WORK STILL TO DO’
year after George Floyd murder
Protesters took to the streets of Brooklyn on the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing on
May 25.
COURIER LIFE, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2021 5
Akeem Browder, the brother of
the late Kalief Browder. Browder
died by suicide in 2015 after being
locked up on Rikers Island for
three years, two of which were
spent in solitary confi nement,
for allegedly stealing a backpack,
and whose 28th birthday would
have been Tuesday.
Browder’s brother shared that
he felt like “breaking down all
week,” and he didn’t feel like his
usual upbeat self, pointing out
that the Black and brown community
has been fi ghting for decades.
“We’re going against the
courts. We’re going against the
police. We’re going against the
government that says, ‘shut up
and take what we give you,'” he
said. “Well, we’re not shutting up.
Until Black lives do matter, we
will be here in every city. George
Floyd didn’t just get murdered so
that we can just lay down.”
On Sunday, two days before
the anniversary of Floyd’s killing,
his family took to the steps
of Brooklyn Borough Hall to celebrate
his life and continue calls
for societal changes.
“This year has been a rollercoaster
ride for us,” said Floyd’s
brother, Terrence. “I’m just
thankful for the people throughout
this nation who have shown
so much love for the Floyd family,
so much love for justice and what
is right. The world woke up. Finally
their eyes are open to what
we already knew.”
At the Downtown Brooklyn
memorial, Terrence announced
the founding of WeAreFloyd.org,
a new organization named in for
his late brother which aims to
aid minorities with social justice
actions and support those with
mental health issues.
“As long as we keep their
names ringing, the face of justice
will look like what it is now
– changed,” Terrence added, calling
for policy changes within
NYPD, such as retraining offi -
cers. “If they don’t know the difference
between a taser and a
gun, something is wrong.”
With reporting by Lloyd Mitchell
Photo by Caroline Ourso Photo by Dean Moses
/WeAreFloyd.org