President Joe Biden To Host George Floyd's Family At White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will host members of George Floyd's family at the White House Tuesday, marking the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death while in the hands of Minneapolis police.

Biden and Harris will meet the family at 12:30 p.m. Central time.

Both Harris and Biden addressed the nation in televised remarks when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death on April 20.

"Today we feel a sigh of relief," Harris said. "Still, it cannot take away the pain. A measure of justice is not the same as equal justice. This verdict brings us a step closer. But still, we have work to do."

Speaking after Harris, Biden called systemic racism a stain on the nation's soul.

"Today's verdict is a step forward," Biden said. "Nothing can ever bring their brother or their father back but this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America.

"Such a verdict is also much too rare," Biden continued. "We saw how traumatic and exhausting watching the trial was for so many people. It's a trauma on top of the fear so many people of color live with every day. They go to sleep at night praying for the safety of themselves and their loved ones."

The White House has endorsed the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. Among the provisions in the bill is one that would establish a national police misconduct registry overseen by the Department of Justice, documenting complaints filed against police officers.

Celebration of Life

In Minneapolis Tuesday, community members will participate in a "celebration of life" even at Commons Park. The event will start at 11 a.m.

Minnesota To Hold Moment Of Silence To Honor George Floyd

Gov. Tim Walz Monday issued a proclamation asking all Minnesotans to observe a moment of silence at 1 p.m. on Tuesday for nine minutes and 29 seconds to honor Floyd.

"On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota," read a statement from Walz's office. Chauvin — who knelt on Floyd for more than nine minutes — was convicted of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death in April.

"George Floyd's murder ignited a global movement and awakened many Minnesotans and people around the world to the systemic racism that our Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color have known for centuries," the proclamation states.

"On April 20, 2021, a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of George Floyd's murder. This historic verdict was a step in the right direction, but our work to dismantle systematic racism and discrimination has not ended. True justice for George Floyd will come only through real, systemic change to prevent acts like this from happening again—when every member of every community, no matter their race, is safe, valued, and protected."

Chauvin will be sentenced on June 25. He faces up to 40 years in prison.

The death of George Floyd

Just after 8 p.m. on Memorial Day, 2020, police responded to the Cup Foods store on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis on a report of a "forgery in progress."

Outside the store, police told Floyd he was under arrest. In a video seen around the world, Floyd is heard telling officers "I can't breathe" while being forced down onto the street. He also asks for water.

Bystanders yelled at Chauvin to get off of him. Officers Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane assisted Chauvin. A fourth officer — Tou Thao — ordered people, including an off-duty EMS worker, to back away from the scene.

Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck even after he went motionless. All four officers who were at the scene were fired the next day and were later criminally charged.

Thao, Kueng, and Lane still face charges of aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Their trial was delayed until 2022 to make room for a federal civil rights trial involving all four officers, including Chauvin