As we approach the five year anniversary of his death, I think it’s time we look at Geroge Floyd and his impact half a decade later. Floyd’s name turned household when he became a victim of police brutality in 2020. Floyd, age 46, was arrested for using a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was then thrown to the ground, and held to the pavement with a knee on his neck. Despite Floyd saying multiple times that he could not breath, the police officer (who will remain unnamed in this blog), continued to hold his knee on his neck for over 9 minutes, causing Floyd to asphyxiate and die. This interaction seemed pretty clear, a black man was murdered at the hands of a white police officer. Unfortunately many people didn’t see it that way.
But the problem goes further than the systemic injustice Floyd faced. There is also a cultural attack on him, highlighting the racism in America, and why black people in America constantly have to remind us that their lives matter. Prominent political figures such as Charlie Kirk, who has over 23 million followers across all platforms, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have spread the claim that Floyd actually died of a drug overdose. This claim is both misleading and false. Floyd had two autopsies conducted on him. One was done by Floyd’s family, and the other by Hennepin County Medical Examiner. Both ruled that his death was a homicide caused by asphyxiation. Though fentanyl was found in his system, it was not enough to kill him, and he would still be alive today if it weren’t for the knee on his neck.
The claim pushes a false narrative and displays racism in America. A black man dies at the hands of a white police officer and some people’s first reaction is not that black men need to stop being killed, but rather how can we defend the white man and diminish the life of the black man. The lie makes Floyd appear as a drug addict who was bound to die anyway, which is not true. Also when we take a step back and drop the race aspect of the claim, it is inhumane and disrespectful to the family of Floyd to label him as something he is not. So no, Floyd did not die of a drug overdose, but the claim is an easy way to spot a racist.
Additionally, more harmful claims to the black community were made after Floyd’s death. Many people said that the ‘Black Lives Matter” protest were violent. This is not the reality of the protest. In fact, over 90% of the protests were peaceful according to CNN. It is yet another narrative trying to label black people as violent criminals.
Floyd’s death told an all too familiar story of a black man dying at the hands of a police officer. A black man is 3.2 times as likely to be killed by a police officer than a white man (Harvard Public Health). Furthermore, police brutality against blacks in America has still yet to see a decrease since Floyd’s death almost 5 years ago (The Guardian).
It is important to realize why Floyd died. That his life was senselessly taken from him, as are many black men in America. He was not a perfect man, or some American hero. But he certainly wasn’t a druggie who would die anyways. It is important to recognize narratives that are harmful and shut them down, so that maybe one day, black Americans don’t have to constantly remind us that their lives matter.
For What it's Worth 
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