Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, addressed reporters in Minneapolis Tuesday, saying she wanted justice for Floyd because “he was good, and this is the proof,” as she pointed to her daughter.
Washington’s address to the media was the first time she’s spoken publicly since Floyd’s death on May 25.
Washington was emotional as she stood with her daughter Gianna, her two attorneys, L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, and Stephen Jackson — a friend of Floyd’s.
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“I want everybody to know what these officers took,” Washington said Tuesday. “Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle. If there’s a problem she’s having and she needs her dad, she does not have that anymore.”
“The image most of us have of George Floyd is the horrible video that we’ve seen. We’ve seen the anger in the streets, we’ve seen so much violence,” Stewart, one of Washington’s attorneys, said. “We’ve seen beauty also. We’ve seen people standing up and speaking up.”
“What we really wanted the world to see is the beauty of their child,” Stewart added.
Floyd died while in the custody of four police officers. Derek Chauvin was fired and later charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter Friday. Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao were also fired, but have not been charged. Stewart later questioned why the three other officers involved in the case had not been charged.
“Everyone at home is wondering why riots are happening, why protesting is happening,” Stewart said. “It is because situations like this do not get addressed.”
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“No one is saying that every police officer out there, is out to try and kill somebody,” Stewart said. “But when someone does do something, when someone crosses the line, they have to go through the system and be held accountable.”
Tuesday’s news conference came just hours after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) announced it had pressed charges against the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and opened an investigation into whether there are patterns of “systemic discriminatory practices toward people of color.”
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The MDHR requested immediate interim changes be made to the MPD as they work to find new permanent measures to prevent systemic discrimination.
“I’m here to get justice and I’m going to get justice for my brother,” Jackson added. “We’re not leaving, we’re going to keep fighting.”
