Hundreds of people mourned in the US city of Minneapolis yesterday George Floyd, the black man who blew up his death after police violently treated him a wave of nationwide protests that reached the doorstep of the White House and sparked a debate about race and justice.
The memorial service of George Floyd began in Minneapolis, where participants included members of the Floyd family, pastor Jesse Jackson, Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, Senator from Minnesota Amy Kloppshar, Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Fry, along with hundreds of people who attended the North Central University where the ceremonies were held in central Minneapolis .
Floyd's body was taken to the university, while the Minneapolis Chief of Police Aradondo in front of him, in a symbolic movement condemning the police violence against African Americans.
"Everyone wants justice, we want justice for George and he will have it," said Philones Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers, at a memorial service at a church at North Central University in Minnesota.
Wearing a dark jacket and wearing a badge bearing a picture of his brother and the phrase "I can't breathe," added Phillones, it is amazing ... all these people came to see my brother, surprising how he touched the hearts of many.
"It will take a united effort inside and outside the courtroom to bring justice to George Floyd," said Ben Cramp, a lawyer for the Floyd family, during the ceremony.
In New York City, which witnessed looting during the protests, thousands participated in a memorial service for Floyd at Brooklyn Park.
Many knelt on the grass in a symbol to protest the police behavior and chanted "No justice, no peace."
New York Mayor Bill de Palacio, who was booed by some as he stepped onto the stage, called on whites to do more to understand the African American community.
He said, "For us who have never found ourselves in the position of the black community or the colored societies, we who know the white excellence, we must do more because we do not fully realize the daily pain caused by racism in this society."
The funeral of Floyd, 46, lasts six days and takes place across three states.
Media said that a ceremony will also be held on Saturday in Hook County, North Carolina, where Floyd's sister lives, and in Houston on Monday near the place where Floyd lived.
A funeral will be held on Tuesday, including a special mass at an undisclosed location.
Floyd's death on May 25 became the latest flashpoint of anger at police brutality against African Americans, which pushed the issue of race to the top of the political agenda five months before the US presidential election on November 3.
Derek Chauven, 44, was expelled from the Minneapolis Police Force and charged by the judicial authorities with second-degree murder after filming in a widely circulated video clip that he had perched on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd was panting and moaning repeatedly saying, "Please, no I can breathe. ”