Local Rally Remembers Floyd On Anniversary Of His Death
Local Rally Remembers Floyd On Anniversary Of His Death
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Amanda Bridgman-
Local Rally Remembers Floyd On Anniversary Of His DeathVoices Against Injustice, a local nonprofit, organized a memorial event Tuesday at the courthouse square to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd.
About 20 people showed up for the evening event, which featured speakers and a food drive for a new food pantry located behind the law office of Travis McConnell, 116 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw.
Floyd was a Black man murdered by police during an arrest on May 25, 2020, after a store clerk suspected he may have used a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis. Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck as onlookers video recorded the fatal arrest for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted April 20 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter by a jury and faces up to 40 years in prison.
The three other officers at the scene, J. Alexander Kueng, 27; Thomas Lane, 38; and Tou Thao, 35, are set to go to trial Aug. 23.
Events marking the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death took place around the country Tuesday.
Locally, several people of color spoke at the courthouse square.
Walter Johnson, an associate pastor at New Beginnings Church, Atwood, said the one-year anniversary “should sadden us but encourage us. ... Remember, God loves all people.”
Johnson encouraged people to love one another, even if the person is a felon or is trying to pass a fake $20 bill like in Floyd’s case. He also called for more people to become involved with the Voices Against Injustice group and said he felt lucky to have seen a poster on a utility pole promoting the evening’s event.
Next, Sarah McNeal Strahan-Lenfestey took the microphone and called Tuesday a day to honor the legacy of the life of Floyd and recall his suffering.
“Picture where you were, what you were doing the moment you saw the video (of his arrest) ... that feeling are those exact feelings that all of us people of color deal with on a daily basis. It doesn’t go away. We walk to the store and we don’t know if it’s out last day,” she said. “His suffering created a doorway. His life enlightened this community.”
Strahan then praised the young folks behind Voices Against Injustice and said she is not only impressed with their activism but that they brought a food pantry to Warsaw.
“What is it that we can do? How can we be the helpers for those who are struggling in our community?” she said.
Next, Xeryus Johnson, of Fort Wayne, spoke and said he’s the 3rd Congressional District vice chair and travels to wherever he feels the fight against injustice needs to be heard.
“This should not be an issue that politicians in D.C. should deal with,” he said. “This is unacceptable. It’s time to show our police officers that our lives matter. This country was built on the back of people of color.”
A Warsaw man named Brandon Bohnke then spoke and told a story about working at an RV company in Middlebury when the protests began a year ago. Bohnke said his supervisor called him a “monkey.”
Bohnke eventually quit that job and said he’s lost the stability the job provided for his wife and three children but he couldn’t work for someone like that.
“People think this type of injustice happens in these big democratic-run cities. No. It’s happening in po-dunk Indiana. This is happening right now, right here. This place has to change,” he said.
Wayne Hubbard traveled to Warsaw from South Bend and touched on systemic racism in policing, courts and local governments.
“These mayors and council members don’t do s***,” he said, saying the only way to beat bad cops is to be non-violent.
“This is not a party. This is not a game. This is real life,” Hubbard said. “It only takes one. Imagine how many lives one racist police officer can ruin. Systemic racism, we have to deal with the cause not the effect. Take away the blue line and hold them accountable. Do not do anything to the cop, but remember his name. Take it to his supervisor. You will be surprised how much noise one person can make.”
