George Floyd’s six-year-old daughter Gianna and her mother Roxie Washington shared their anguish over his brutal and sudden death as they called for people to remember him as more than just a symbol.
Washington spoke on behalf of herself and Gianna at a press conference on Tuesday, eight days after Floyd, 46, was killed when white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest on Memorial Day.
Protests erupted across the country after citizen video showed Floyd, who was handcuffed, begging to be let up and crying out ‘I can’t breathe’ as Chauvin and three other officers ignored his pleas.
‘I don’t have a lot to say, I can’t get the words together right now,’ Washington said as she choked back tears.
‘I want everyone to know that this is what those officers took from me,’ she said, referencing the small girl standing next to her.
‘At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families. Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate, he will never walk her down the aisle. If there’s a problem and she needs her dad, she does not have that anymore.
‘I’m here for my baby and I’m here for George because I want justice for him.
‘He was good, no matter what anybody thinks, he was good. This is the proof.’
George Floyd’s six-year-old daughter Gianna and her mother Roxie Washington shared their anguish over his brutal and sudden death at a press conference on Tuesday in Minneapolis
Gianna hid in the crook of her mother’s arm as they stood in front of a flock of reporters
Floyd is pictured with Gianna and her mother, Roxie Washington, in his former hometown of Houston. Washington told the Houston Chronicle her ex was a ‘gentle giant’
Washington recalled how excited Floyd was when his daughter was born, saying: ‘He was so happy to have her.’
‘He slept the whole time I was in labor, but when he heard her cry, he woke up,’ she said.
‘I still have a picture of him waking up and getting his baby. He loved her. He loved her so much.’
As Washington and Gianna stepped back from the microphone, Floyd’s longtime friend Stephen Jackson approached and placed his hands on the podium.
The former NBA player stared at the floor for several seconds in silence before saying: ‘It really don’t make no sense. We all seen it plain as day.
He then motioned toward the media and said: ‘Y’all in here with cameras to record what’s in here so you can have it for later. So you can have proof of what happened today. Right?
‘When you post that footage on your news station, you expect people to believe what you’re posting and what you videoed is real, right?
‘Why is it not that simple when someone is getting videoed and getting murdered? Why is it not that simple?’
Gianna and Washington were joined by Floyd’s longtime friend Stephen Jackson (right)
Before he spoke, Jackson stared down in silence for several seconds. ‘It really don’t make no sense. We all seen it plain as day,’ he said in reference to the video of Floyd’s death
‘Why do we have to see her pain?’ Jackson asked, motioning back toward Washington. ‘Why do we have to see a daughter getting raised without her father?’
‘But you know what? There’s a lot of stuff you [Washington] said that he gon’ miss, that I’m gon’ be there for. I’m gon’ walk her down the aisle. I’m gon’ be there for her. I’m gon’ be there to wipe your tears,’ he to scattered applause.
‘Floyd might not be here, but I’m here for her. I’m here to get justice. We gon’ get justice for my brother. We not leaving. We gon’ keep fighting. We gon’ send my brother home in beautiful ways this week, but I’m telling you, we are not leaving.
‘We demanded justice. And I’m tired of seeing that. I’m not gon’ see her hurt like that every day. We need justice. We demand it. And some goddamn way we gon’ get it.
‘Thank y’all for coming, but this shit has to stop.’
Washington embraces her daughter after delivering her tearful remarks
Washington remembered Floyd (pictured) as a ‘good man’ who was ‘so happy to have’ Gianna
Floyd’s family have repeatedly called for Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder and for the other officers involved in his fatal arrest to face charges as well.
The family requested an independent autopsy which refuted Hennepin County medical examiners’ claims that underlying health conditions and drug use were contributing factors in Floyd’s death.
Tuesday’s press conference came hours after the state of Minnesota filed a human rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department and promised to conduct a full investigation.
‘The investigation will review MPD’s policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine whether the department has used systemic discriminatory practices against people of color,’ Gov Tim Walz said at a news conference announcing the complaint.
Bystander video showed Floyd pleading to be let up and saying repeatedly that he couldn’t breath as Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground for nearly nine minutes. The medical examiner’s finding that the death was a homicide by asphyxiation confirms the same conclusion of the independent autopsy that was also released on Monday, but there are key differences over the cause
Floyd’s death sparked a massive uprising across the nation as citizens call for an end to racial injustice and police brutality that’s led to the deaths of thousands of black Americans.
While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful protests, others have descended into violence as police use strong-arm tactics including tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
The unrest has given way to riots and looting in several cities where the National Guard and curfews are in place in an attempt to keep the peace.
Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence, called for an end to the violence on Monday as he visited a makeshift memorial at the spot where his sibling died.
Terrence told those looting and rioting their actions would ‘not bring his brother back’ and implored people to take their frustrations to the voting booths.
‘I understand you are all are upset. But I doubt you are half as upset as I am,’ Terrence said in an impromptu eulogy.
‘So if I’m not over here wilding out, if I’m not over here blowing up stuff, if I’m not over here messing with my community, then what are y’all doing? Y’all doing nothing, but that’s not going to bring my brother back at all.
‘My family is a peaceful family. My family is God-fearing. Let’s switch it up and do this peacefully, please. I know he would not want y’all to be doing this.’
He told protesters: ‘In every case of police brutality, the same thing has been happening: you protest, you destroy stuff, and they don’t move.
‘You know why they don’t move? Because it’s not their stuff, it’s our stuff, so they want us to destroy our stuff. So let’s do this another way.
‘Let’s stop thinking that our voice don’t matter, and vote. Not just for the president but vote for the preliminaries, vote for everybody. Educate yourself. Don’t wait for somebody else to tell you who’s who. Educate yourself and know who you’re voting for.’
George Floyd’s brother Terrence called for an end to the violence as he delivered emotional speech on the spot where his sibling was ‘murdered’ by white cop Derek Chauvin a week ago. Terrence is pictured at the scene, center
Terrence broke down at the spot where his brother was taken into custody, telling the crowds: ‘I understand you are all are upset. But I doubt you are half as upset as I am’