Former Minneapolis police officer&nbsp;Derek&nbsp;Chauvin has appealed his conviction for the murder of George Floyd, citing 14 complaints about his high-profile trial earlier this year in a case that roiled the United States and laid bare deep racial divisions.

The killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in May 2020 went viral after being caught on camera and sparked America's biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades.

Chauvin, who in June was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, appealed the conviction Thursday night with a Minnesota district court, on the last day he was able to do so.&nbsp;

He accuses the state of prejudicial misconduct and lists multiple issues with the jury selected for the trial, among other objections.

The former police officer accuses the court of "abusing its discretion" by denying requests to postpone or move the trial, and refusing to sequester the jury for its duration.

Chauvin, a 45-year-old white man, was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck, indifferent to the dying man's groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by.

Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe" before he died.

The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly spread around the world.

Hundreds of thousands of people subsequently poured onto streets across the country and overseas to demand an end to racism and police brutality.

The&nbsp;ex-cop&nbsp;and three of his colleagues arrested Floyd on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 400,000 people.&nbsp;

They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the street.

In the filed documents, Chauvin said he has no income and no legal representation in the appeals process. A defense fund that paid for his representation during the trial was terminated after his sentencing.

<h2>Relief at risk&nbsp;</h2>

The sacked police officer, who was present for the full six weeks of his trial, did not testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

His lawyer said he had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd's death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use.

But, at the end of the high-profile trial in April, a jury took less than 10 hours to convict Chauvin of Floyd's murder.&nbsp;

He was found guilty on all three charges -- second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

The other three police officers are to face state charges next year for their roles in Floyd's death.

Chauvin's conviction was greeted with relief across the country.&nbsp;

Many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others worried that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder.

The Floyd family's lawyer called the sentencing a "historic" step towards racial reconciliation in the United States.

Chauvin had a record of using excessive force before the unarmed Floyd died under his knee.

At the end of the trial, Chauvin offered his condolences to the Floyd family and said: "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind," without elaborating.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has appealed his conviction for the murder of George Floyd, citing 14 complaints about his high-profile trial earlier this year in a case that roiled the United States and laid bare deep racial divisions.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has appealed his conviction for the murder of George Floyd, citing 14 complaints about his high-profile trial earlier this year in a case that roiled the United States and laid bare deep racial divisions. The killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in May 2020 went viral after being caught on camera and sparked America's biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades. Chauvin, who in June was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, appealed the conviction Thursday night with a Minnesota district court, on the last day he was able to do so. He accuses the state of prejudicial misconduct and lists multiple issues with the jury selected for the trial, among other objections. The former police officer accuses the court of "abusing its discretion" by denying requests to postpone or move the trial, and refusing to sequester the jury for its duration. Chauvin, a 45-year-old white man, was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck, indifferent to the dying man's groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by. Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe" before he died. The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly spread around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people subsequently poured onto streets across the country and overseas to demand an end to racism and police brutality. The ex-cop and three of his colleagues arrested Floyd on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 400,000 people. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the street. In the filed documents, Chauvin said he has no income and no legal representation in the appeals process. A defense fund that paid for his representation during the trial was terminated after his sentencing. Relief at risk The sacked police officer, who was present for the full six weeks of his trial, did not testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. His lawyer said he had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd's death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use. But, at the end of the high-profile trial in April, a jury took less than 10 hours to convict Chauvin of Floyd's murder. He was found guilty on all three charges -- second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The other three police officers are to face state charges next year for their roles in Floyd's death. Chauvin's conviction was greeted with relief across the country. Many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others worried that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder. The Floyd family's lawyer called the sentencing a "historic" step towards racial reconciliation in the United States. Chauvin had a record of using excessive force before the unarmed Floyd died under his knee. At the end of the trial, Chauvin offered his condolences to the Floyd family and said: "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind," without elaborating.

Ex-cop convicted of George Floyd's murder files appeal

One year ago, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, and the streets of U.S. cities filled with protesters demanding an end to police killings, in the largest mass movement for civil rights in a generation.

In Los Angeles, the unrest that gripped the city for days evoked memories of 1992, when the city erupted in chaos after the acquittal of four officers in the beating of Rodney King.

But there was a crucial difference between 1992 and 2020.

After King, the unrest tore through South-Central Los Angeles, the heart of the Black community, leaving dozens dead and stores and buildings ablaze. After Floyd’s killing, the protests in Los Angeles were mainly in the whiter and richer Westside.

That was intentional, Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, said last year. She described it as part of an effort to bring the voices of Black disenfranchisement to the communities that she said needed to hear them.

With the streets filled and activists calling not for reform but to “defund” police budgets and steer money toward social services, local leaders and voters seemed to embrace the spirit of the movement.

Mayor Eric M. Garcetti agreed to cut $150 million from the police budget, while voters elected a new district attorney, George Gascón, who promised to prosecute cops and send fewer people to prison. As recently as December, the city, facing a budget crunch as well as the racial justice movement, was considering laying off almost 1,000 police officers, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Now, as the nation observes the anniversary of Floyd’s murder, it is a much different story.

Los Angeles, like many big cities, is awash in new guns and continuing violence. Last year, there were 305 homicides, up 36% from the prior year, and the highest level in more than a decade.

“The number of guns that are out there is just astonishing,” Chief Michel Moore of the LAPD said in an interview.

And instead of cutting the police budget, the City Council recently approved an increase, and the department is about to start hiring more officers.

“If you want to abolish the police, you’re talking to the wrong mayor,” Garcetti recently said in his State of the City address, speaking from the Griffith Park Observatory, which offers panoramic views of the city below.

To contain the surge in gun violence, the LAPD is leaning on some of its old habits, having recently deployed an elite unit to South Los Angeles to stop vehicles for traffic violations in the search of guns and men with warrants. It’s a tactic the department sharply curtailed in recent years after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed sharp racial inequities in the practice.

Moore said much of the gun violence was gang-related and he also blamed the despair and dislocation of the pandemic, which has closed schools and parks and limited the work of gang peacemakers. Pandemic-related delays in trials and the district attorney’s policy of largely eliminating cash bail have also put more criminals on the streets, he said.

“When those gun arrests are not going to court for months, there’s a sense that zero bail, court trials being deferred, delayed, there’s a sense that there’s a lack of consequences,” he said.

Just like the King beating, the murder of Floyd galvanized a generation of activists. Some who were drawn to community organizing in 1992 are still working the streets of Los Angeles, working alongside the police and trying to tamp down gang violence.

But unlike today’s new activists, who talk about abolition and defunding police budgets, Leon Gullette and other older activists believe in partnering with the police.

“We can’t operate without the police,” said Gullette, who started working for Community Build, which does gang intervention work in South Los Angeles, in 1992.

Lex Steppling, who runs a group called Dignity and Power Now, which advocates for police and prison reform, said: “More police doesn’t mean less gun violence. It just means more police.”

The rise in gun violence is nowhere near the levels of the 1990s, when in some years more than 1,000 people were killed in Los Angeles. The LAPD has changed drastically from the days when Daryl Gates led the department and officers routinely profiled Black citizens and used battering rams to knock down suspected drug houses.

As younger activists in Los Angeles take stock of their wins and setbacks over the last year, they say the biggest change may be the number of people who have been awakened to issues around the police and race, including the money communities spend on law enforcement.

“One of the big takeaways around the uprisings and attention to the Movement for Black Lives is there is more attention on public budgets,” said Ivette Alé, an organizer with Dignity and Power Now. “People know how much communities are spending on police and incarceration. You can’t unknow that.”

One year ago, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, and the streets of U.S. cities filled with protesters demanding an end to police killings, in the largest mass movement for civil rights in a generation.

One year ago, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, and the streets of U.S. cities filled with protesters demanding an end to police killings, in the largest mass movement for civil rights in a generation. In Los Angeles, the unrest that gripped the city for days evoked memories of 1992, when the city erupted in chaos after the acquittal of four officers in the beating of Rodney King. But there was a crucial difference between 1992 and 2020. After King, the unrest tore through South-Central Los Angeles, the heart of the Black community, leaving dozens dead and stores and buildings ablaze. After Floyd’s killing, the protests in Los Angeles were mainly in the whiter and richer Westside. That was intentional, Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, said last year. She described it as part of an effort to bring the voices of Black disenfranchisement to the communities that she said needed to hear them. With the streets filled and activists calling not for reform but to “defund” police budgets and steer money toward social services, local leaders and voters seemed to embrace the spirit of the movement. Mayor Eric M. Garcetti agreed to cut $150 million from the police budget, while voters elected a new district attorney, George Gascón, who promised to prosecute cops and send fewer people to prison. As recently as December, the city, facing a budget crunch as well as the racial justice movement, was considering laying off almost 1,000 police officers, according to The Los Angeles Times. Now, as the nation observes the anniversary of Floyd’s murder, it is a much different story. Los Angeles, like many big cities, is awash in new guns and continuing violence. Last year, there were 305 homicides, up 36% from the prior year, and the highest level in more than a decade. “The number of guns that are out there is just astonishing,” Chief Michel Moore of the LAPD said in an interview. And instead of cutting the police budget, the City Council recently approved an increase, and the department is about to start hiring more officers. “If you want to abolish the police, you’re talking to the wrong mayor,” Garcetti recently said in his State of the City address, speaking from the Griffith Park Observatory, which offers panoramic views of the city below. To contain the surge in gun violence, the LAPD is leaning on some of its old habits, having recently deployed an elite unit to South Los Angeles to stop vehicles for traffic violations in the search of guns and men with warrants. It’s a tactic the department sharply curtailed in recent years after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed sharp racial inequities in the practice. Moore said much of the gun violence was gang-related and he also blamed the despair and dislocation of the pandemic, which has closed schools and parks and limited the work of gang peacemakers. Pandemic-related delays in trials and the district attorney’s policy of largely eliminating cash bail have also put more criminals on the streets, he said. “When those gun arrests are not going to court for months, there’s a sense that zero bail, court trials being deferred, delayed, there’s a sense that there’s a lack of consequences,” he said. Just like the King beating, the murder of Floyd galvanized a generation of activists. Some who were drawn to community organizing in 1992 are still working the streets of Los Angeles, working alongside the police and trying to tamp down gang violence. But unlike today’s new activists, who talk about abolition and defunding police budgets, Leon Gullette and other older activists believe in partnering with the police. “We can’t operate without the police,” said Gullette, who started working for Community Build, which does gang intervention work in South Los Angeles, in 1992. Lex Steppling, who runs a group called Dignity and Power Now, which advocates for police and prison reform, said: “More police doesn’t mean less gun violence. It just means more police.” The rise in gun violence is nowhere near the levels of the 1990s, when in some years more than 1,000 people were killed in Los Angeles. The LAPD has changed drastically from the days when Daryl Gates led the department and officers routinely profiled Black citizens and used battering rams to knock down suspected drug houses. As younger activists in Los Angeles take stock of their wins and setbacks over the last year, they say the biggest change may be the number of people who have been awakened to issues around the police and race, including the money communities spend on law enforcement. “One of the big takeaways around the uprisings and attention to the Movement for Black Lives is there is more attention on public budgets,” said Ivette Alé, an organizer with Dignity and Power Now. “People know how much communities are spending on police and incarceration. You can’t unknow that.”

A year after George Floyd, Los Angeles confronts its future and its past

Five jurors were seated by the end of the second day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the main accused in the death of George Floyd during an arrest that caused international outrage.

Chauvin, who is white, was fired from the Minneapolis police department the day after the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and manslaughter, and stood politely each time his lawyer introduced him to potential jurors in court. A bystander's video showing him with his knee on the dying Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes last May, however, told a different story.

Three jurors were seated on Tuesday after saying they could put aside their misgivings about Chauvin: A white man who is a chemist at an environmental testing lab; a woman who appeared to be of mixed race who said she was “super excited” to serve on a jury; and a white man who works as an auditor.

Two more jurors were seated on Wednesday during the second day of jury selection.

Judge Peter Cahill of the Hennepin County District Court had set aside three weeks to screen jurors. The judge has promised all jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-challenge-in-george-floyd-murder-trial-finding-an-impartial-jury-368801">Also read |&nbsp;First challenge in George Floyd murder trial: Finding an impartial jury</a>

Potential jurors last year received an unusually detailed 16-page questionnaire seeking their thoughts on the case and whether they thought there was racism in the criminal justice system. Asked about their view of Chauvin, many replied they disapproved, which did not surprise his lawyers.

On Friday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ordered the judge overseeing the trial to reconsider the prosecution's request that Chauvin face an additional charge of third-degree murder.

Chauvin's lawyers asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to review that order, but the court said on Wednesday it would not intervene. Judge Cahill said he would discuss the charge with the attorneys on Thursday before resuming jury selection.

Chauvin's lawyers say he stuck to his police training and did not use excessive force when he was arresting Floyd on May 25 on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes.

Chauvin, 44, was released from jail on a $1 million bond in October and is being tried in a courtroom in the Hennepin County Government Center, a tower in downtown Minneapolis now ringed with barbed-wire fencing and concrete barricades.

(with inputs)

Five jurors were seated by the end of the second day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the main accused in the death of George Floyd during an arrest that caused international outrage.

Five jurors were seated by the end of the second day of jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the main accused in the death of George Floyd during an arrest that caused international outrage. Chauvin, who is white, was fired from the Minneapolis police department the day after the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and manslaughter, and stood politely each time his lawyer introduced him to potential jurors in court. A bystander's video showing him with his knee on the dying Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes last May, however, told a different story. Three jurors were seated on Tuesday after saying they could put aside their misgivings about Chauvin: A white man who is a chemist at an environmental testing lab; a woman who appeared to be of mixed race who said she was “super excited” to serve on a jury; and a white man who works as an auditor. Two more jurors were seated on Wednesday during the second day of jury selection. Judge Peter Cahill of the Hennepin County District Court had set aside three weeks to screen jurors. The judge has promised all jurors anonymity for the duration of the trial. Also read | First challenge in George Floyd murder trial: Finding an impartial jury Potential jurors last year received an unusually detailed 16-page questionnaire seeking their thoughts on the case and whether they thought there was racism in the criminal justice system. Asked about their view of Chauvin, many replied they disapproved, which did not surprise his lawyers. On Friday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ordered the judge overseeing the trial to reconsider the prosecution's request that Chauvin face an additional charge of third-degree murder. Chauvin's lawyers asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to review that order, but the court said on Wednesday it would not intervene. Judge Cahill said he would discuss the charge with the attorneys on Thursday before resuming jury selection. Chauvin's lawyers say he stuck to his police training and did not use excessive force when he was arresting Floyd on May 25 on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. Chauvin, 44, was released from jail on a $1 million bond in October and is being tried in a courtroom in the Hennepin County Government Center, a tower in downtown Minneapolis now ringed with barbed-wire fencing and concrete barricades. (with inputs)

First jurors selected for George Floyd murder trial

Brussels added to its large collection of murals on Thursday (June 18) with a newly commissioned work in memory of African-American George Floyd, whose killing by police has sparked global protests against racism and police violence.

Brussels adds George Floyd memorial to large mural collection

George Floyd, a black man whose death under the knee of a white police officer roused worldwide protests against racial injustice, was memorialised at his funeral on Tuesday. Some 2,500 people attended the funeral, after more than 6,000 people filed past Floyd's open casket on Monday.

The funeral followed two weeks of protests across the United States ignited by graphic video footage of Floyd handcuffed and lying face down on a Minneapolis street while an officer kneels into the back of his neck for nearly nine minutes. The video shows Floyd gasping for air as he cries out, "Mama," and groans, "Please, I can't breathe," before falling silent and still.

The officer, Derek Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder and three other officers with aiding and abetting Floyd's May 25 death. All were dismissed from the department a day after the incident.

Floyd's dying words have become a rallying cry for hundreds of thousands of protesters around the globe who have since taken to the streets, undaunted by the coronavirus pandemic, demanding justice for Floyd and an end to mistreatment of minorities by US law enforcement.
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-george-floyd-laid-to-rest-304950/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

His younger brother, Terrence Floyd, spoke about awakening in the middle of the night in recent days traumatized by the memory of seeing his older sibling calling out for their mother as he lay dying.

His older brother, Philonise, sobbing in grief, told mourners, "George was my personal superman."

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton called Floyd "an ordinary brother" who grew up in a housing project but left behind a legacy of greatness despite rejections in jobs and sports that prevented him from achieving all that he once aspired to become.

"God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that is going to change the whole wide world," Sharpton said, invoking a biblical parable from the New Testament.

Sharpton said the Floyd family would lead a march on Washington being organized for August 28 to mark the 57th anniversary of the 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.

Democratic representative of Texas, Al Green said, "This country has not reconciled its differences with us. We survived slavery, but we didn't reconcile. We survived segregation but we didn't reconcile. We are suffering invidious discrimination because we didn't reconcile. It's time for a department of reconciliation."

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in the November 3 election, addressed the funeral service via a video recording, lamenting that "too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life.”

“We must not turn away. We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism,” he said.

Merriam-Webster to reframe definition of 'racism'

One of the most-widely used dictionaries, Merriam-Webster is set to change the definition of “racism” after a young black woman suggested the word should reflect the oppressive realities faced by many people of colour.

A graduate from Drake University in Iowa, Kennedy Mitchum contacted the dictionary makers to improve its definition of racism.

"I basically told them that they need to include that there's a systematic oppression upon a group of people," she told a local news outlet. "It's not just, 'Oh, I don't like someone.'"

Peter Sokolowski, the editorial head of Merriam-Webster told news agency AFP that Mitchum’s request will be entertained and the meaning updated.

(with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

George Floyd, a black man whose death under the knee of a white police officer roused worldwide protests against racial injustice, was memorialised at his funeral on Tuesday.

George Floyd, a black man whose death under the knee of a white police officer roused worldwide protests against racial injustice, was memorialised at his funeral on Tuesday. Some 2,500 people attended the funeral, after more than 6,000 people filed past Floyd's open casket on Monday. The funeral followed two weeks of protests across the United States ignited by graphic video footage of Floyd handcuffed and lying face down on a Minneapolis street while an officer kneels into the back of his neck for nearly nine minutes. The video shows Floyd gasping for air as he cries out, "Mama," and groans, "Please, I can't breathe," before falling silent and still. The officer, Derek Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder and three other officers with aiding and abetting Floyd's May 25 death. All were dismissed from the department a day after the incident. Floyd's dying words have become a rallying cry for hundreds of thousands of protesters around the globe who have since taken to the streets, undaunted by the coronavirus pandemic, demanding justice for Floyd and an end to mistreatment of minorities by US law enforcement. His younger brother, Terrence Floyd, spoke about awakening in the middle of the night in recent days traumatized by the memory of seeing his older sibling calling out for their mother as he lay dying. His older brother, Philonise, sobbing in grief, told mourners, "George was my personal superman." Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton called Floyd "an ordinary brother" who grew up in a housing project but left behind a legacy of greatness despite rejections in jobs and sports that prevented him from achieving all that he once aspired to become. "God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that is going to change the whole wide world," Sharpton said, invoking a biblical parable from the New Testament. Sharpton said the Floyd family would lead a march on Washington being organized for August 28 to mark the 57th anniversary of the 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968. Democratic representative of Texas, Al Green said, "This country has not reconciled its differences with us. We survived slavery, but we didn't reconcile. We survived segregation but we didn't reconcile. We are suffering invidious discrimination because we didn't reconcile. It's time for a department of reconciliation." Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in the November 3 election, addressed the funeral service via a video recording, lamenting that "too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life.” “We must not turn away. We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism,” he said. Merriam-Webster to reframe definition of 'racism' One of the most-widely used dictionaries, Merriam-Webster is set to change the definition of “racism” after a young black woman suggested the word should reflect the oppressive realities faced by many people of colour. A graduate from Drake University in Iowa, Kennedy Mitchum contacted the dictionary makers to improve its definition of racism. "I basically told them that they need to include that there's a systematic oppression upon a group of people," she told a local news outlet. "It's not just, 'Oh, I don't like someone.'" Peter Sokolowski, the editorial head of Merriam-Webster told news agency AFP that Mitchum’s request will be entertained and the meaning updated. (with inputs from Reuters)

'He's going to change the world': George Floyd hailed at funeral

Hollywood stars who witnessed police brutality during #BlackLivesMatter protests

George Floyd. The name over and over again. That's what traveling artist Renda Writer envisioned as his tribute to Floyd on a large blank wall.

Traveling muralist pays tribute to George Floyd

Hundreds of mourners in Minneapolis on Thursday remembered George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody set off a wave of nationwide protests and ignited a debate about racial justice.

Floyd's death on May 25 has become the latest flashpoint for rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of race to the top of the political agenda ahead of the US presidential election on November 3.

Services for Floyd are expected to stretch across six days and three states, including memorials in North Carolina and Houston. A funeral is planned for Tuesday.

At the memorial service inside a university chapel in Minneapolis, prominent civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton told mourners that George Floyd's fatal encounter with police and the nationwide protests his death ignited marked a reckoning for America over race and justice, demanding, "Get your knee off our necks."

Sharpton said Floyd's fate symbolised a universal experience of African Americans.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/george-floyd-a-gentle-giant-remembered-in-hometown-houston-march-302794">Also read |&nbsp;George Floyd, a 'gentle giant', remembered in hometown Houston march</a>

"George Floyd should not be among the deceased. He did not die of common health conditions. He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction," Sharpton said. "It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say, 'Get your knee off our necks.'"

Sharpton led mourners in eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the amount of time Floyd lay on a Minneapolis street with a knee pressed into his neck.

Philonise Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers, told the memorial service that their family was poor, and that he and George would wash their socks and clothes with soap in the sink and dry them in the oven because they did not have a dryer.

“It’s crazy man, all these people came to see my brother, it’s amazing he touched so many hearts,” said the brother, wearing a dark suit and a badge with a photo of his brother and the words "I can't breathe" on his lapel.

A second brother, Terrence Floyd, joined an outdoor memorial in a Brooklyn park, where many in the crowd knelt in the grass in the afternoon sunshine in a symbol of protest and chanted, "No justice, no peace."

He urged the crowd to continue to seek justice but to avoid violence, saying, "My brother wasn't about that."

Derek Chauvin, 44, was fired from the Minneapolis police force and charged with second-degree murder after being filmed in a widely circulated video kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, "Please, I can't breathe."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/blackouttuesday-sweeps-social-media-as-george-floyd-protests-in-us-escalate-302790">Also read |&nbsp;#BlackOutTuesday sweeps social media as George Floyd protests in US escalate</a>

Police say they suspected Floyd, 46, of using a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes.

Huge crowds have since defied curfews and taken to the streets of cities across the country for nine nights in sometimes violent protests that prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the military.

Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd's family, told the memorial service that the police action that day was evil.

"What we saw in that video was evil. So America, as we proclaim as we memorialize George Floyd, do not accept evil. Protest against evil. We cannot cooperate with evil. We cannot cooperate with torture,” Crump said.

Many knelt in the grass in the afternoon sunshine in a symbol of protest against police behavior and chanted, "No Justice. No Peace."

US Representative Hakeem Jeffries urged people to continue their protests, saying the tragedy has awakened a cross-section of people who would bring lasting change.

In addition to hundreds who gathered inside the North Central University chapel, a crowd of hundreds more clustered outside under trees and in window sills, listening to the service broadcast over loudspeakers.

The prayer service, which drew comic actors Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish as well as US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, coincided with a separate memorial tribute to Floyd in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, a major flashpoint of protests in recent days.

EX-COPS IN COURT

Prosecutors levelled new charges against four former Minneapolis police officers implicated in the killing on Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-autopsy-report-reveals-george-floyd-had-coronavirus-303428">Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Autopsy report reveals George Floyd had Coronavirus</a>

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On Thursday, the three newly arrested officers - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - made their first appearance in court and were ordered to remain held on $750,000 bond each.

Their principal co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, is slated to appear for his bond hearing on Monday.

The four former officers, all dismissed from the Minneapolis police department the day after their deadly confrontation with Floyd, each faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against them.

Floyd, a Houston native who had worked security for various nightclubs, was unarmed when taken into custody outside a corner market where an employee had reported to police that a man matching his description tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.

(with inputs from Reuters)

Hundreds of mourners in Minneapolis on Thursday remembered George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody set off a wave of nationwide protests and ignited a debate about racial justice.

Hundreds of mourners in Minneapolis on Thursday remembered George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody set off a wave of nationwide protests and ignited a debate about racial justice. Floyd's death on May 25 has become the latest flashpoint for rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of race to the top of the political agenda ahead of the US presidential election on November 3. Services for Floyd are expected to stretch across six days and three states, including memorials in North Carolina and Houston. A funeral is planned for Tuesday. At the memorial service inside a university chapel in Minneapolis, prominent civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton told mourners that George Floyd's fatal encounter with police and the nationwide protests his death ignited marked a reckoning for America over race and justice, demanding, "Get your knee off our necks." Sharpton said Floyd's fate symbolised a universal experience of African Americans. Also read | George Floyd, a 'gentle giant', remembered in hometown Houston march "George Floyd should not be among the deceased. He did not die of common health conditions. He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction," Sharpton said. "It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say, 'Get your knee off our necks.'" Sharpton led mourners in eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the amount of time Floyd lay on a Minneapolis street with a knee pressed into his neck. Philonise Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers, told the memorial service that their family was poor, and that he and George would wash their socks and clothes with soap in the sink and dry them in the oven because they did not have a dryer. “It’s crazy man, all these people came to see my brother, it’s amazing he touched so many hearts,” said the brother, wearing a dark suit and a badge with a photo of his brother and the words "I can't breathe" on his lapel. A second brother, Terrence Floyd, joined an outdoor memorial in a Brooklyn park, where many in the crowd knelt in the grass in the afternoon sunshine in a symbol of protest and chanted, "No justice, no peace." He urged the crowd to continue to seek justice but to avoid violence, saying, "My brother wasn't about that." Derek Chauvin, 44, was fired from the Minneapolis police force and charged with second-degree murder after being filmed in a widely circulated video kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, "Please, I can't breathe." Also read | #BlackOutTuesday sweeps social media as George Floyd protests in US escalate Police say they suspected Floyd, 46, of using a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes. Huge crowds have since defied curfews and taken to the streets of cities across the country for nine nights in sometimes violent protests that prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the military. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd's family, told the memorial service that the police action that day was evil. "What we saw in that video was evil. So America, as we proclaim as we memorialize George Floyd, do not accept evil. Protest against evil. We cannot cooperate with evil. We cannot cooperate with torture,” Crump said. Many knelt in the grass in the afternoon sunshine in a symbol of protest against police behavior and chanted, "No Justice. No Peace." US Representative Hakeem Jeffries urged people to continue their protests, saying the tragedy has awakened a cross-section of people who would bring lasting change. In addition to hundreds who gathered inside the North Central University chapel, a crowd of hundreds more clustered outside under trees and in window sills, listening to the service broadcast over loudspeakers. The prayer service, which drew comic actors Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish as well as US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, coincided with a separate memorial tribute to Floyd in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, a major flashpoint of protests in recent days. EX-COPS IN COURT Prosecutors levelled new charges against four former Minneapolis police officers implicated in the killing on Wednesday. Also watch | Gravitas: Autopsy report reveals George Floyd had Coronavirus × On Thursday, the three newly arrested officers - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - made their first appearance in court and were ordered to remain held on $750,000 bond each. Their principal co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, is slated to appear for his bond hearing on Monday. The four former officers, all dismissed from the Minneapolis police department the day after their deadly confrontation with Floyd, each faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against them. Floyd, a Houston native who had worked security for various nightclubs, was unarmed when taken into custody outside a corner market where an employee had reported to police that a man matching his description tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. (with inputs from Reuters)

Hundreds gather to remember George Floyd at memorial service

After several videos of police brutality have emerged during protests over the death of African American George Floyd. A video of a heartwarming moment between cop and a little protester emerged&nbsp;on social media after Tuesday's George Floyd march in Houston.

The viral video shows a 5-year-old Afro-American girl in Texas being comforted by a white police officer during a George Floyd protest after she started crying and asked, “Are you gonna shoot us?”

The officer's response was beautiful.

He said, "We're here to protect you, OK? We're not here to hurt you at all, OK. You can protest. You can party. You can do whatever you want. Just don't break anything."

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During the protest in Houston yesterday one of the police officers noticed my daughter crying. She asked him “Are you gonna shoot us” he got down on one knee wrapped his arm around her and responded: <a href="https://t.co/gQWF7HMf3l">pic.twitter.com/gQWF7HMf3l</a>
— SimeonB 🦉 (@iamsimeonb) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamsimeonb/status/1268214300096765954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The video has gone viral on Twitter with more than 1.5 million views as of Friday afternoon. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

After several videos of police brutality have emerged during protests over the death of African American George Floyd. A video of a heartwarming moment between cop and a little protester emerged on social media after Tuesday's George Floyd march in Houston.

After several videos of police brutality have emerged during protests over the death of African American George Floyd. A video of a heartwarming moment between cop and a little protester emerged on social media after Tuesday's George Floyd march in Houston. The viral video shows a 5-year-old Afro-American girl in Texas being comforted by a white police officer during a George Floyd protest after she started crying and asked, “Are you gonna shoot us?” The officer's response was beautiful. He said, "We're here to protect you, OK? We're not here to hurt you at all, OK. You can protest. You can party. You can do whatever you want. Just don't break anything." During the protest in Houston yesterday one of the police officers noticed my daughter crying. She asked him “Are you gonna shoot us” he got down on one knee wrapped his arm around her and responded: pic.twitter.com/gQWF7HMf3l — SimeonB 🦉 (@iamsimeonb) June 3, 2020 × The video has gone viral on Twitter with more than 1.5 million views as of Friday afternoon. (With inputs from agencies)

George Floyd protests: Police officer hugs crying 5-year-old girl, after she asks if she's going to be shot

American microblogging and social networking service Twitter has disabled a video by Donald Trump’s campaign team that pays tribute to George Floyd, saying it is the subject of a copyright complaint.

The video was retweeted nearly 7,000 times by people including the US president and his son Donald Jr.

The 3.40-minute-long video was tweeted on June 3. Twitter said the video on the US President's campaign account was affected by its copyright policy. "We respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives," Reuters quoted a Twitter representative as saying.

Washington Post reports that the video in which, the US President said "we hear their pleas” of protesters in the notorious killing of the Minneapolis black man, received more than a million views before being pulled down by Twitter.&nbsp;

In March, Twitter deleted a tweet posted by US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Republican activist Charlie Kirk for violating its rules over novel coronavirus misinformation. Twitter also recently flagged a tweet from Trump over George Floyd that violated Twitter policies about glorifying violence.

(With inputs from Reuters)

American microblogging and social networking service Twitter has disabled a video by Donald Trump’s campaign team that pays tribute to George Floyd, saying it is the subject of a copyright complaint.

American microblogging and social networking service Twitter has disabled a video by Donald Trump’s campaign team that pays tribute to George Floyd, saying it is the subject of a copyright complaint. The video was retweeted nearly 7,000 times by people including the US president and his son Donald Jr. The 3.40-minute-long video was tweeted on June 3. Twitter said the video on the US President's campaign account was affected by its copyright policy. "We respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives," Reuters quoted a Twitter representative as saying. Washington Post reports that the video in which, the US President said "we hear their pleas” of protesters in the notorious killing of the Minneapolis black man, received more than a million views before being pulled down by Twitter. In March, Twitter deleted a tweet posted by US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Republican activist Charlie Kirk for violating its rules over novel coronavirus misinformation. Twitter also recently flagged a tweet from Trump over George Floyd that violated Twitter policies about glorifying violence. (With inputs from Reuters)

Twitter disables Trump campaign tribute to Floyd for copyright foul

George Floyd, whose death in police custody has sparked more than a week of nationwide protest and civil strife, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a new autopsy report.

The post-mortem nasal swab was found to be “positive for 2019-nCoV RNA,” said the report, using another term for the type of coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

George Floyd, a black man, was pinned by his neck to the street during an arrest for at least nine minutes, leading to his death.

According to CNN, the type of test performed for the autopsy, called PCR, can show a positive result “for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease.”&nbsp;

The autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection -- implying the virus played no known role in Floyd’s death and he was unlikely to have been contagious.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mother-of-george-floyds-daughter-demands-justice-minneapolis-police-faces-probe-302863">Also read |&nbsp;Mother of George Floyd's daughter demands justice; Minneapolis police faces probe</a>

Floyd, whom police suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the May 25 encounter.

Derek Chauvin was the white officer seen in widely circulated video footage kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, "Please, I can't breathe."

Chauvin was jailed last week on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, and was newly charged with second-degree murder.

Three fellow officers fired from the Minneapolis police department along with Chauvin the next day were charged on Wednesday - each with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/four-cops-charged-in-floyd-death-one-faces-2nd-degree-murder-count-homicide-303080">Also read |&nbsp;Four cops charged in Floyd death, one faces 2nd-degree murder count homicide</a>

The three men - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - have also been taken into custody. Aiding and abetting second-degree murder carries the same maximum punishment as the underlying offense - 40 years in prison.

Floyd's death has become the latest flashpoint for long-simmering rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of racial justice to the top of the political agenda five months before the US presidential election on November 3.

The spectacle of city streets flooded with angry though mostly peaceful protesters - punctuated by scenes of arson, looting and clashes with police - have fuelled a sense of crisis.

The upheavals have flared following weeks of social lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced millions of Americans out of work and disproportionately affected minorities.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/george-floyds-final-words-seen-across-skies-in-the-us-cities-302975">See photos |&nbsp;George Floyd's final words seen across skies in the US cities</a>

(with inputs from Reuters)

George Floyd, whose death in police custody has sparked more than a week of nationwide protest and civil strife, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a new autopsy report.

George Floyd, whose death in police custody has sparked more than a week of nationwide protest and civil strife, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a new autopsy report. The post-mortem nasal swab was found to be “positive for 2019-nCoV RNA,” said the report, using another term for the type of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. George Floyd, a black man, was pinned by his neck to the street during an arrest for at least nine minutes, leading to his death. According to CNN, the type of test performed for the autopsy, called PCR, can show a positive result “for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease.” The autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection -- implying the virus played no known role in Floyd’s death and he was unlikely to have been contagious. Also read | Mother of George Floyd's daughter demands justice; Minneapolis police faces probe Floyd, whom police suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the May 25 encounter. Derek Chauvin was the white officer seen in widely circulated video footage kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, "Please, I can't breathe." Chauvin was jailed last week on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, and was newly charged with second-degree murder. Three fellow officers fired from the Minneapolis police department along with Chauvin the next day were charged on Wednesday - each with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter. Also read | Four cops charged in Floyd death, one faces 2nd-degree murder count homicide The three men - Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - have also been taken into custody. Aiding and abetting second-degree murder carries the same maximum punishment as the underlying offense - 40 years in prison. Floyd's death has become the latest flashpoint for long-simmering rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of racial justice to the top of the political agenda five months before the US presidential election on November 3. The spectacle of city streets flooded with angry though mostly peaceful protesters - punctuated by scenes of arson, looting and clashes with police - have fuelled a sense of crisis. The upheavals have flared following weeks of social lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced millions of Americans out of work and disproportionately affected minorities. See photos | George Floyd's final words seen across skies in the US cities (with inputs from Reuters)

Autopsy report says George Floyd tested positive for coronavirus

Thousands of surfers gathered in Encinitas, California on Wednesday (June 3) for a "paddle out" honoring George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Surfs up in California to support Black Lives Matter

Activists put out a call online on Tuesday for local artists to come beautify the boarded up businesses. By Wednesday, several dozen artists were spray-painting murals and slogans in support of anti-police brutality protests, Black Lives Matter, and George Floyd, who was killed in Minneapolis last month by a white police officer who pinned him down with his knee.

Oakland artists use boarded-up windows for murals to show support

The face of George Floyd was immortalised by Syrian artist Aziz Asmar, as 'I can't breathe' protests continue around the world.

Syrian artist paints portrait of George Floyd on Idlib wall