago Tribune, noting that he and the other protesters were trying to broaden the focus from just one incident to many.

Harper Fischer, a social studies teacher at Grayslake North High School, said she joined the march because: ‘I feel I can’t look my students in the face and tell them they’re safe in America.’

In Philadelphia, protesters gathered in front of Independence Hall and demanded several measures for police reform, including mental evaluations for all police officers, outside investigations into officer-involved deaths, and making sure officers keep their body cameras on at all times.  

‘We only have one message, and that’s police reform,’ protest organizer Sixx King said. 

‘We are going to get the fake cops out of this system. Real cops put their lives on the line for you. Fake cops take your lives.’

As the sun began to set the protesters laid on the ground in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in silence for the same amount of time that George Floyd was pinned down by Minneapolis cops.  

At the end, they recited Floyd’s final words in unison: ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, mama…’

A small vocal group remained near City Hall after an 8pm curfew went into effect while police looked on from a distance.  

PHILADELPHIA: Protesters gathered in front of Independence Hall and demanded several measures for police reform

PHILADELPHIA: Protesters gathered in front of Independence Hall and demanded several measures for police reform

PHILADELPHIA: District Attorney Larry Krasner takes a knee in honor of the memory of George Floyd on Thursday

PHILADELPHIA: District Attorney Larry Krasner takes a knee in honor of the memory of George Floyd on Thursday

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