For George Floyd's uncle, "his death will have served as a sacrifice to open the eyes to the world"

Roger Floyd is the paternal uncle of George Floyd.

This sixty-year-old living in Raleigh, North Carolina, the cradle of the family, will not be able to attend the trial which opens on March 8 in Minneapolis.

"Cancer survivor" as he presented himself, he had to undergo major surgery.

But, a few days before the opening of this eagerly awaited hearing, he agreed to confide at length by telephone.

What do you expect from this trial?

ROGER FLOYD.

I await a favorable outcome: that Derek Chauvin be found guilty of the charges against him.

And I also hope that the other three officers will be found guilty.

I know they're going to want to talk about George's past but luckily the judge was clear in assuring that it had nothing to do with it.

The good news is, the world saw what happened, those 8 minutes and 46 seconds that Chauvin put his knee on his neck.

He couldn't breathe and died.

That's what killed him.

“If, as an individual, you don't experience what members of another community are going through, then you don't care,” says Roger Floyd.  

They will try to invoke the Covid or the drugs to try to discredit the image of my nephew, as if these 8 minutes and 46 seconds had nothing to do.

But the world has seen another story.

And when the second autopsy confirmed it, everything changed.

We therefore believe that they will all be found guilty.

The trial will take place in two parts.

First Chauvin then the three other policemen.

Do you regret it?

I knew it would be a strategy for defense lawyers, but they have to do their job for their clients, that's understandable.

I would have really preferred that the 4 be judged at the same time because this risks reducing the quality of the debates or allowing them to present the situation in the light which is most favorable to them.

And what will happen during the first trial will, of course, allow the other three to adapt their speech.

They're going to want to explain that they acted appropriately, but nothing they did was appropriate.

Pictures taken from different angles show that they all helped keep him down.

Chauvin had his knee on his neck, another rested his knee on his back, a third held his legs while the last tried to keep the "spectators" away.

By doing nothing to stop Chauvin, the three other police officers are accomplices and must therefore be condemned.

Derek Chauvin.

AFP / Hennepin County Jail  

After the death of your nephew, you called for the unity of the American people.

Do you think the situation has improved, that things have really changed?

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Yes, but it is going very slowly.

Systemic racism is so ingrained in the United States!

It's so deeply rooted in American society that it would have been a miracle for mindsets to change in such a short time.

My white brothers and sisters don't realize how privileged they are to be white.

But I am optimistic.

The good news is that the subject is now being debated as it has never been in society.

Only dialogue can change mentalities.

But of course, from my point of view, it's not going fast enough.

It's a long fight.

As Martin Luther King said,

"

How long ...?"

But what is happening now proves that change is inevitable.

Have you been involved in the civil rights movement yourself?

Yes, I'm a kid from the 1960s. I've been riding my hump for a long time and have seen how things have evolved over the years.

It's a slow process but there have been changes because we have always kept hope.

Did you imagine at the time that it would be so difficult, even 60 years later?

Yes, because the mentalities are the same.

You always have new groups or new factions that are on the same identity register and in fact we go around in circles.

The problem is often ignorance.

The only way to achieve meaningful results is for whites and blacks to work together.

Because if, as an individual, you don't experience what members of another community are going through, then you don't care.

On the contrary, if you feel involved, you will talk about it to your neighbor who will talk about it to his neighbor and mentalities will change.

You said that George had "sacrificed" himself for this change.

Would you still use that term?

Yes because it is a fact.

The question for everyone is: Did you see what happened and, now, what are you going to do with it?

It is a unique opportunity to open your eyes wide.

So yes, his death will have served as a sacrifice to open his eyes to the world, his death will have been a catalyst to bring about real change.

Chauvin killed my nephew and the whole world saw him.

VIDEO.

Death of George Floyd: all the images embarked on two police officers unveiled

You talk about systemic racism in society but would you also talk about systemic racism in the police?

Yes.

This mentality has penetrated the police.

But you know, I don't blame the cops as a whole.

I believe that the majority of them are truly exercising their mission to protect and serve.

The problem is these factions that have infiltrated the police.

It's a very small percentage, but the selection process needs to be much more controlled.

Look at what happened on January 6 at the Capitol.

I believe they arrested 6 or 7 policemen among the insurgents.

It's not huge, but it does exist.

Derek Chauvin had been the subject of numerous complaints but had never been suspended.

We could see how difficult it was to fight against police violence ...

Yes he had been targeted by 18 complaints but, at most, he was given a pat on the hand.

He was only reprimanded twice.

And so we understand why he was able to continue.

It is a real concern.

Minneapolis (United States), March 3.

A false cemetery has been set up with the name of every person killed in recent years by police in the United States.

LP / Philippe de Poulpiquet  

Do you place a lot of hope in the election of Joe Biden?

I am extremely confident.

I believe in Joe Biden's program.

We have shown him by our votes that we believe in him and I think he will keep his promises.

We had the opportunity to meet him in Houston before George's funeral.

I saw a sincere man who spoke from his heart.

Didn't you have the same feeling when Donald Trump addressed a member of your family?

From his point of view it was more of the order of formality.

He knew Joe Biden had bonded with our family.

But it was so brief that I can't really talk about conversation.

In reality, this sequence will only have been for Donald Trump an opportunity to take a photo, in front of a church, a Bible in hand (

Editor's note: in front of a Washington church damaged during the riots that broke out after the death of George Floyd)

.

It really meant nothing to him.

Do you fear excesses during the demonstrations that could occur before the trial?

I think it will be mostly pacifist.

But there is always the risk of seeing factions, supremacists for example, infiltrating the processions in order to provoke and give the impression of demonstrations out of control.

But since the authorities have managed to identify most of these groups I think it will go well.

Were you impressed by the scale of the reactions in the United States after the death of your nephew?

What impressed me much more is that the phenomenon has become global.

It was a phenomenal feeling to see what was happening around the world, even in places you could never have imagined it.

George's death was a major catalyst for change.

He has become a symbol.

Minneapolis (United States), March 4.

The neighborhood where George Floyd was killed has become a place of meditation.LP / Philippe de Poulpiquet  

Would you say you are proud of him?

You know, as a member of his family, his death breaks my heart.

But I am proud to see that his passing sparked such a movement to initiate a change that has been so long awaited.

People who felt concerned will no longer be able to accept the status quo.

They realized that enough is enough.

We must now ensure that the fight continues.

We cannot say: let's wait for the next hot topic.

No, this must remain a major concern.

We need to keep saying his name: George Floyd.

Say his name: George Floyd.

Say her name: Breonna Taylor (

Editor's note: a 29-year-old African-American woman killed at her home by police in the middle of the night in March 2000 in Kentucky

).

Say his name: Ahmaud Arbery (

Editor's note: a 25-year-old African-American killed by a retired white policeman and his son who had mistaken him for a burglar in February 2020 in Georgia

).

Say his name: Trayvon Martin (

Editor's note: a 17-year-old African-American killed by a security guard in February 2012 in Florida)

.

Say his name: Jacob Blake (

Editor's note: a 29-year-old African-American paralyzed after being shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in August 2020 in Wisconsin

).

We have to go on and on.

How do you intend to continue this fight?

The project to create the “George Floyd memorial center” is underway.

It is a multicultural center project in Raleigh (North Carolina).

The objective is to promote personal projects in favor of peace and unity.

We are still collecting donations.

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What kind of man was your nephew?

George was an easy person to get to know.

He had a big heart.

He was well respected in the neighborhood where he grew up in Houston, Texas.

He was an athletic man, a real sportsman who practiced football, basketball, body-building.

He was a gentle man, he volunteered for the Salvation Army.

He left too early.

Minneapolis was a new beginning for him.

He had not finished his college education but he continued to push forward to take care of his daughter as best he could.

His death will not be in vain.

We will nurture his legacy.