‘Get your knee off our necks’: Al Sharpton delivers powerful eulogy at George Floyd memorial service
As thousands gathered to remember George Floyd, Al Sharpton delivered a powerful eulogy.
As thousands of mourners gathered in and around the chapel at North Central University on Thursday to memorialise George Floyd, Rev Al Sharpton presented the eulogy, calling for protesters to “keep going until we change the whole system of justice.” “This is the time,” said Mr Sharpton.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed on May 25 after police officers arrested him for allegedly trying to pass off a counterfeit $20 bill. Video that circulated widely on social media showed a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, with his knee on Floyd’s neck as he pleaded for mercy and said he couldn’t breathe.
Mr Sharpton asked mourners to stand in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time Floyd lay pinned to the pavement.
“George Floyd’s story has been the story of black folks. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamt to be is you kept your knee on our neck,” the Rev Sharpton said in a fierce eulogy. “It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks!”’
Sharpton vowed that this will become a movement to “change the whole system of justice.” “Time is out for not holding you accountable! Time is out for you making excuses! Time is out for you trying to stall! Time is out for empty words and empty promises! Time is out for you filibustering and trying to stall the arm of justice!” he said.
“The reason why we’re marching all over the world is because we were like George, we couldn’t breathe,” said Mr Sharpton. “Not because there was something wrong with our lungs but because you got your knee on our neck.”
Mr Sharpton told the story of attending a march years ago “and a young white lady looked me right in the face” and told him to go home in crude and derogatory terms, he said as the mostly black crowd sucked in its collective breath.
Mr Sharpton said the colours of the faces of the young people on the streets protesting had given him hope. In many instances, he saw more white people than black people.
His remarks came a few moments after several siblings and cousins remembered Floyd as a bear of a man who was kind and humble and could polish off six pieces of chicken at a sitting. The family was so poor they had to wash their clothes in the sink and hang them over the hot water heater to dry. But the household was warm and loving, his brother said. His mother regularly took in Floyd’s friends for long periods.
“That is where he got his character,” said Jeanette Sledge, who listened to the service on her car radio and came out to be part of a crowd of at least a thousand to watch the family leave the chapel and show her support.
“I knew him, he was a kind, sweet, humble man,” she said. Sobs rang out across the chapel as mourners stood in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
“I listened to that and I started to cry,” Ms Sledge said. “It was just such a long time. I imagined myself running into those cops and getting them off him.”
The service drew the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and other members of Congress, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ayanna Pressley. Among the celebrities in attendance were T.I., Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Marsai Martin.
Markle’s tribute to Floyd
Meghan Markle has paid a moving tribute to Floyd, as she reflected on her own memories of racism when growing up in Los Angeles.
The wife of Prince Harry admitted she had been nervous to break her silence on the demonstrations sweeping the United States, but said in a video message she “realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.” “George Floyd’s life mattered,” said Markle, whose mother is black, before listing the names of other African-Americans killed by police, and expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
In the video, Markle described the scenes in Los Angeles, where she now lives, as “devastating”. The 38-year-old also recalled deadly rioting that broke out in the city in 1992 after four white policemen were acquitted of charges of brutality after “a senseless act of racism” — the beating of black motorist Rodney King. The unrest spread nationwide and left 59 people dead.
“I remember the curfew and I remember rushing back home and on that drive home, seeing ash fall from the sky and smelling the smoke and seeing the smoke billow out of buildings,” said Markle.
Bail set for other ex-officers
About an hour prior to the memorial service, a judge in Minneapolis set the bail at $750,000 for the three ex-officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the killing of Floyd, the Associated Press reported. Only five news organisations were allowed into the courtroom amid constraints imposed due to the new coronavirus.
None of the officers entered a plea, as expected for a first court appearance, according to the AP. Judge Paul Scoggin set June 29 as their next court date.
In New York Thursday, thousands gathered for a memorial for Floyd organised by some of his family in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Protesters carried signs that said “Black Lives Matter” and chanted “no justice, no peace.” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio received scattered boos as he promised change. “It will not be about words in this city. It will be about change,” he said, leaving shortly after.
Police officers were present at barricades that surrounded the park, including many officers handing out masks.
“I’m here for justice and equality for all,” said Ideon Henry, 41. Mr Henry said he had been at demonstrations in Brooklyn each night from Friday through Monday.
After days of peaceful protests and nights of violence, several major cities have had a few nights of relative calm and Los Angeles and Washington, DC, said on Thursday they aren’t extending their curfews any longer. New York has announced an 8pm curfew through to Sunday.
In downtown Los Angeles, crowds numbered in the hundreds, compared with thousands who came out earlier in the week. Some protesters held signs reading, “The fight ain’t over,” and “Disarm the police,” as they listened to speeches condemning police brutality. There were fewer police around City Hall than in previous days, but a large contingent of National Guard troops encircled the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said they were seeking answers from the Trump administration Thursday on what law enforcement — some without badges or other identification — and military had been deployed to the nation’s capital, which isn’t a state and therefore under federal control.
“We are concerned about the increased militarisation and lack of clarity that may increase chaos,” Ms Pelosi wrote in a letter to Mr Trump.
Mr Trump said on Twitter that “The Radical Left Democrats new theme is “Defund the Police,” and said is “the complete opposite, more money for Law Enforcement!” In a press conference Thursday, Ms Bowser acknowledged that the federal government had at one point raised the idea of taking over the city’s police, which she said she opposed.
As of Thursday, 32 states and the district had activated more than 32,400 National Guard troops in response to the protests, the National Guard said.
Authorities have made 51 arrests for federal crimes related to rioting, Attorney-General William Barr said Thursday, blaming the violence and destruction on antifa as well as agitators “of a variety of different political persuasions.” Antifa, which is short for anti-fascist, refers to a loose affiliation of far-left groups and individuals who say they believe in confronting those they consider racist, anti-Semitic or fascist, including through violence.
In the Minneapolis bail hearing, the lawyers for the three men argued for lower bail, the AP reported. Earl Gray, a lawyer representing Thomas Lane, told the judge it was his client’s fourth day on the job and that he was being trained by Mr Chauvin, the AP reported.
Two of the three officers were positioned on Floyd’s back and legs during the nearly nine minutes that Mr Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck, according to their criminal complaints. The third officer kept onlookers at bay. None intervened to stop Mr Chauvin, the complaints said.
The Wall Street Journal, AP, AFP
More Coverage
Is there a constitutional crisis in the US? Short answer – no
Donald Trump’s actions are aggressive, but they aren’t an executive coup. Those who say they are, are overwrought as usual.
Trump tells Jordan’s King the US will take over Gaza
Speaking at the White House with Donald Trump, King Abdullah didn’t say whether Jordan would accept Palestinians but said regional leaders were trying to work out how to make the Gaza takeover proposal work.