George Floyd’s brother begs US Congress for police reform in wake of his sibling’s murder
Philonise Floyd highlighted how his brother had done exactly as he'd been told to by police - only to end up dead anyway
George Floyd’s brother has delivered an emotional plea for police reform to the US Congress in the wake of his sibling’s brutal murder. Philonise Floyd addressed the House of Representatives in Washington DC on Wednesday morning, saying: ‘George wasn’t hurting anyone that day. He didn’t deserve to die over twenty dollars.
‘I am asking you, is that what a black man’s life is worth? Twenty dollars? This is 2020. Enough is enough.
‘He was mild mannered. He didn’t fight back. He listened to the officers. He called them “sir.” The men who took his life, who suffocated for him eight minutes and 46 seconds. He still called them “sir” as he begged for his life.
‘I’m tired. I’m tired of the pain I’m feeling now and I’m tired of the pain I feel every time another black person is killed for no reason. I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired.’
Philonise spoke to the House Judiciary Committee just over a fortnight after his sibling was killed by Minneapolis Police Department cop Derek Chauvin while being arrested for allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 in a shop.
Distressing video of the 46 year-old security guard’s final moments saw him cry ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Mama’ as Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes 46 seconds.
Philonise Floyd said those horrific clips of his brother’s final moments must now lead to police reform and a crackdown on brutality towards African-Americans.
He said: ‘George’s calls for help were ignored. Please listen to the call I’m making to you now, to the calls of our family, and to the calls ringing out in the streets across the world.
‘People of all backgrounds, genders and race have come together to demand change. Honor them, honor George, and make the necessary changes that make law enforcement the solution – not the problem…
‘If his death ends up changing the world for the better—and I think it will—then he died as he lived. It is on you to make sure his death is not in vain.’
Floyd was laid to rest in his hometown of Houston, Texas, on Monday, Chauvin has been charged with murder. Minneapolis’s city council has now also voted to disband its police force in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the US.
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