Two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin as other members of Minnesota law enforcement stood idly by. Chauvin pressed a handcuffed Floyd to the ground with his knee for nine minutes and 29 seconds as Floyd repeatedly said that he could not breathe.
The murder of Floyd, along with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and many other Black individuals killed by police officers in the U.S., led to nationwide protests in the summer of 2020 supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and calling for the reduction of police budgets across the country.
In April 2021, a jury convicted Chauvin of murdering Floyd, finding the former office guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
On Wednesday, President Biden is expected to issue an executive order targeted at overhauling policing, instructing federal law enforcement agencies to revise use-of-force policies, granting incentives to state and local agencies to take on the same revisions and restricting the transfer of some military equipment to police. The order also calls for the creation of a national registry of law enforcement members fired for misconduct to help prevent agencies from taking on officers who had been dismissed in other areas.
I’ve called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, but Senate Republicans have stood in the way of progress. That’s why this afternoon, I’m taking action and signing an Executive Order that delivers the most significant police reform in decades.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 25, 2022
Barack Obama, Bernice King and others took to social media on Wednesday to remember and pay tribute to Floyd two years after his murder.
Obama also acknowledged Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Texas in his tribute, writing: “As we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him.”
As we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 25, 2022
Bernice King wrote, “We are mourning. Black people sought and slaughtered in #Buffalo. Children and teachers gunned down at school in #Uvalde. Persistent racism and gun violence throughout the nation. And today, we remember #GeorgeFloyd, who should be alive raising his daughter.”
We are mourning.
Black people sought and slaughtered in #Buffalo.
Children and teachers gunned down at school in #Uvalde.
Persistent racism and gun violence throughout the nation.
And today, we remember #GeorgeFloyd, who should be alive raising his daughter.
🎨: @4NIKKOLAS pic.twitter.com/aiyA4ixeDk
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 25, 2022
Read more tributes below.
I’m sending love to George Floyd’s family today. They are marking two years without a cherished father, son, and friend. The intersection of racism and violence is a crisis in our society, and we must do more to address it.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) May 25, 2022
Today, we remember George Floyd. I’m praying for his loved ones as they carry the weight of this anniversary. And I’ll keep working alongside activists for racial justice to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, dismantle white supremacy, and end systemic racism.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 25, 2022
George Floyd should be alive today. But every day that he isn’t here is a reminder of the work we have to do.
Today, we lift up George Floyd’s memory as the man who inspires us to confront systemic racism with systemic change. Let’s honor his life by fighting for justice.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) May 25, 2022