Friday, May 24th, was the fourth anniversary of the death of george floyd.
On May 24th, 2020, in Minneapolis, george floyd was killed by then-police officer derek chauvin, who kept his knee on floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes, causing asphyxiation. chauvin was convicted of his murder and is serving a 22 1/2 year prison sentence.
floyd’s death generated violent riots around the country. Many people were hurt, several were killed, and countless millions of dollars in damages to urban areas.
I would assume you know why I do not capitalize derek chauvin’s name. But you might wonder why I’m doing the same for george floyd.
The reason is that, his mistreatment by chauvin notwithstanding, george floyd was an awful human being.
Why do I say this? Because:
-He was a career criminal who served 8 different jail sentences over the years, for drug possession, theft and trespass.
-He was also violent; he threatened a woman with a pistol while his pals rummaged through her apartment looking for things to steal.
-He was a long time drug addict – and his autopsy showed that the drug addiction persisted right up to the day he died.
-The reason chauvin and other police accosted floyd was that they were contacted by a grocery store employee because he tried to pass a counterfeit bill.
-And, in his spare time, he also managed to father five children out of wedlock.
With the above in mind, I will now post the statement issued on Friday by President Joe Biden (or – let’s be honest here – the people who are actually running the Biden presidency as his cognitive disintegration continues to worsen):
George Floyd should be alive. He should be celebrating his 50th birthday with his young daughter Gianna, family, and friends. He deserved so much more.
Today, we join his family to honor his life and legacy. And we remember the tragedy and injustice of his death that sparked one of the largest civil rights movements in our nation’s history and inspired the world.
George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that our nation has never fully lived up to its highest ideal of fair and impartial justice for all under the law.
The day before her father’s funeral, Gianna told me, “Daddy changed the world.” Three years after her father’s murder, my answer to Gianna remains the same: he has.
A year and a half ago, Kamala and I stood with the family of George Floyd, civil rights leaders, and law enforcement officials, and I signed an executive order, which applies key elements of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to federal law enforcement. This order bans chokeholds, restricts no-knock warrants, establishes a database for police misconduct, and directs other measures to advance effective and accountable policing that increases public safety. It is putting federal law enforcement on the path to becoming the gold standard of effectiveness and accountability.
My order also directs the use of federal tools to support similar reforms in state and local agencies. Across our Administration, we have made significant progress in fulfilling the requirements of my executive order, making policing safer and rebuilding trust in American communities.
But we know that implementing real and lasting change at the state and local levels requires Congress to act. I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability and urge Congress to pass meaningful police reform and send it to my desk. I will sign it.
George Floyd’s memory reminds us that there is more work to do to redeem the soul of America. Let us recommit to changing hearts and minds while enacting policies and laws that ensure our nation lives up to its founding idea: that we’re all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.
WHAT????????
george floyd deserved a eulogy celebrating his life????????
His life and legacy should be honored??????
This is the guy who Joe Biden picked to race-pander on behalf of (and if this isn’t world class race-pandering what is)???????
That is about as puke-inducing as it gets.
Hey Joe, are you also preparing a statement lamenting the loss of life, physical violence and destruction of property rioters used floyd’s death to inflict on people who had nothing to do with what happened to him?
No? I thought not.
Can a nakedly political/pandering statement like this possibly work? Can it actually generate increased Black support for Joe Biden?
I can only hope the answer is no.
