The Long Thorny Road to Justice
The spirit of Martin Luther King was overwhelmingly present. His daughter, Bernice King, addressed the crowds, calling on them to renounce violence; to chant or even sing hymns. Protesters marched along the same roads King and his comrades had once walked. I spoke to an old protester, who had participated in the 1960s marches, who told me: “I feel as if we are 40 years back in time.” From Atlanta, our team moved on to Houston, Texas, Floyd’s hometown where his funeral would take place.
The media coverage of the funeral – by both local and international news outlets – was massive. Our crew was stationed along with hundreds of others outside the church in the searing heat. But any exhaustion we felt was washed away by the scene of thousands of people coming to pay tribute and bid their final farewells to Floyd; people from all walks of life - Black and white, men and women, young and old. After the funeral, we went to visit the memorial built to honour Floyd’s memory in his hometown. Memorials to Floyd had appeared all over the US, including in Minneapolis, the city where he was killed. When we visited that one, an old man who stood quietly observing, told us: “I remember George
when he was young. He had always wanted to be an example for the youngsters. He always acted as a mentor. The paradox is he never knew he would one day become such an icon, not only to the residents of his neighbourhood, but to millions around the world.” One year later in June, I found myself once again with William in Minneapolis. This time we were covering the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who had killed Floyd. He was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison. We couldn’t leave Minneapolis without visiting the memorial to Floyd, in a place now called George Floyd Square. It was almost sunset. Murals and bouquets of flowers decorated the entire area.
The scene seemed calmer than it had a year earlier. I asked a man sitting outside his shop about the verdict. “Many Black Americans in the US were given harsher sentences for offenses far less than murder. However, it is one step of the long thorny road to justice,” he said. I pause and reflect on how Al Jazeera is lending a helping hand to all those marching along that road.
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