The family of George Floyd, whose murder sparked protests around the world, are set to meet with president Joe Biden at the White House to mark the anniversary of his death.
The meeting comes as the US president has missed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act deadline, which he originally set for 25 May. Before heading to the White House, Mr Floyd’s brother Philonese told CNN that “things have changed” in the last year. “I think it’s moving slowly,” he said, “but it’s making progress.”
Mr Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. A jury of 12 found Chauvin guilty on three counts; one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of manslaughter.
The former police officer has not yet been sentenced but faces up to 40 years in prison. The state attorney general, Keith Ellison, has requested the judge consider ‘aggravating factors’ when handing out a sentence, which requests “an upward sentencing departure”.
Following the murder of Mr Floyd, protests broke out in the state, across the nation, and internationally, as thousands of people took to the streets to decry police brutality.
Mr Floyd’s family is marking a year since his death with a series of events, including the Saturday rally held alongside other victims of police killings, a day of action, and a candlelit vigil on Tuesday, 25 May – a year to the day he was killed.
