The Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, recently held a press conference to address the murder of George Floyd, the black man whose killing by police on Monday was captured on video.
In the press conference, Mayor Frey offered words of support and highlighted the injustices the black community faced as racial tensions heighten in response to the tragic death. Frey asked why the police officer Derek Chauvin, who killed Floyd, had not been charged yet.
“Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?” he asked. “I cannot come up with a good answer to that question.”
The mayor called for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to bring charges against the arresting officer, who is a white cop.
In a press conference on Thursday, the Mayor expressed that he understood people’s rage as protests swarmed the city. The Mayor appeared shaken as he addressed members of the press and citizens from the community.
“Anger and sadness that has been ingrained in our black community not just because of 5 minutes of horror but 400 years.”
He continued, “If you are feeling that sadness and anger, it’s not only understandable, it’s right. Its a reflection of the truth that our black community has lived.”
Frey addressed plans to bring peace back to the city of Minneapolis by requesting additional help from the state and called for members from the community to come together and hold compassion for one another.
“While not from lived experience, that sadness must also be understood by our non-black communities,” he said. “To ignore it, to toss it out, would be to ignore the values we all claim to have.”