Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at the site where George Floyd was detained by Minneapolis police, dying in custody, the epicenter of what’s become a worldwide wave of demonstrations against police brutality.
Members of George Floyd’s family also came to the sprawling memorial to their loved one that now blankets the intersection near where he was pinned to the pavement by police and lost consciousness before he died that night. Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump accompanied Floyd’s son, 27-year-old Quincy Mason of Texas, arriving shortly before 11:30 a.m. They knelt briefly, heads bowed, on the asphalt where Floyd pleaded, “I can’t breathe,” and called out for his “mama” before he passed out.
Crump then addressed the hundreds of supporters and dozens of media members encircling the site.
“We are here to honor George Floyd, who was tortured to death,” Crump said. “He was tortured in the last eight minutes, 46 seconds of his life. Like a fish out of water, gasping for air.”
Mason spoke only briefly.
“No man or woman should be without their father,” he said softly, before stepping back.
Crump’s voice boomed.
“We are demanding justice ... [for] what the entire world has seen with their eyes, and cannot unsee,” he said. “We cannot have two justice systems in America: one for black Americans and one for white Americans. We need equal justice in the United States of America.”
He added: “I proclaim with his son as my witness, that change will come today!”
Police were called to Cup Foods at E. 38th Street and S. Chicago Avenue on Memorial Day, responding to a report of someone attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. There, they detained Floyd and held him — former Officer Derek Chauvin with a knee to the side of his Floyd’s neck — until after he’d stopped breathing. Floyd was taken by ambulance, unresponsive, to the hospital where he later was pronounced dead.
Ann Boekhoff of St. Paul left a gift of fruit and bars at the Cup Food site, and also brought her 2-year-old granddaughter.
“I’m here to honor George Floyd,” Boekhoff said. “This is a very sacred place. I wanted her to be exposed to what’s going on in the world.”
Crumps and Mason’s visit comes one day before a private memorial service in Minneapolis. Crump did not disclose which relatives would be going to the intersection.
Throughout the week, activists have circulated at the Cup Foods site, gathering support for their causes.
On Wednesday, a group seeking to recall Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman launched a petition drive, sending out volunteers with clipboards and signature sheets. Chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team also were circulating through the crowd talking with attendees.
The site of George Floyd’s arrest has seen far less unrest over the past several days, and on many nights last week didn’t even have a police presence as mourners and neighbors constructed memorials made of flowers, posters and chalk art.
A striking mural painted on the Cup Foods convenience store at the intersection depicts Floyd and the words, “I can breathe now,” which references Floyd repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” while being held down.
Terrence Floyd, a younger brother, came to the intersection on Monday with the Rev. Al Sharpton amid a crush of onlookers and international media. With the help of several men, he staggered to the spot where his brother was restrained. Terrence Floyd fell to his knees and let out an anguished scream.
Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
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Hundreds gather at Cup Foods to honor George Floyd, demand justice - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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