Several protests have called on officials to realize the reality of racial equality and to force the change of policies to address the issue. The movements surged after the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died during a police arrest after an officer knelt on his neck even after he screamed he could not breathe.
A history of crime
The victim was not always innocent, as his criminal record suggests. Since his early days, he was shaping to be a career criminal, as reported by The Star.
Having a stature of six foot four inches, Floyd's family and friends referred to him as the "gentle giant." He was an aspiring rapper and an athlete for his school's team. However, he also had multiple brushes with law enforcement at a young age.
Floyd spent his childhood in the Third Ward which was a relatively poor neighbourhood with predominantly African-American residents.
He became part of an influential hip hop collective that was called the "Screwed Up Click" which made its debut in the 1990s.
According to NBC News, in 1997, however, Floyd had his first encounter with law enforcement when he was indicted with a drug charge in Houston.
During the early 2000s, he was again arrested for an armed robbery which had him locked up for four years.
Also Read: Woman Allegedly Brutally Beaten by George Floyd Reveals Truth Behind her Viral Photo
Finding peace in religion
After he got out of jail, he had a falling in with religion along with a pastor of a church located inside the Third Ward he grew up in. The clergyman drew young men into the ministry by using his notoriety and his fondness of basketball star Lebron James.
The pastor took care of the young men by teaching them the grace of religion and coaching them about basketball. Floyd said that the man had a powerful impression and knew his way with words.
In 2014, Floyd moved to the city of Minneapolis for change of view and to try and look for a more stable career so he can support his newborn daughter and her mother.
Later on, he got a job as a Salvation Army truck driver and soon became a bouncer at a bar. The establishment closed down later on due to the coronavirus pandemic which caused Floyd to lose his source of income.
Floyd posted on Instagram in 2017 where he wrote that he was not perfect and that he was no better than anybody else.
In regards to the shooting that was surging at the time, he expressed his sentiments of care for whoever no matter what religion they believed in or where they were from.
On May 25 of this year, however, Floyd was reported for an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill. The responding officers proceeded to arrest him, and the incident escalated into having Floyd on the ground and Derek Chauvin, one of the police officers, kneeling on the suspect's neck.
The restraining technique caused Floyd to become unable to breathe properly as he tried to break free. He screamed at the officers of his circumstance, and an onlooker recorded the encounter.
The events of that day sparked nationwide protests which later on extended its reach to the whole world. The movements call out injustice and police brutality and demand for a reform and defunding of the police.
