George Floyd's casket is moved from the memorial to the hearse at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, on June 4, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hovland/Xinhua)
"It was not the coronavirus pandemic that killed George Floyd," said Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Floyd family. "(It's) the other pandemic that we're far too familiar with in America, the pandemic of racism and discrimination, that killed George Floyd."
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Family, friends and guests observed a silence of eight minutes and 46 seconds as the memorial service honoring George Floyd came to a close on Thursday in Minneapolis, the U.S. state of Minnesota.
That length of time represented the duration, for which the unarmed 46-year-old black man was pinned down under a white Minneapolis police officer's knee, before he died last week.
"What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health services, and in every area of American life. It is time for us to stand up in George's name and say, get your knee off our necks," said civil rights activist Alfred Sharpton, when delivering a eulogy at the service held at the Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary of North Central University in downtown Minneapolis Thursday afternoon.
Sharpton, founder of the civil rights organization National Action Network, called for a march in Washington on Aug. 28 -- the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s original March on Washington during the historical Civil Rights Movement -- to call for a federal policing equality act.
Civil rights activist Alfred Sharpton (1st R) arrives at North Central University for the memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, on June 4, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hovland/Xinhua)
"We need to go back to Washington and stand up -- black, white, Latino, Arab -- in the shadows of Lincoln, and tell them this is the time to stop this," he said.
"It was not the coronavirus pandemic that killed George Floyd," said Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Floyd family. "(It's) the other pandemic that we're far too familiar with in America, the pandemic of racism and discrimination, that killed George Floyd."
Prior to the memorial, hundreds of Minneapolis residents paid their tribute to Floyd by laying wreaths at a makeshift memorial site near the store where Floyd died.
"All these people came to see my brother. And that is amazing to me that he touched so many people's hearts," Floyd's brother Philonise said at the memorial.
"Everybody wants justice. We want justice for George. He's going to get it. He's going to get it," he said.
Family members of George Floyd arrive for the memorial for George Floyd at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, on June 4, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hovland/Xinhua)
Thursday's memorial, streamed live to the public, is the first in a series of services to remember Floyd.
A public viewing and a private memorial service will be held on Saturday in Raeford, North Carolina, the state where Floyd was born. And Floyd's body will return on Monday to Houston, Texas, where Floyd called home, for a public memorial and private service on Tuesday.
Floyd's death has triggered protests all over the United States.
Protesters in Minneapolis, New York and other cities continue to rally, as the four fired Minneapolis police officers who had been arresting Floyd are now in jail.
Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, was charged Wednesday with an additional count of second-degree murder, on top of a third-degree murder charge. He is scheduled to be in court Monday.
The three others were charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
If convicted, all the officers could spend up to 40 years in prison, according to local reports.
Minneapolis firefighters and first responders kneel as George Floyd's hearse runs past the street near North Central University after his memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, on June 4, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hovland/Xinhua)
"A Nation Torn" is the title of a special report by Time Magazine in its upcoming June 15th issue. The cover features a painting of a black mother holding a baby who appears to be cut out of the picture.
The image represents the despair and loss of black mothers who have lost a child, said its painter Titus Kaphar.
For the first time, the red border of Time's front page includes the names of people: 35 black men and women whose deaths, in many cases caused by police, as the result of systemic racism and helped fuel the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the magazine.
Magazine cover of the June 15th issue and the tweet posted by Time Magazine on its official Twitter account, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua)
Grammy-winning Beyonce shared a message on Instagram Wednesday, which featured an aerial photo of thousands of Black Lives Matter demonstrators filling the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Accompanying the picture were the words: "The world came together for George Floyd. We know there is a long road ahead. Let's remain aligned and focused in our call for real justice."
Stephen Jackson, former NBA player and friend of George Floyd, said in an interview with CNN's John Berman, that Floyd's death could be "a big step in fixing things and getting justice for black people."
This week, Jackson posted video of Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna on his shoulders saying "Daddy changed the world."
"It was emotional. I just want to lift her spirits. I want her next days to be her best days. That's all I care about," Jackson said. ■
