MINNEAPOLIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2021) Tuesday marks the first anniversary of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, Minnesota - an event that set the wheels of history to reshape America's present and is reshaping the nation's future as well.
Public outrage against this case of police brutality claimed a prominent place in a centuries-long fight against discrimination on par with victories over slavery and segregation, and is changing vast areas beyond criminal justice - economics, art, foreign policy and education.
Floyd, a 46-year-old unemployed African American with a criminal record and drug addiction, paid a pack of cigarettes at a Minneapolis grocery store with a $20 Dollar note. A cashier suspected the note was counterfeit and called the police after failing to resolve the matter on his own.
Floyd, who initially cooperated with officers, had a breakdown once he was placed inside a police vehicle. In an attempt to subdue Floyd, who was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed more than 220 Pounds, officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for some 9 minutes, ignoring the handcuffed suspect's pleas that he can not breathe as well as bystanders' attempts to call his attention.
The trial determined it "beyond reasonable doubt" that Chauvin's actions violated police rules of engagement and became a major factor in Floyd's death by obstructing oxygen flow. In April, the former officer was found guilty of a second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter potentially facing up to 75 years in prison. Chauvin's three colleagues, who participated in Floyd's arrest, will stand trial later this year.
"I can't breathe," Floyd's final words, became a rallying cry for many thousands of Americans who took to the streets from coast to coast infuriated by the disturbing video that was made public by a bystander. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project identified more than 7,750 demonstrations in 2,440 locations in all 50 US states and Washington, DC between May 26 and August 22, 2020, when the mostly peaceful street activities started to wind down.
"You went to the streets, Blacks and Whites, young and old, in the middle of the pandemic. Let us not forget that when people marched all over this country they marched risking their health," Al Sharpton, one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, said at a rally in Minneapolis commemorating the anniversary of Floyd's death.
Protesters were mobilized to demand justice for other African American victims of police violence as well. Even as the campaign went on, more Names appeared on the remembrance list, including that of Daunte Wright who was shot dead in April after a policewoman apparently mistook her handgun for a taser.
Now that the individuals responsible for Floyd's death are being tried and face lengthy prison terms, the main demand of the campaign is for a sweeping police reform provided for by the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that is yet to be approved by Congress.
Sharpton said Floyd should not go down in history as just someone with a knee on his neck but as a person who broke the neck of police racism, police brutality and police illegality.
"That how we will put George's name in history," Sharpton said. "It was historic to see a White police officer for the first time be convicted for killing a Black man... But it will go again and again and again acquittals unless we can get a Federal law."
The BLM movement said it has a more ambitious goal in mind. It seeks to eradicate the remnants of racist mentality and behavior permeating American society.
Attorney Ben Crump, who legally represents many police brutality victims, urged continuing the fight until a Black baby born to a Black mother has the same exact rights as a White baby born to a White mother.
"No, that's not a case in America today, but I challenge anybody to say that's not a goal we are fighting for," Crump said.
The campaign is moving from the streets to legislatures, workplaces, classrooms and artistic salons. Americans tear down monuments glorifying Confederate leaders, defenders of slavery, demand greater inclusivity from movies and literature, schools and universities review history books and introduce antiracism studies. Dissenting voices are rare and muffed by what the critics decry as "cancel culture."
The BLM movement endorsed Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign and says he is leaving up to expectations. Apart from appointing the most diverse cabinet in US history, recognizing the existence of the systematic racism in the United States, pushing for police reform and measures to protect minorities, Biden is implementing the socio-economic agenda of the BLM followers, pledging multibillion welfare programs to be funded by tax for increases for wealthy and corporations.
Even the United States foreign policy is not immune to the new trends. Many of the BLM activists recently joined pro-Palestinian protests demanding an end to unconditional US support for Israel and its congressional leaders brought the message directly to Biden during the recent flare-up in Gaza.
"None of us are free until all of us are free," a delegate from a local Muslim community said as she asked BLM to raise its voice against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Her appeal was greeted with applause and cheers at the Minneapolis rally.
Biden is expected to meet with Floyd's family in Minneapolis on Tuesday, where numerous activities - from roundtable discussions to street performances - will be held to celebrate George Floyd's life and legacy.
