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To commemorate the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, his family will make a visit to The White House. According to The Hill, president Joe Biden will host the family May 25, 2021.
In a statement to The Hill, press secretary Jen Psaki was tight-lipped about Biden’s agenda for the day the family arrives.
“On Tuesday, he will mark the anniversary of the death of George Floyd. We’ll have more details on what the plans are for that day soon,” Psaki said.
Their visit comes in the midst of Congress being pressured by Democrats to pass a police reform bill. Biden has been speaking in favor of passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to change the laws around law enforcement. If this is passed chokeholds will be banned and police will not be protected from civil lawsuits.
“It would be a contribution to rebuilding trust in communities,” Psaki said about the possible passing of new legislation. “Obviously, there’s more that needs to be done beyond that; that’s not the only step — far from it.”
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled into Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, CNN reported. During Chauvin’s trial, five medical experts testified that Floyd died due to a lack of oxygen as Chauvin pinned him down with his knee in his neck. There were also 38 witnesses that testified regarding what they saw. Use of force experts also testified and didn’t agree with Chauvin’s tactics.
The joint trial for the other three officers involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, will begin this summer. They have all pled not guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
