One year ago today, George Floyd’s life was senselessly and callously taken by an officer who had sworn an oath to protect it.
And while we’re grateful that a jury recently found former Officer Derek Chauvin “guilty” of his crimes, that verdict doesn’t bring George Floyd back to his family or even begin to right the wrongs that led to his tragic “overdose of excessive force.”
None of us can “unsee” the horror that we witnessed on that fateful day. But we can stand up, speak out and decide that no human being will ever again endure what George Floyd did.
We can demand that our state legislature pass a comprehensive, systemic policing reform bill, like the Transparency in Justice Act that I’ve introduced in response to his and other murders across the country. It bans police chokeholds and no-knock warrants and eliminates qualified immunity for officers in unjustified officer-involved killings.
We can insist that U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott do everything possible to ensure that the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act of 2020 passes the U.S. Senate and becomes federal law.
In a few days, my baby boy returns to Colorado for college football practice. As a mom, my fervent prayer for him and all of our sons and daughters, is that their paths never cross with the likes of Chauvin and others in law enforcement who harbor hatred in their hearts for others.
For too many moms and families, like Elijah McClain’s in Colorado, Eric Garner’s in New York and Jamal Sutherland’s in Charleston, SC, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder is yet another grim reminder of the inescapable heartbreak and pain they carry with them every minute of every hour of every single day.
So, here we are...one year after our entire nation erupted in protest to the undeniable reflection of our own inhumanity. And while the world’s eyes are finally open to the depth and breadth of the injustices so many face, we still have much more work to do. Simply acknowledging the obvious changes nothing.
As Father’s Day quickly approaches, I’m reminded of the poignant words of George Floyd’s beautiful baby girl, Giana…
”Daddy changed the world!”
Indeed, he did. His last breath was our Call to ACTION.
Now, let’s continue to ACT so that EVERYbody can breathe…