Biden calls for police reform on 3rd anniversary of George Floyd’s death

President Biden recognized the three-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death Thursday by reflecting on a conversation he had with Floyd’s daughter the day before his funeral.

Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, leading to nationwide protests for social justice and a push to eradicate police brutality.

“Gianna told me, ‘Daddy changed the world.’ Three years after her father’s murder, my answer to Gianna remains the same: he has,” Biden said in a statement.

Floyd, 46, died after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for about nine minutes. Chauvin, who is white, was sentenced to 22½ years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in Minnesota. He was also sentenced to 21 years after pleading guilty in federal court to depriving Floyd of his civil rights.

Biden’s George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill designed to fight police misconduct, was passed by the House but not the Senate. On Thursday, Biden again called for police reform.

“I urge Congress to enact meaningful police reform and send it to my desk,” Biden said. “I will sign it. I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability in Congress, and I remain willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike on genuine solutions.”

Events commemorating Floyd are planned in Minneapolis through Sunday, including a candlelight vigil Thursday night.

“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that we must make a whole of society commitment to ensure that our nation lives up to its founding promise of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” Biden said Thursday.

Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who has represented Floyd’s family, was also among those to pay tribute on Thursday’s anniversary.

“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that we must make a whole of society commitment to ensure that our nation lives up to its founding promise of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” Biden said Thursday.