Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, the black American killed by a white cop in Minneapolis, has bared his mind about the protests following the death of his sibling.
Philonise Floyd appeared on CNN last night where his emotions got the better of him as he broke down in tears while speaking with Don Lemon in an interview.
The aggrieved brother who asked the Minneapolis police chief to arrest the three other officers who were present at the time of George’s death was wearing a T-shirt on which were inscribed the words: ‘We can’t breathe.’
When asked what his thoughts were about the protests happening across the country, Philonise said:
People just want justice. They’re going to continue to march and protest, and if I ask everybody to do it peaceful — but they want justice, and that’s the reason they’re acting out like that. … Black folks have been getting killed for a long time now, years. … People are just tired right now. African Americans, they want to stand up for what’s right.”
Speaking more on the protests turning violent, he stated:
Everything that’s happening right now, it’s not happening because of what they’re doing. People are jumping on them. People are killing them. African Americans, you have women and men both are dying right now. You can watch the video and it was nine minutes, the guy stayed on my brother’s neck. Executed him, murdered him. He couldn’t breathe. … A grown man [asking] for his mom. That’s not real. I need justice for that.”
Officer Chauvin, the cop responsible for George’s death, was fired after the tragic incident. He faces over 12 years in prison if convicted of the crime.
Philonise Floyd pleaded that the other three officers be apprehended and convicted:
They’re at home right now sleeping in their bed, relaxing. [Chauvin’s] in jail, he’s only one. The other three need to be in there. My brother — he’s in the morgue. That’s not right. I want justice now. He deserves that. He’s a gentle giant.”
