In photos: Minneapolis rallies for George Floyd ahead of 1st anniversary of his killing
24 May 2021
Members of George Floyd's family and civil rights leaders led a remembrance rally and march in his honor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sunday — the first of three days of activities marking the first anniversary of his death.
The big picture: Crowds gathered for the event outside the courthouse where Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, was last month convicted of Floyd's May 25, 2020, murder — which sparked massive protests against police brutality and racism in the U.S. and across the world.
People marching during the remembrance event, organized by the National Action Network and members of George Floyd's family. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
People gather during the May 23 Minneapolis rally. The George Floyd Memorial Foundation, founded by his sister Bridgett Floyd, said in a statement it's to "demonstrate our continued call for accountability and reform, because the right to equal justice should not be conditional or based upon a person's color." Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
People listening to a speech during the May 23 Minneapolis remembrance rally. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton (L) greeting Bridgette Floyd at the rally outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on May 23. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
People marching during the May 23 remembrance demonstration in Minneapolis. Sharpton told the crowd "convicting Chauvin is not enough," as he urged lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, CBS News reports. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Attorney Ben Crump (C) speaking, flanked by Sharpton, the founder and President of National Action Network, and Bridgett Floyd during the May 23 remembrance event. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
A man reacting as pastor Carmen Means speaks to a group gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center on May 23 in Minneapolis. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Go deeper: Sign up for the Axios Twin Cities newsletter
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.