groceries, medical assistance, anything that anyone might need has popped up here in the last several hours and there is a sense of community in this -- i don't know how much time you spent in minneapolis. it's a great city. i always loved coming here to work, but you really get a sense of the place in times like this, and to see whites, african-americans, latino, everybody just show up to this in the numbers they're expecting. there's a couple of protest marches happening that will probably culminate here and they will have a very, i think, a difficult time. there's that rush of anger that was like adrenaline through the veins of this city and now it feels like we are beyond that, and minnesotans and people from minneapolis are trying to reconcile the past week with where we are today and it's going to be a tough day. back to you guys.

>> miguel, you're right. minneapolis, beautiful city, st. paul as well, the twin cities are just amazing. the diversity there, and they are really the quintessential american cities when you look at them, and now, this is all happening in a quintessential american city, the quintessential american story, right, race at the heart of it, as we watch these pictures coming from the memorial service. i want to get now to my colleague, sara sidner, who is outside the store in minneapolis where george floyd was killed. this may be the memorial service where the television cameras are trained on for the moment but the original memorial, the makeshift is where you are right now and people have been coming in by the hundreds, if not thousands, all week to pay tribute to george floyd. what are you seeing there today? >> reporter: yeah, don, i call this the people's memorial, the citizen's memorial, the neighborhood memorial. because this is the site where

george floyd stopped breathing, and it's been considered a sacred site where people come to pray, chant, be there for one another and help each other. it has turned into that. there is all sorts of gifts being given to people, whether it is a gift of a conversation with someone of a different race or ethnicity or even from a different place. we have talked to lye beiberiia white americans, black americans, asian americans. we've talked to people from all over, really, the world. many of whom, by the way, came here to escape their own wars, to escape their own civil unrest and to come here and be here and see this happening in this country, we talked to one liberian man who said, look, i had no idea this was a problem here in america, and it really shocked him there was this tension between black people and police, and black men in

particular were really feeling this target of the police, but what you're seeing here is a sense of a wholeness. there's sort of a growth happening here that is remarkable, and i'm talking about, at least 50% of the crowd are white folks from here from minnesota, and so there's a clear -- something different happened here, don. there is a clear mandate from this neighborhood that they are not going to let this destroy their community, and they haven't. this has been a place, i'm going to give you a look at the scene, that just keeps growing and growing and growing and getting bigger and bigger and bigger. there are flowers, there are signs. there's one that says 2014, i can't breathe, 2020, i can't breathe. people are angry because waiting patiently for six years did not work. what are they referring to? eric garner. what are they referring to? michael brown. what are they referring to? terence frecher.

referring to all of these other past incidents and you see people standing up and doing the power fist in front of george floyd's mural that somebody beautifully put together and this is really become the place where people pray, the place where people try and explain, even to themselves, what it is that happened but what it is they can do to make change and i can't tell you how many people have come up with tears in their eyes and said, i want to help, i want to do something, i want to make a difference, i want to make something happen differently in our country. we have to do something. we can't let this stand. there are, all the way around this building. cup foods is where this happened. cup foods is where george floyd stopped begging for breath from the police officer now been fired and charged and now all four police officers have been fired and charged, but here, it really is, thinking about him and his family, but also thinking about the community at

large and how to move forward and they're moving forward. they're doing it by coming together and giving people something, whether it's food, whether it's diapers, whether it's literally a cup of coffee. there's someone here making free lattes. everything is free here, and people are coming up and donating their time and energy and money and giving away to people sustenance, whether for their belly or their mind and it's been absolutely beautiful. don. >> well said, on the right of your screen, north central university in minneapolis where they're about to hold the memorial service. our sara sidner a moment ago on the left of your screen, but i'm going to go back to sara now, at the people's memorial as she so aptly called it. sarzair sara, i think that's appropriate that it's called the people's memorial. it's different. you and i covered ferguson together, baltimore, we covered a number of different rallies

and protests and unrest. you mentioned this one feels differently. it not only feels different, it looks different. there's more diversity than ferguson, there's more diversity in baltimore and you get more of a sense, even though ferguson now, the first african-american mayor, can you believe it? but you get the sense now that something positive will come out of all of this brief pain, anger, sadness from minneapolis. >> reporter: i agree, and i'll tell you, and this is just a personal, which i don't normally do on the air, but a personal situation that happened. i had a text this morning from someone i have grown up with, known since i was a child, an adult, mind you, who helped sort of raise me, never said anything about any of my coverage or anything else. texted me this morning and said, i need you to contact me with the naacp or activists in my community. this is a person who is caucasian whose never reached out on this issue, it's a

difficult issue for us to talk to and said, i need you to help me help black people get out to vote. i'll do whatever. i'll canvas, i'll do whatever, but i need you to help me contact me with black folks so that i can do something. this person is 70 years old. and they texted me today and said, i have to do something. we can't let this tear our country apart and furthermore, we can't let people that have your skin color be treated differently anymore. this has to stop. and for me, it just said something about this whole situation bauecause i've notice it in the sfreetreets for sure to hear from someone who is 70 that hasn't reached out in the past made me think that, wow, for once, maybe this is the time. maybe this is the difference. my god, we need it. >> i believe, yeah, i think it's extraordinary and just, you know, watching from new york and following your absolutely

beautiful coverage, sara. you feel it. i think it's felt across the country. speaking of new york, thousands of people today are gathering to march in solidarity with george floyd, his brother terrence floyd who lives in new york. we heard from his reverend, from his brooklyn church and new york police commissioner yesterday just talking about things must change. things must be better. athena jones is in new york. she is standing by live. athena, tell us what people are sharing with you. >> reporter: brooke, as you said, we're on the edge of a crowd that is at least a few thousand here at cabin plaza in downtown brooklyn for this memorial prayer service for george floyd but it's really just getting under way. we've been talking to folks around here. people still streaming black lives matter signs, a woman dressed as the statue of liberty with a black eye. we see a very diverse crowd. i spoke with a franciscan friar, as a white member of the clergy,

it's important for him to be an ally in this fight, active ally in the fight for change. just seeing this get under way. i know several elected officials are expected to speak in addition to george floyd, terrence floyd and being led by a civil rights leader and pastor, reverend kevin mccall. we know mayor de blasio here, hakim jeffries, but i asked reverend mccall, in a moment of healing. after these tense night or ten days of protests, expressing emotion, pain, and anger in the streets, now we see that all four of the officers in minneapolis are facing charges that could send them to prison for multiple decades. does it mean we're now at a moment of healing? do these memorials today mean we're entering that phase of this and reverend mccall said to me, sure, there is some healing, but the other part of the part has to heal and that's going to

require justice actually being served. he said to me, do you know how many times we've been down this road? he's talking about, fine, maybe you may get charges against police officers, but you very rarely see convictions. his message he told me today here is going to be about how, yes, it's important to continue protesting, keep the pressure on but also going to be talking about next steps. ways to turn this anger, pain and emotion into action whether by registering to vote or other means. so he says he plans to address that here because he realizes while protests are necessary, it's also important to make sure there's actual political action and other community action around these issues. brooke? >> athena. >> i'll take it away. >> go ahead, don. >> brooke, it's amazing to watch all these pictures from different cities around the country. this is the tenth day now we've seen these crowds. they've died down a little bit in the past couple of days but i think today may be a resurgence

because i think people are feeling hope and the type of protest that we're seeing now and look at that peaceful protest which is welcome in this country, which is welcome around the world. we can't -- >> what a diverse crowd. >> we can't tell people how to protest, but i think showing your love for each other, that you support one another, and that you are angry and that you want change and you're upset in ways that people are doing now, i think it's welcome, a welcome change in this country. so with that said, joining me now, cnn political commentator bakari sellers and laura coates. hello to both of you. laura, i have to start with you. hello, how are you? >> i'm good, i'm watching this unfold and my heart is full and my stomach is dropping, but i'm glad i'm here on this platform with you. >> i want to say that i appreciated our conversation yesterday and i know that you are a minnesota girl.

i don't mean that in a derogatory way, minnesota proud, minnesota lady, let's put it that way. when you are watching these pictures come in and considering everything that happened in your town over the last week or so, what's going through your mind? >> you know, it's been disorienting. we know inequality exists. we have seen what's happened. this past is prologued and it's not maybe you or us have been epiphanies right now about this being the state of america, but it has been so trying to see it so close to home, to see this unfold the way it is and reverberate throughout the world and i keep going back in my mind, don, hearing about growing up in minnesota and being in elementary school and junior high and high school and the way they'd teach civil rights across the country to explain rosa

parks as almost the catalyst of the civil rights movement, that one day, on one occasion, someone felt too exhausted to give up her seat, and you look at what's happened. first, we know the full context, of course, of the full virtue and the role of people like rosa parks and others. what we look at right now, this is as symbolic and illustrative. and i hope people look at this moment in time and see the symbolism. there's the reason 50 states and other countries are looking. there's a reason there's both equal parts exhaustion and energy because we heard president obama say yesterday, it's a marathon, not a sprint. and i'm wondering, are we at mile one or are we at mile 25 or even 26 almost 26.2. the reason it feels different because people feel like we're

closer to the part of the moral universe is bending and might actually be here. >> laura, stand by. i want to bring in bakari. good to see you and talk to you. i appreciated our conversation yesterday as well. we've all been talking, and i have to say, we've all been talking and sharing stories similar to what sara said on the scene in minneapolis. friends who, some of them whom we haven't heard from in years reach out, saying, what should i do in this moment? how can i act differently? how can we make this one count? that's important. we welcome those conversations. >> we do. they're somewhat exhausting, don, because you and i both know that the ill of the country is not on black people, but it's been refreshing to get these phone calls. i want everyone to pull up a

chair because black folk do home going services better than anybody in the world. and home going, it's a celebration because today, we're not, we're not -- we're at the point where we are celebrating the life of george floyd, and if they play that marvin sap, i never would have made it or they start playing "going up yonder," the church will move and move. so i'm here to just rock and listening to the music in the background, letting the spirit of george floyd go through me. you know, i was with -- you remember when the president hit "amazing grace" and the world paused for a minute. that's the type of impact this service is going to have, but i have to ask you the question and the millions of people around the world the question that is the central question today.

how many caskets are we going to have to walk behind before we actually have change in this country? how many bodies will be buried? how many daughters won't have their father's day before we actually give people the benefit of their humanity, so while i am rocking and swaying and celebrating the life of jogeorg floyd, i'm deeply concerned and frustrated we may have more after this. this has been a cycle for black folk. you and i talk about this all the time. you and me make tv over the blood of black people in this country, and we want that to stop. we want people to graduate, live full lives, to get married, be there for their daughters, be there for their sons and george floyd will not be able to do those things, so today, let's celebrate his life and then tomorrow, let's get to work. >> we don't want to have to do

those. we would rather not to have to do this again, right? and when we were standing there just a moment to bring the tension down a little bit, because this is really heavy, but again, this is a joyful moment. this is a home going celebration, that's what we call it, but when the former president was there and he started singing "amazing grace" we were talking about how quickly the choir and the folks in the background jumped ? >> my daddy at church, my daddy thinks he's phillip from earth, wind and fire, and the president, he paused and hit this note and it wasn't the right note but the words, so i think people, all those white folk who called us asking for advice on what to do, all those people who want to give life to george floyd, pull up for the next two hours and let's

together celebrate his life over some good nourishing gospel music and the word. that's all we can do at this point. >> i know brooke wants to jump in at this moment. i don't want to hog this segment, but i think you're right, bakari because just when i came here, there was someone, i won't give a name, someone very high, not a player, actually very high up in the nfl, right, call me and said i saw your segment last night. had two former nfl players on and said, i need to start talking with you more. i need to have a relationship with you more because now is the time for someone like me to listen because what i've learned over the last couple of days is that i really don't know. >> amen. amen. that's what we're talking about -- i'm sorry, let me just finish

this thought real quick, brooke, i'm sorry. my boss in my law firm, peate strom, has a great deal of empathy and we were just talking about how all of his friends, he's a white guy, all of his friends are coming together and he's sparking those conversations, and it's amazing to see how we're having conversations with white folk that are then going out and having conversations with other white folk, talking about their privilege, talking about issues of race, talking about the way that we can fundamentally change this country because i'll tell you this. the difference between this moment and all the other moments was minute two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight -- >> almost nine. >> almost nine. that's where the consciousness of the country was awakened, so today, i'm going to -- i'm a crier, but i'm not going to cry today. i'm going to keep a smile on my face because today is a home

going celebration for george floyd, knowing how much work we have to do and i wear to my children, i want this to be the last coffin we have to carry. >> listen, i'm just listening to all of you and i'm very aware of my skin color, of my privilege, of what i have taken for granted. my 40 years, my friends who don't look like me. i have in touch with them. i have gone through all kinds of emotions and at the end of the day, to bakari's point about having these conversations and laura, just to you, it does feel different, even just from my perspective and to see the crowds gathering across the country and around the globe, i, in my 20 years of journalism have never seen anything like this and i'm just curious from a personal standpoint, bring us

into the conversations you've been having with your friends the past ten days. >> well, you know, when you're talking, i'm thinking about this famous quote from einstein that says, any fool can know, the point is to understand. and i think for a long time, i've had conversations with people who know, they absolutely know the numbers, they know the statistics, they don't understand it's not an anomaly. they don't understand it's not anecdotal, they don't understand it can or can't be reduced to a phrase of bad apples and the conversations i'm having is showing that transformative period when people are going from what they know to now asking and understanding and the conversations i have have been circled around that. when i think about it, the more we talk now about cell phone footage, this is the first time

people are able to see over the course of recent modern american history, the question of if we've not seen the cell phone footage, would this be taking place and i go back in my mind. i was a civil rights attorney for the department of justice and i'm coming from a family who has always been very passionate about civil rights in this world and i think back to emmett till's mother, who in many ways was preshent of saying, open the casket. i want them to see what the world did to my boy. the cell phone, many respects, people coming from new york and new england, why there was such an alliance between different diverse groups of people in the world about civil rights issues because the media, because images, because things like this were showing people what is happening. and so when i look at this memorial today for george floyd, i think about memorializing what is happening now as a real

catapult for people, trying to go from knowing to understanding something. >> amen to that, amen to that. >> walking in there -- >> that was the family? >> 6-year-old gianna just walked in with benjamin crump. >> and i believe several other members. omar jiminez just outside. i think he saw some of the members of the family walk by. omar? >> reporter: that's right, brooke and don. they walked in a moment ago. the mother of george floyd, 6-year-old daughter gina. i actually spoke with roxy and their friends, steven jackson alongside their daughter gianna and one of the main questions because let's remember, why this story has expanded. this is still at its core, a family that's grieving like any other family would, losing a brother, losing a loved one or losing a father and i ask roxy

washington how she even began to try and explain what had happened to george floyd, to their 6-year-old daughter, and she said at first, she couldn't. she tried to hold it off as long as she possibly could, but then there came a point when she couldn't hold it back anymore because what did the daughter do? gianna had seen her father's name being said on the television. she went to her mother, roxy and said, why are they saying my dad's name on tv? and all she could tell that 6-year-old gianna in that moment is that he couldn't breathe. and that was the beginning of what has been a very long grieving process for this family, a very emotional time as we've been speaking to family members over the course of this past week. it helps some that they've gotten support from the outside world and support from the community, the mission driving them that this could lead to wider change throughout this country, but again, at its core, this is a family that is still dealing with tremendous loss that does not get easier by the day.

this is the first of what will be a series of good-byes we'll see in places across the country for george floyd. this is the minneapolis sendoff of sorts, then this saturday, we'll see a memorial service in north carolina where george floyd was born and all of this will culminate in the hometown of houston where we'll see the official funeral service on tuesday as well. don, brooke? >> omar, i'll take it. thank you very much. i want to sit on that point and bakari, point this to you. the 6-year-old little girl we saw on steven jackson's shoulders saying my daddy's changed the world is asking her mom why are people talking about my dad on tv? she's 6, and i just, you have kids, and i am thinking about my friends, again, who have children, and my friends who have grown up in fear of many, many things i have never had to

and just your thoughts on conversations with children right now in the midst of all of this. >> those are the toughest conversations we have to have, but i think, i hope, i know that she knows today, we're celebrating her father as you hear total praise in the background, which is one of the greatest gospel songs to ever come. talks about the source of your strength, and you can just hear the crescendo pick up, but having these conversations with little black boys and girls and tell them it's okay to be unapologetically black, that is your strength, that is your pride, that is the crown above your head, for you to grow into, that you too can be a king or queen. i was watching a video on twitter, bernice posted it. a young girl chanting in the streets, no justice no peace, with her fist bump up and that is where we are in this country.

even young people are becoming very cognizant of the issues of race that we have. and if we want to do anything for my children or any children in this country, we deserve to give them a better america than the one that we have today, and yes, george floyd is changing the world. i think that little girl should know that her father will always be remembered but even with all of that, i guarantee you, she wishes her father was still here today, and so as we go through today, as we have this celebration, as we have this home going service, as we listen to this nourishing gospel music, as we pray to whomever we pray to, let us also pray that we don't have to have another young lady that walks around with the hurt in her heart. let's make sure that we have this last funeral. let's make sure that we bury this last soul. let's make sure that we make it

our aim to make sure this never happens again in the united states of america. i just look at my kids every single day and i know that i have to have conversations with them that, brooke, you don't have to have with children that you'll have, and i just want one day for my kids to be free, free to attain the, all of the promises and the trappings of american dream and i don't want my life to be cut short in going out trying to do that. >> there is washington along with the reverend al sharpton who's going to give the eulogy and as we continue on here, laura, let's talk about, let's pick up where bakari left off talking about young people and last night, i interviewed laura king, rodney king's daughter, and she talked about having to watch that video over and over and every anniversary, how she

lives this, she relives what happened to her father and she says her biggest fear is that gianna, george floyd's daughter, is going to have to relive this and watch this video of her father's death on television for the rest of her life. that is a heavy burden to carry starting at 6 years old. >> you know, my own daughter is 6 years old. my beautiful sydney, and my son is 7 years old. and i've had to have the difficult and for black americans, inevitable conversation about race in america, and what i am hoping is that although the conversation is inevitable, the oppression is not and that there needs to be more done, and i understand and just gutted by the realization that what rodney king's daughter said will be true, unfortunately, not just for young gianna, not just for the

family of walter scott or philando castile or tamir rice or trayvon martin or sandra bland or the list goes on and on, ahmaud arbery. it could take the length of a week to name people. i want to make sure we continualcontinu continually go with the symbolism of george floyd but the specificity of their pain. why it's important as part of any holistic response or pursuit of justice to also focus on what has happened to the individual, not to hijack the pain in name of a symbol but to acknowledge what they're going through right now and what she'll have to endure. when i think about the youth and this young 6-year-old girl, can anyone remember that magazine cover of his son crying knowing his father was never coming home.

the tear at the funeral, his own home going, remembering what that looked like. we're seeing this repeat, and history told us it will repeat unless we act some way to stop it and i think where we're seeing right now, why this time is so important, there's a new meaning behind the phrase say his name. not just making sure people are aware of the humanity, but reorienting to ensure we remember people like gianna are having to endure this in a personal way, will have to grow and understand this later in life. i am somebody who is the youngest of three daughters to a black man. i speak to my father every single day, every single day, and multiple times a day, much to his chagrin at times, and i think, all the moments in my life that i wanted my father, i needed my father, his counsel, his advice, his wisdom, to understand his journey and to

have it be telling me about where i would go, my heart is broken for this young woman. it is broken because i know what's ahead, but she has said, my daddy changed the world, and little girl, you're right, and it's for the better on behalf of you, and i hope she'll hear that as well. >> i've got a question for you, laura, because you brought up your father, who perhaps to his chagrin with, you speak with daily and i wonder as we think about multi-generations and we watch this change, i'm thinking of sara sidner who spoke a moment ago from the people's memorial at the site of jrf's death and she was speaking about her 70-year-old dear friend who helped raise her, who has my skin color, who texted her this morning and said, all right, like, i want to help. connect me with your contacts, with the naacp and i'm just

wondering, as you talk about your 6-year-old daughter and then you and your 70-year-old father who has seen a lot in this country and a lot of ugly, i'm wondering what he thinks of the notion that there's change. hold that thought. i'm being told we're going to listen in. >> the friends and the family of george floyd and all of our esteemed guests here today, i want to welcome you on behalf of the university, on behalf of dr. scott hagan, president on behalf of the board of regents, on behalf of the faculty, we're so grateful that you're here with us today. and we're honored that you have come to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of mr. george floyd. on behalf of everyone here, i

want to personally express our deepest condolences for this tragic loss. now to open this service, this celebration of his life, we will have a scripture reading from reverend jerry macafee, pastor of new salem missionary baptist church, followed by an opening prayer from dr. scott hagan, president of north central university and a solo by mrs. tawana porter. >> on behalf, psalms 27. the lord is mylight and my

salutation, whom shall i fear? the lord is the strength of my life, whom shall i be afraid? when the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat at my flesh, they stumbled and fell, though and hosts should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, the war should rise against me and be confident, one thing i desired of the lord, that will i seek after, that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the lord and to inquire in his temple for in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion and the secret of his tabernacle should hide me, should set me up upon a rock. >> just once again, on behalf of north central university, i want to welcome the floyd family to

our campus. this is truly an undeserved honor for our university. i have been praying all week that this sacred space would become a table of healing for the floyd family, for the city of minneapolis, and for the world that is grieving beyond these walls. in just a moment, i want to offer a brief prayer, but before i offer that brief prayer, i just want to announce as president of this school, the institution of the george floyd memorial scholarship. even before announcing this scholarship yesterday unsolic unsolicited over $52,000 was handed to the me to contribute towards the educational promise of aspiring young black american leaders.

but here's what i really want to say. far beyond north central university, i am now challenging every university president in the united states of america to establish your own george floyd memorial scholarship fund. so people across this nation can give to the college of their choice. it is time to invest like never before in a new generation of young black americans who are poised and ready to take leadership of our nation, so university presidents, let's step up together. i want to invite you now to pray with me, if you will. lord, your word in proverbs 31

is dynamically clear. it says to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice for those being crushed. yes, speak up for the poor and the helpless, and see that they get justice. lord, we are asking today for you to take this table of healing here in minneapolis today, and multiply this healing all over this nation as part of that now never fading voice crying out on behalf of those who have been and who are now being crushed in body and spirit. at this table of healing today, lord, we ask that you touch the floyd family with supernatural comfort and grace, that they may be granted a few moments of respite as their beloved father and brother and son is remembered in a way that honors his life and his personal faith in jesus christ. at this table of healing, we are asking you, lord, to show us the

way. our city and nation are becoming rightfully despondent with neighbors set against neighbor. help us to repent, not just seek to restore. as a nation, as cities, as universities, and as religious communities, heal, make new and help us, o lord, rebuild our national family. and finally, lord, at this table of healing today, we are asking you to search our hearts as pastors, rabbis, priests, imams, business leaders, politicians and educators. help us reconcile our failed witness and lead us forward as caring neighbors and diligent gate keepers of mutuality and mercy. guide this generation to change the national narrative on race and power and change all of our hearts until they match your heart. we ask all of these things in

the name above all names, jesus christ, amen. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ that saved a wretch like me

♪ i once was lost, but now am found ♪ ♪ was blind, but now i see ♪ 'twas grace that taught my heart to fear ♪

♪ and grace my fears relieved ♪ how precious did that grace appear ♪ ♪ the hour i first believed ♪ praise god

♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ oh, praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ oh, praise god ♪ praise god ♪ worthy of praise ♪ god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god >> wave your hands.

♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ he is worthy to be praised ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ he is worthy ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god

♪ come on, come on ♪ praise god ♪ we're gonna still praise you ♪ praise god ♪ worthy ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ praise god ♪ hallelujah ♪ hallelujah

♪ >> thank you, tiwana. wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. yes, yes. thank you, thank you, thank you. we're going to have the opportunity now to hear in just a moment from loved ones, friends and family of george floyd but before that, i would like to welcome to the podium attorney benjamin crump for his remarks. would you please welcome him? >> i'm attorney ben crump and

along with attorney tony r ramanucci, as co-counsels seeking justice, seeking justice, seeking justice for the family of george floyd along with a lot of other great attorneys who are working in the background who i will mention briefly before we bring up the ones who knew george floyd all of his life. i want to thank lawyers in the vineyards like devin jacob, chris neil, lee merritt, daryl parks, bill pentas and carol powlexin. it's a whole team of lawyers who

are working because it's going to take a united effort fighting in the courtroom and outside the courtroom to get justice for george floyd. i would tell you all that because of the coronavirus pandemic, we have to stay on a strict schedule, and we all have to do this social distancing, but i want to just put it on the record, reverend al, that it was not the coronavirus pandemic that killed george floyd. i want to make it clear on the reco record. the other pandemic that we're far too familiar with in

america, the pandemic of racism and discrimination that killed george floyd. so before we make a plea to justice, we feel it's appropriate that you hear from the people who really knew geor george, the boy, adolescent, knew george the man and from whence george came. so i would ask that his brother palonis floyd, his brother rodney floyd, his cousin cheryta tate, his nephew brandon williams please come to the stage and i will ask attorney tony and chris to come and stand

with me behind them as you united they tell the world why we should celebrate the life of george floyd. please come up, family. ♪ >> well, how y'all doing.

my name is polonis floyd. brother of george floyd. we come up together, we didn't have much. our mom did what she could. we would sleep in the same beds. play video games together, go outside and play catch with the football. and i used to say to myself, like, man, you can't throw, you can't throw at all, you know what i mean? because the ball never came to me. and years down the line, because i was catching with one hand, two hand, anyway you threw it, i would try to catch it, and i said i can throw, but i just wanted to get you the ball. ball don't need to come to you, you just need to go get the ball. but you know, my brother, we did a lot of things together from like talking with my mom,

dancing with my mom, cooking with my mom, brothers and sisters. so many. we made vanilla mayonnaise sandwiches together. you know, it was a family thing. every day we know when we come in the house our mom was going to have a huge plate of food separate from each other and we would argue with each other whose plate it was and i'm like 10 or 11 and i'm talking about the plate with six pieces of chicken is mine and he is way bigger than me, you know? he's huge. so from that, being in the house with my brother, man, it was just like inspiring to other people because my mom used to take in other kids. and most of them was grneorge's friends. and they wanted to stay with

her. they loved her. and my brother, he was okay with it. so then you had -- to me they were grown then because they kicked me out of the room. they were like 16, 17, sleeping in the same bed, waking up, going to the same school. and they wouldn't leave each other at all. they always wanted to be with each other at all times. i remember nights when the day before school, we didn't have a washing machine. so we would all go in and put our socks and underwear in a bathroom sink and just start washing them and we didn't have deter detergent, but we would use soap because we said would be clean. and then we would take the socks and hang them over the hot water heater. and take the hot water heater

and hang them over here. and we'd fight about it. it would be like no, no, you did it last night. so from that and we learned a lot of stuff, but it is crazy, because we would like -- we didn't have a drier, so the fastest way to dry your clothes was to put them in the oven. they dried faster like that. so i love my brother, man. we had so many memories together. i remember him waking me up, telling me, hey, man, can you iron my clothes? and i look at them, but then i look at his size and say you're right, big brother, you're right. know what i mean? because it was just -- it was just amazing. everywhere you go and see people how they clinged to him, they wanted to be around him. and george, he was like the

general. every day, he walks outside, there would be a line of people just like when we came in, wanted to greets h him and want to have fun with him. guys doing drugs, smokers and homeless people, you couldn't tell because when you spoke to george, they felt that they were the president because that is how he made you feel. he was powerful, man. he had a way with words. he could always make you ready to chomp and go all the time. everybody loved george. if youhim -- everybody called him big george or big floyd. so many different names. but i'll let -- man, this is cra crazy, plman. all these people came to see my

brother. and that is amazing to me that he touched so many people's hearts. you know, because he's been touching our hearts, you know. and you come to third ward where they from, i'm just staying strong. and i needed to get it out. everybody want justice, we want justice for george. he's going to get it. he's going to get it. [ applause ] >> good afternoon, everyone. i'm just going to echo some of the things that polonis talked about, and that is that we come from a lot of large family members. our mothers were siblings of 13. and if i can kind of fast forward a little bit, my aunt lived in houston. and she would always talk about

being there and not having any other siblings close to her. so my mother decided to move to the houston area. that is early '80, '81. and so where he cae came to houe were all excited that we could have somebody close to us, but the only time that we would really see each other was during the holidays or when people would travel to my grandmother's. long story short, i mean, we didn't have a whole lot, but we always had each other. and we were taught that we could always bring people into the fold. no one should ever go home without having a meal. or having food. and so that is how he talked about my aunt was someone in the community that all the kids loved to come over there. and she ended up having, you know, 30 or 40 kids that would come over there because they always knew that they could get something to eat if they came there. and not only food, but they could be loved and feel part of

the fold. so we were raised to always welcome people and emgrabrace or people. and so you could see all these people, no matter who you talked to, they would all say the same thing, that george was always welcome and always made people feel like they were special. and nobody felt left out and he would enter into a room, everybody would feel like they were special. he would emgrace thbrace them. and if i think about the thing that i will miss good him most is his hugs. he was this great big giant and when he would wrap his arms around you, you just feel like that you were -- everything could go away, any problems that you had, any concerns that you had would just go away. so while we're all greeieving, just want to highlight his children.

you know, clint, gd, gianna, his granddaught granddaughter, we are all more concerned about his children and granddaughter. so i ask that you pray for us to make sure that we pray for especially his children. thank you. [ applause ] >> wow. how y'all doing. i'm his youngest brother. and my older brother pj wauz talking about childhood memories and how we grew up and i'd like to start off where he left off. we didn't have much glowirowing but all that stuff of washing our clothes wasingenuity. we worked with what we had.

and i preeshlgts tappreciate th everyone in here. and the state of minneapolis, you y'all have showed him so much love. anded we feel the love in your city and thankfully everybody around the world. it is a beautifefautiful thing great love that we are seeing if i wish he was here in the flesh to see it because of this great unit ity it would bring him to tears. but a big shout out to my brother, big floyd. cooking-wise, they would say you make the best grilled cheese, can you make you one. and if i tell you as a 6, 7-year-old kid, i did that a number of times. and as i got older, it was like y'all justng