Published 2:57 PM EDT, Fri May 21, 2021
Anger poured through communities across the United States after video of George Floyd's last moments began circulating last May.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. A bystander's video showed police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for help, saying he couldn't breathe. The incident recalled the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who uttered the words "I can't breathe" while in an officer's chokehold in New York.
Floyd's death sparked widespread protests and rekindled the Black Lives Matter movement. It also elevated a national conversation about race, police brutality and social injustice. It illustrated in clear visuals what Black Americans have long said about the ways that the criminal justice system dehumanizes Black people.
The nationwide demonstrations were largely peaceful, but some cities saw instances of violence, with protesters clashing with police and stores being looted and burned. Protesters tore down statues of men who once championed or traded in slavery.
In April, 11 months after Floyd's death, Chauvin was found guilty of all the charges he faced: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But for many, the search for justice is far from over.
