'We will not let you use George as a prop': Rev. Al Sharpton lays into Trump's bible photo-op 'agenda' at memorial for George Floyd as Minneapolis mayor sobs uncontrollably at gold coffin
Civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton attacked President Donald Trump's agenda, vowed not to let people use George Floyd as prop and declared it was time for black people to demand 'get your knee off our necks' during his fiery eulogy for the man whose death at the hands of police has sparked global protests.
Hollywood celebrities, musicians and politicians gathered in front of the Floyd's golden casket on Thursday at a sanctuary at North Central University in the first of a series of memorials set for three cities over the next six days.
The service took place as a judge less than a mile away set bail at $1 million each for three of the four fired Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting murder in Floyd's death. Floyd died on May 25 after white police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder, put his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes as he lay handcuffed on the pavement, gasping that he couldn't breathe.
Floyd's memorial drew the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and members of Congress, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson-Lee and Ayana Pressley. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey took a knee in front Floyd's casket and sobbed before the service got underway. Among the celebrities in attendance were T.I., Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Marsai Martin.
During his fierce eulogy, Rev Sharpton criticized President Trump's rhetoric and handling of the protests that have stemmed from Floyd's death, including how he staged a photo op outside a Washington DC church with a Bible earlier this week.
'I've never seen anyone hold a bible like that (and) I've been preaching since I was a little boy. If he's watching us today, I'd like him to open that Bible and reach Ecclesiastes 3: 'To every season, there is a time.' I'd like him to understand what time it is,' Sharpton said.
'We cannot use Bibles as a prop. For those that have agendas that are not about justice, this family will not let you use George as a prop. Let us stand for what is right.'
At one point during the service, mourners stood in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to mark the fatal length of time the officer held his knee to Floyd's neck.
'George Floyd's story has been the story of black folks. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be is because you kept your knee on our neck,' Sharpton said.
'What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health services, and in every area of American life. It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say, 'Get your knee off our necks!'
George Floyd's family members surround his golden casket at the Lindquist Sanctuary at the North Central University on Thursday during the first of three memorial services in the next six days in his honor
The Rev. Al Sharpton delivers a passionate address at the memorial of George Floyd at the North Central University in Minneapolis on Thursday
George Floyd's casket leaves the sanctuary at North Central University in Minneapolis on Thursday after the memorial service
Gianna Floyd, George's six-year-old daughter was three rows back during the service. She was seen putting her hand on the back of a relative to comfort them as they cried during the service
During his eulogy, Sharpton vowed a movement to 'change the whole system of justice' and said it was time to hold police accountable.
'Time is out for not holding you accountable. Time is out for you making excuses. Time is out for you trying to stall. Time is out for empty words and empty promises. Time is out for you filibustering and trying to stall the arm of justice'' he said.
'There is a time and a season for everything,' he said. 'Time is up. Time is out. This is the time.
'Y'all talk about making America great. Great for who and when? We gonna make America great for everybody.'
Addressing the nationwide demonstrations, some of which have descended into destruction, Sharpton said Floyd's family did not condone violence.
'There have been protests all over the world. Some have looted and done other things. None of us condone it - looting and violence,' Sharpton said.
'But there is a difference between those calling for peace - and those calling for quiet. Some y'all don't want peace, you just want quiet. You just want us to suffer in silence.'
Sharpton acknowledged that looters and violent protesters who broke the law should be held accountable but said the four officers implicated in Floyd's death should also pay for their crimes.
'Some in the criminal justice system have trouble looking at a tape and seeing that there's probable cause,' he said.
Acknowledging the high US death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - which saw mourners wear masks for the service - he said Floyd should not be among the deceased.
'He did not die of common health conditions. He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction. He died because there has not been the corrective behavior that has taught this country that if you commit a crime, it does not matter if you wear blue jeans or a blue uniform, you must pay for the crime you commit.'
Floyd's brother, Philones Floyd, told the crowd at the memorial he was in awe of the number of people paying their respects as he recounted their childhoods playing catch and eating banana-mayonnaise sandwiches.
'All these people came to see my brother,' he said. 'That's amazing to me that he touched so many people's hearts because he touched our hearts.'
Meanwhile, Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd's family, told the memorial service that the police action the day Floyd was killed 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.
Floyd's casket was flanked by white and purple flowers and a vibrant image was projected above the pulpit of a mural of Floyd painted at the street corner where he was seized by police on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store. The message on the mural: 'I can breathe now.'
The sanctuary normally seats 1,000, but because of the coronavirus outbreak, the capacity was reduced to about 500, and mourners wore masks.
Floyd's death has empowered a national movement that has seen widespread demonstrations and civil strife in cities right across the United States to condemn racism and police abuses.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey kneels in front of George Floyd's gold casket and sobs
Tiffany Haddish joined Gwen Carr, Eric Garner's mother, on stage to stand in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds
Actor Kevin Hart and musician Ludacris are seen during a memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday
Tiffany Haddish, wearing a cheetah print coronavirus mask, sits in a section of VIP seats with producer Will Packer (right) on Thursday at the memorial service
Tiffany Haddish pulls down her mask to smile after being called out by Rev. Al Sharpton at Thursday's service
Actor Tyrese Gibson attends the service. A seat that was reserved for Tyler Perry was empty
Gianna, George's six-year-old daughter, is led into the ceremony holding a coronavirus mask
George's adult son Quincy Mason Floyd attends the service in Minneapolis wearing a mask with a picture of his father on it
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who fired all four police officers now charged in Floyd's killing, took a knee nearby as his body arrived ahead of the service.
Floyd's Promethean casket is the same type of custom-made coffin that singers Aretha Franklin and James Brown were laid to rest in.
President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he visits outside St. John's Church across Lafayette Park from the White House on Monday
In an interview with NBC's Today at the site of the memorial, attorney Ben Crump said the Floyd family don't want his death to be in vain.
'It's going to be a celebration of life, but it's also going to be a plea to America and a plea for justice that we don't let his death be in vain,' Crump said. 'We want everybody to use their forces to say no more - we're tired of dying at the hands of the people supposed to protect us.'
It is the first of three memorial gatherings planned to honor Floyd's life - the man whose name has been chanted by hundreds of thousands of people across the country.
Floyd's body will then travel to Raeford, North Carolina, where he was born 46 years ago, for a two-hour public viewing and private service for the family on Saturday.
Finally, a public viewing will be held Monday in Houston, where he was raised and lived most of his life. A 500-person service on Tuesday will take place at The Fountain of Praise church and will include addresses from Sharpton, Crump, and the Rev. Remus E. Wright, the family pastor.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, may attend, and other political figures and celebrities are expected as well.
The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, the black man who was shot dead by two white men while out running, will attend Floyd's memorial in Houston, her attorney Lee Merritt told TMZ.
A private burial will follow.
George Floyd's son, Quincy Mason Floyd, bows his head while his father's cousin wipes tears at the memorial service on Thursday
Hart embraces Reverend Jesse Jackson before the ceremony on Thursday
Martin Luther King III and his family pay their respects to George Floyd ahead of his memorial service in Minneapolis
Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson and his son Jonathan Jackson pray in front of Floyd's coffin ahead of his service
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (left) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arrive ahead of Floyd's memorial service
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson is pictured at the memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday
Minneapolis cops take a knee before George Floyd's casket is driven past on Thursday after his memorial
Crowds of people surrounded North Central University to pay their respects without being able to go inside
The organizers of the memorials want to acknowledge the meaning Floyd had in life to his large family and the broader meaning he has assumed in death, which happened after a white officer pressed a knee into the handcuffed black man's neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.
'It would be inadequate if you did not regard the life and love and celebration the family wants,' Rev Sharpton said prior to Thursday's memorial. 'But it would also be inadequate... if you acted as though we're at a funeral that happened under natural circumstances.
'The family is not independent of the community. The family wants to see something happen.'
Both the memorials in Minneapolis and Houston will include personal tributes and eulogies about social justice, Sharpton said.
Floyd's final journey was designed with intention, Sharpton said. Having left Houston for Minneapolis in 2014 in search of a job and a new life, Floyd will retrace that path.
'They collectively said we need to make the first memorial statement from the city he chose to go to make a living, that ended his life,' he said.
The memorial services to honor Floyd are extraordinary but so are the circumstances surrounding them.
Since his May 25 death in Minneapolis, Floyd's name has been chanted by hundreds of thousands of people and empowered a movement. Violent encounters between police, protesters, and observers have inflamed a country already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
The memorial service on Thursday happened less than a mile from where three of the cops charged in Floyd's murder were having their first court appearance. They had their bail set at $1million
George Floyd's body was taken to the North Central University in Minneapolis on Thursday ahead of the first of three services that will be held in the different cities over the next six days
Floyd's death has empowered a national movement that has seen widespread demonstrations and civil strife in cities right across the United State to condemn racism and police abuses
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who fired all four police officers now charged in Floyd's killing, took a knee nearby as his body arrived ahead of the service
Floyd's memorial on Thursday took place at the same time three Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene, but did not intervene, will face court for the first time. It comes as prosecutors on Wednesday leveled new criminal charges against all four policemen implicated in Floyd's death after he was filmed being pinned by his neck to the street during an arrest.
Derek Chauvin, who was jailed Friday on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, was newly charged with second-degree murder. He 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.'
Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - the three fellow officers fired from the Minneapolis police department along with Chauvin the next day - were charged on Wednesday with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Floyd's family attorney said his relatives were relieved to hear all four officers had been charged.
'They had a sense of relief... they were very thankful,' Crump said. 'George Floyd's family and many others believe the charge should be first degree, however, we're relieved (it's been upgraded).
Crump said he didn't believe the additional charges would have been brought if it were not for the widespread protests over the past week.
'I don't think we would have seen those charges. There's evidence for these charges. There's always evidence for many of these cases when white police kill black people, they just never get charged,' he said.
Following the charges, demonstrations seen over the past week across the US remained large but turned notably more subdued.
In many cities, demonstrators defying nighttime curfews have been met by police in riot gear firing tear gas, mace and rubber bullets to disperse unruly crowds.
National Guard troops have been activated in several states to assist local law enforcement.
Floyd's death has empowered a national movement that has seen widespread demonstrations and civil strife in cities right across the United State to condemn racism and police abuses. Pictured above is the memorial at the place where Floyd was killed
The service on Thursday is the first of three memorial gatherings planned to honor Floyd's life - the man whose name has been chanted by hundreds of thousands of people across the country
'We will not let you use George as a prop': Rev. Al Sharpton lays into Trump's bible photo-op 'agenda' at memorial for George Floyd as Minneapolis mayor sobs uncontrollably at gold coffin
!['We will not let you use George as a prop': Rev. Al Sharpton lays into Trump's bible photo-op 'agenda' at memorial for George Floyd as Minneapolis mayor sobs uncontrollably at gold coffin]()
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June 05, 2020
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