Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered residents Tuesday to observe eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence in honor of the late George Floyd, a reference to the length of time that an officer pressed a knee into the back of the dying man’s neck.
In a proclamation, Mr. Walz asked Minnesotans to observe the silence at 11 a.m. Central, the time at which Mr. Floyd’s funeral began Tuesday at the Fountain of Praise in Houston.
The moment of silence was intended to honor “the life of George Floyd and the lives of every person cut short due to systems of racism and discrimination in Minnesota,” the Democratic governor said in his proclamation.
Mr. Floyd, 46, died during the May 25 arrest for forgery after Minneapolis Officer Derek Chavin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. He and three other officers at the scene have been fired and charged in Mr. Floyd’s murder.
“George Floyd’s death is the symptom of a disease — the result of generations of systemic racism that threaten the dignity of our state’s black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color,” Mr. Walz said.
Mr. Floyd’s arrest, recorded on a video that soon went viral, touched off massive peaceful protests as well as violent rioting. His death has prompted proposals to reform police departments and “defund the police.”
In honor of the funeral for George Floyd, we ask all Minnesotans to spend 8 minutes and 46 seconds in silence at 11am this morning. pic.twitter.com/tZs4JdK1Bg
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 9, 2020
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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