George Floyd’s brother on trial: Chauvin ‘took my brother’s soul from his body’

Philonise Floyd is speaking out as the trial for the man accused of murdering his brother, George Floyd inches closer

Philonise Floyd is speaking out as the trial for the man accused of murdering his brother George Floyd inches closer.

Philonise spoke to CNN on Friday ahead of the trial set to kick off on Monday with jury selection. He said all jurors have to do is watch the harrowing video to get the full picture to understand what former officer Derek Chauvin of Minneapolis took from his family that day.

“The video is enough, there is nothing else to talk about you can make your judgment off of that,” said Philonise. “Because Chauvin showed you he was the judge, the jury, and the executioner all at once right then and there, when he took my brother’s soul from his body.”

Read More: House’s George Floyd bill praised by family attorney, but activists push back

A bill in George Floyd’s name was recently passed by the House geared toward restructuring policing. Philonise shared his thoughts on its passing.

“You need police but we also need an understanding,” said Philonise. “We shouldn’t have to engage with you we shouldn’t have to do certain things like fear for our lives we shouldn’t have to do that. Just like they made federal laws to protect a bird which is the bald eagle, you can make federal laws to protect people of color. America needs to be healed right now our nation needs healing. I’ll come to anyone who wants to make social change and stop systemic racism, we need to het together because we are stronger in numbers.”

As previously reported by theGrio, The United States House of Representatives has passed an ambitious bill aimed at overhauling policing nationwide. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was approved 220-112 Wednesday, with one Republican voting for it: Texas Rep. Lance Gooden said he pressed the wrong button and voted for the act accidentally.

Also notable: The bill passed the House on the 30th anniversary of the videotaped beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police officers on March 3, 1991.

Read More: Dems narrowly pass George Floyd Justice Policing Act with Biden’s backing

The Floyd Act would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for police officers, which currently prevents them from being held accountable for their actions financially. It would also create national standards for policing.

Attorneys Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who represent the Floyd family, issued a statement supporting the passage of the reform.

“On behalf of the family of George Floyd, we are deeply gratified and grateful for the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives in passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, responding to the mandate issued by thousands of Americans who took to the streets last summer to raise their voices for change,” the statement read.

“This represents a major step forward to reform the relationship between police officers and communities of color and impose accountability on law enforcement officers whose conscious decisions preserve the life or cause the death of Americans, including so many people of color,” the statement continued. “Now we urge the Senate to follow suit and send this important legislation to President Biden.”

Additional reporting by Biba Adams

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