Jersey City Raises Black Lives Matter Flag Over City Hall

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City officials gathered on Tuesday to officially raise a Black Lives Matter flag over City Hall.

The ceremonial flag raising coincided with the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder. Floyd was a Black man from Minneapolis who was murdered by police last year after officers tried to arrest him. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Following the conviction, several Jersey City officials praised the news but agreed that it was a starting point along the road to a more equitable system. Tuesday's flag raising was attended by

Floyd's murder, like many other police brutality incidents against people of color, was caught on video. Last summer, the video and Floyd's death sparked outrage across the country and inspired protests and calls to recognize racism in America as well as the police system in the U.S. Protests packed thousands in front of City Hall in Jersey City and rallied people to the city's South Precinct this summer.

Tuesday's flag raising was attended by the group B.L.E.S.C., Blacks in Law Enforcement Servicing Community, together with Mayor Fulop, the Municipal Council, and the Office of Cultural Affairs.

To address police brutality and policing in Jersey City, the City Council passed a resolution supporting the creation of a Civilian Complaint Review Board or CCRB. The city's two police unions are suing the city over the resolution.