The United States on Sunday commemorated the death of African American George Floyd, who was killed five years ago by a white police officer, as former President Donald Trump reverses reforms aimed at fighting racism.
The arrest and murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, intensified the “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) movement, which aimed to address deeply rooted racial issues in the US, from police violence to systemic inequalities.
Since Donald Trump’s return to power in January, his administration has halted civil rights investigations and curtailed diversity hiring initiatives. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced it would drop legal actions against police forces in Minneapolis and Louisville, accused of violence following the deaths of African Americans that shook the nation in 2020.
Meanwhile, BLM no longer enjoys the robust support it once had during the widespread protests that reached the very gates of the White House as Trump’s first term was ending. The movement has lost momentum, and its achievements remain inconsistent.
Nevertheless, a commemoration is set to take place at what is now George Floyd Square, the site where 46-year-old Floyd was suffocated by Officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck during a forceful arrest, leading to his death.
A small intersection in a residential neighbourhood of this northern US city, the square is adorned with protest art, including a purple mural that reads: “You changed the world, George.”
This hopeful message, painted in 2020, now contrasts starkly with a president whose most extreme allies have suggested pardoning Derek Chauvin, convicted of George Floyd’s murder and sentenced to over 22 years in prison.
