George Floyd’s Uncertain Legacy Is Marked Five Years On

 

Americans on Sunday mark five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.

Floyd’s deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America’s deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality.

But since Trump’s return to power in January –- he was serving his first term when Floyd died -– his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.

BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities during the Covid pandemic — with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.

An anniversary event is taking place in what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.

A small junction in a residential part of the northern US city, the square is covered with protest art including a purple mural that reads “You Changed the World, George.”

That optimistic message painted in 2020 is now, however, at odds with a president whose more extreme allies have suggested he pardon Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.

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Some experts believe Trump’s re-election was partly a backlash to BLM activism, which included protests that turned to riots in some cities and calls to defund the police.

 

Floyd’s family members told AFP in Minneapolis on Friday that they wanted people to continue pushing for reform despite the hostile political climate.

“We don’t need an executive order to tell us that Black lives matter,” said his aunt Angela Harrelson, who wore a dark T-shirt depicting Floyd’s face.

“We cannot let a setback be a holdback for the great comeback. Donald Trump just didn’t get the memo,” she added to nods from other relatives standing beside her.

Paris Stevens, a Floyd cousin, agreed: “No one can silence us anymore.”

‘Keep the memory going’

The Floyd relatives, with around 50 other people, held a moment of silence on Friday afternoon before placing yellow roses on the roadside spot where Floyd’s fatal arrest was filmed and shared around the world.

It was a moment of reflection –- others include a candlelight vigil on Sunday night –- during a weekend otherwise devoted to music, arts and dancing.

Memorial events have been held annually since Floyd’s death and the theme for this one -– “The People Have Spoken” -– was suggested by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi when he visited the square, according to Harrelson.

She said the defiant title was meant to reflect five years of protesting, adding that “even though it’s tiresome, we go on.”

Visitors are expected to pay their respects through the weekend.

Jill Foster, a physician from Minneapolis, told AFP at the square on Friday that she felt honoring Floyd’s legacy was partly a form of political resistance.

“Under the Trump administration, everything is trying to be rewritten and a new reality created,” the 66-year-old said.

“We have to keep the memory going and keep the information flowing.”

Meanwhile, for Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend when he died, the anniversary weekend brings up powerful feelings of personal loss.

“I miss him so much, I miss him by my side,” Ross, 49, told AFP, dressed in black and holding a bunch of yellow roses.

“It’s beautiful to see all the people come out and celebrate him,” she added.

“You see a unification that you don’t get a lot in this country lately, and people are celebrating a man who, you know, gave his life for us.”

AFP