Family of George Floyd tell protesters 'let's do this another way'

1 June 2020, 20:14

The family of George Floyd have told protestors "let's do this another way" and urged people to vote rather than turning to violence.

George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, told a crowd at a memorial that the riots "will not bring my brother back".

He said: "My family is a peaceful family, my family is God-fearing.

"Educate yourself, don't wait for somebody else to tell you who's who... that's how we're gonna hit them... there's a lot of us... and we're still gonna do this peacefully."

The crowd could be heard chanting 'peace on the left, justice on the right' after he finished speaking.

George Floyd's death has sparked violent protest across the US.

The protests erupted after 46-year-old George Floyd died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

The officer in question, Derek Chauvin, has since been fired from the force and was charged with third degree murder four days after Mr Floyd's death.

He told the crowd he was "not over here blowing up stuff", and instead said said: "Ya'll doing nothing because that's not gonna bring my brother back at all.

"It may feel good for the moment - just like when you drink - but when you are done, you're going to wonder what did you do."My family is a peaceful family, my family is God-fearing.:

He continued: "Yeah we're upset but we're not going to be repetitious. The same thing has been happening.

"Y'all protest, y'all destroy stuff. Let's do this another way. Let's do this another way."

Many American cities have seen mass demonstrations against police brutality in recent days.

George Floyd death: Where are the main protests flaring up?

It follows former President Barack Obama sharing a post in which he said he understands that the protests have come out of “genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices” but the people need to “make this moment the turning point for real change.”

He used the post to urge people to exercise their right to vote as a way to show their anger with the criminal justice system.

Obama said that he “couldn’t disagree more” with the notion that “voting and participation in electoral politics is a waste of time" or that only protests are able to bring about direct change to policing practices and racial inequities.

He added that voter turnout in such races is “usually pitifully low,”and said “especially among young people — which makes no sense given the direct impact these offices have on social justice issues, not to mention the fact that who wins and who loses those seats is often determined by just a few thousand, or even a few hundred, votes.

“The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics. We have to do both,” he said, commenting “this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.”

He also condemned the violence of the protests, saying it will "detracting from the larger cause."

“Let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves,” Obama said.