The brother of George Floyd, who was killed last week in a confrontation with Minneapolis police, has called for an end to violence and looting in response to the incident. In a speech on Monday, June 1 at the site of his brother’s death, Terrence Floyd condemned looters and rioters, while calling for peaceful protests, education, and voting instead.
Floyd visited the scene of the incident on Monday to pay respects to his brother. People reports that he was visibly distraught, speaking through tears and struggling to stand at points as he joined others in praying.
Though upset, Floyd ended up speaking to the assembled crowds about his brother and the consequences of the incident. His speech included strong words for those looting and rioting during demonstrations.
“If I’m not over here, wilin’ out, if I’m not over here blowing up stuff, if I’m not over here messing up my community — then what are y’all doing?” he said, addressing looters across the nation. “Nothing, because that’s not going to bring my brother back at all.”
Pursuing Peaceful Change
Instead, Floyd said, change should be pursued through the ballot box. “Let’s stop thinking that our voice doesn’t matter and vote,” he said, “because it’s a lot of of us and we’re still going to do this peacefully.”
Floyd ended his statement by leading chants of “peace on the left, justice on the right,” along with the name of his departed brother.
EXCLUSIVE: George Floyd’s brother Terrence says he feels like violent protests are “overshadowing what is going on because he was about peace …. [this is] destructive unity. That’s not what he was about.” https://t.co/we0hSARItv pic.twitter.com/ko8aT2MiWo
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 1, 2020
Floyd’s visit followed an appearance on Good Morning America earlier on Monday, where he remembered his brother George as a “gentle giant.”
“He was about peace, unity,” Floyd said on the program. He also said his brother would not approve of the violence exploding in cities across the US.
“He would want us to seek justice, the way we are, the way we’re trying to do, but channel it another way,” he said. “The anger, the ripping up — damaging your hometown, it’s not the way he’d want.”
George Floyd Brother Speech — Sources
People
Twitter – Good Morning America