George Floyd’s Family Meets Biden On First Anniversary Of His Murder, Wants ‘Laws To Protect People Of Color’
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have met with the family of George Floyd exactly one year after he was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
Floyd’s brother, Philonise and other members of the family met privately with the president on Tuesday, the first anniversary of George Floyd’s May 25, 2020 murder by Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin was recently convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Philonise told reporters the family had a “great” meeting with the President and vice president and said: “He’s a genuine guy. They always speak from the heart.”
He told reporters at the White House;
We’re just thankful for what’s going on and we just want the George Floyd Policing Act to be passed. If you can make federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, you can make federal laws to protect people of color.
The meeting comes as George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — legislation that would set up a national registry of police misconduct, ban racial and religious profiling by law enforcement and overhaul qualified immunity for police officers — remains stalled in the Senate.
Biden had set an initial goal of having the legislation passed by Tuesday, but the White House backed off that deadline to allow negotiations to continue in Congress.
Rodney Floyd, another one of Floyd’s brothers, told reporters the family is thankful Biden and Harris showed “great concern” for their family on the anniversary of his brother’s death.
He said the President and vice president asked them how they were doing and how they were taking care of themselves.
Read Also: George Floyd Died From ‘Low-Level Of Oxygen’ – Doctor
Also, Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, expressed that Biden told the family he wants to see George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed, but he wants to make sure it’s the right legislation.
“He did let us know that he supports passing the bill, but he wants to make sure that it’s the right bill and not a rushed bill,” Williams said, adding that the President said he wasn’t happy that legislation wasn’t passed by the initial deadline he had set.
Meanwhile, Biden praised the bravery of George Floyd’s family, a year to the day since the African American man was killed.
“The Floyd family has shown extraordinary courage, especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today,” Biden said in a statement after talking with several members of the Floyd family in the White House.
He stated;
His murder launched a summer of protest we hadn’t seen since the Civil Rights era in the ’60s — protests that peacefully unified people of every race and generation to collectively say enough of the senseless killings.
In addition to meeting with the President, the Floyd family is set to meet with the lead negotiators for the police reform bill in the Senate, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott.
They will also meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers at the US Capitol, including California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who led the charge to pass the police reform bill in the House of Representatives.
Biden wanted his meeting with Floyd’s family to be private, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, “in order to have a real conversation and preserve that with the family.”
Psaki told reporters on Monday during a White House briefing;
He has a genuine relationship with them. And the courage and grace of this family — and especially his daughter, Gianna — has really stuck with the President. … He’s eager to listen to their perspectives and hear what they have to say during this meeting.
Those that attended the meeting with the President also included Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington; Floyd’s sister, Bridgett Floyd; Philonise Floyd’s wife, Keeta Floyd; Floyd’s brother, Rodney Floyd; Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd; and Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, according to Psaki.
Read Also: US Police Derek Chauvin Who Killed George Floyd By Kneeling On His Neck Charged With Murder
Floyd’s family announced on Tuesday that they are using $500,000 of their $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis to create The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund.
The fund will offer grants to organizations and businesses that serve the community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis. The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue is where Floyd died.
AFP
