MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, and the occasion will be commemorated with religious services, concerts, and vigils. Police reform and civil rights advocates continue to feel resistance, particularly from policies enacted by the Trump administration.
In Minneapolis, the focal point of the events is George Floyd Square. This is the location where Officer Derek Chauvin infamously pinned Floyd to the ground by his neck with his knee for over nine minutes, ignoring Floyd’s desperate cries of “I can’t breathe.”
The commemorations kicked off on Friday with concerts, a street festival, and a “self-care fair.” They will reach their peak on Sunday with a worship service, a gospel music concert, and a candlelight vigil.
In Houston, where Floyd grew up, family members planned to gather Sunday at his gravesite for a memorial service led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. In a park about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away, a memorial service will take place, followed by five hours of music, preaching and poetry readings and a balloon release.
The remembrances come at a fraught moment for activists, who had hoped the worldwide protests that followed Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, would lead to permanent police reform across the U.S. and a continued focus on racial justice issues.
Even with Minneapolis officials’ promises to remake the police department, some activists contend the progress has come at a glacial pace.
“We understand that change takes time,” Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said in a statement last week. “However, the progress being claimed by the city is not being felt in the streets.”
President Donald Trump’s administration moved Wednesday to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville that called for an overhaul of their police departments following the Floyd’s murder and the killing of Breonna Taylor. Under Democratic President Joe Biden, the U.S. Justice Department had aggressively pushed for aggressive oversight of local police it had accused of widespread abuses.
Trump also declared an end to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government and his administration is using federal funds as leverage to force local governments, universities and public school districts to do the same. Republican-led states also have accelerated their efforts to stamp out DEI initiatives.
