Supporters and relatives of George Floyd marched in Minneapolis on Sunday as the first anniversary of his death approached below the knee of a white city police officer.
This affair caused a stir around the world and sparked an anti-racist surge in the United States.
About 1,500 people marched through the northern metropolis of the United States and joined members of the Floyd family and relatives of other blacks who had died in confrontations with the police.
Supporters and relatives of George Floyd marched Sunday in Minneapolis.
Kerem Yucel / AFP KEREM YUCEL
The rally began with speeches outside the building where Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder on April 20.
The former police officer, now incarcerated, will be fixed on his sentence on June 25.
"I will be the change for him"
“It has been a long year.
It has been a painful year.
It has been very frustrating for me and for my family, ”said Bridgett Floyd, Floyd's sister.
Her life, she says, changed "in the blink of an eye" when her brother died.
“I will stand up and be the change for him,” she added.
"What happened to George Floyd and so many others is causing change not only across America but the world as well," Reverend Al Sharpton told the crowd. , seasoned activist, describing the murder as "one of the greatest disgrace in American history".
VIDEO.
Derek Chauvin convicted of murder: "We can finally breathe"
George Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis when arrested by four police officers who suspected him of having passed a fake $ 20 bill.
To subdue him, they handcuffed him and laid him face down on the floor.
White policeman Derek Chauvin then knelt on his neck, maintaining his pressure for nearly ten minutes.
Soaring homicides
A year later, Minneapolis is still marked by violence and faced with an outbreak of homicides and armed assaults - three children were recently injured by stray bullets - residents of the city organized themselves in citizen patrols.
Read alsoDeath of George Floyd: in Minneapolis, residents condemn Derek Chauvin rather than the police
Mayor Jacob Frey, who plans to create 200 additional police posts, said he supported the initiatives of the population, including citizen patrols.
"Our greatest strength is when we all work together to keep our city safe," local police chief Medaria Arradondo said on Saturday after another shooting killed two people.