Protest in Chicago’s Federal Plaza Marks Five Years Since George Floyd’s Death

A gathering in Chicago on Sunday was part of a broader national initiative organized by many of the same groups that supported the Black Lives Matter movement following George Floyd’s death five years back.

It is a movement which is now hitting back at the current administration’s efforts to roll back oversight of police departments across the country.

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On the Sunday preceding Memorial Day, numerous individuals convened in Chicago’s Federal Plaza to honor the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. This gathering was mirrored in approximately 23 cities across the country.

“It was 9 minutes and 29 seconds what we witnessed, and everybody witnessed that, the atrocities of murder.” 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.

Floyd’s passing ignited a wave of nationwide protests, which drew widespread indignation, even amidst the ongoing pandemic of 2020. The Department of Justice responded by enhancing oversight and initiating legal actions against the Minneapolis Police Department and others.

RELATED | 5 years after George Floyd’s death, Minneapolis police work to rebuild trust

Earlier this month, the Trump administration dropped those lawsuits, a move presaged by an executive order he signed April 28 with the purpose of “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement.”

“I realized I’m not one generation out of civil rights. I am still in it,” said Marquinn McDonald with he Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. “We are still fighting it. We are still standing up against it.”

The executive order also allows the administration to pursue legal action against state and local officials who are perceived to be obstructing criminal justice or using DEI initiatives to restrict law enforcement. But even as protesters Sunday called out the administration’s actions, they expressed confidence in the police oversight process in place in Chicago.

“Chicago is the focal point for police accountability. We have the most progressive police accountability ordinance in the country,” said Faayani Aboma with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “We have one district counselor who is a representative of the structure and our organization is fighting for community control of police across the country and our view it’s people power that’s going to push it forward.”

Despite the Trump administration’s decision to drop lawsuits filed against Minneapolis and others, Chicago’s consent decree remains intact, as it does not involve the Department of Justice.