FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 06, 2021

Local Civil Rights Groups and Activists Demand Justice in Anticipation of Derek Chauvin Trial for Police Killing of George Floyd

Please be advised that on Sunday, March 7th, 2021 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (CST), the Racial Justice Network, along with other grassroots advocacy groups, will be holding a Silent March in downtown Minneapolis to demand Justice for George Floyd on the eve of jury selection in the criminal case against Derek Chauvin. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

We are demanding convictions in the case of Chauvin and the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death, and an overhaul of the system of policing in Minneapolis, the State of Minnesota and across the country.

It is egregious that right before his death, George Floyd stated, “I Can’t Breathe,” nearly 30 times to Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao. Footage recorded by civilian bystanders showed a woman who identified herself as a registered nurse asking to take George Floyd’s pulse over 10 times.

Three weeks before George Floyd’s death, Chauvin, Lane, and Kueng used the same deadly tactics when they wrongfully detained another Black man. Even with the national and international scrutiny on Minneapolis and the entire state that followed, four Minnesotans have died at the hands of police since George Floyd; Dolal Idd was killed by MPD on 12/30/20 and three people lost their lives to police during the last week of February in Isanti and Wadena counties.

Tragically, over 405 Minnesotans’ lives have been taken by Minnesota law enforcement officers since 2000, and a disproportionate number of those individuals were Black, Brown, Native, Indigenous, Hispanic, Latinx and Asian. Derek Chauvin is the first white police officer in the history of Minnesota to be charged and tried in a court of law for the murder of a Black man despite a long history of violence by Minneapolis police toward the Black community.

“It is time to hold police accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, the systems and policies that are supposedly designed to do so, repeatedly fail. Significant changes are needed, such as an all-elected civilian police accountability council,” said Sonja Muus, member of the Racial Justice Network.

Join the Racial Justice Network on Sunday, March 7th, at 2:00 PM (CST), for the “I Can’t Breathe” Silent March for Justice as we mourn the murder of George Floyd and All Stolen Lives.

We continue to demand JUSTICE and substantial changes to policing in Minneapolis, throughout Minnesota, and across the country.

We will meet on the People’s Plaza outside the Hennepin County Government Center located at 300 S. 6th Street, Minneapolis, 55415. Participants are encouraged to wear all Black attire and to bring signs, flowers, and/or candles. Details can be found on our Facebook Event Page.

The Racial Justice Network (RJN) is a multi-racial, grassroots organization, committed to fighting for racial justice and building bridges across racial, social, and economic lines. racialjusticenetwork.com