this is "nightline." >> tonight, the pouch legacy of george floyd. six months after his death. >> he can't breathe! >> how impassioned protests turned into action across america. from boardrooms to the ballot box. how his family helps to create change that lasts. >> what more do we have to do? plus, calls to defund the police. >> you voted to defund police, not refund police. >> hitting a wall in minneapolis. rocked by a racial reckoning. will a rise in crime cut short cries for reform? and how the family of george floyd is giving back this thanksgiving. want to eliminate odors without heavy, overwhelming scents? we get it.

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meets the first iphone with 5g. get the new iphone 12 on xfinity mobile. and right now get $250 off. learn more at an xfinity store today. ♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight it's been six months since george floyd took his last breath. his death by police triggering a landslide of protests for change. but how many steps has this country taken to bridge a deep divide? >> even to this day i'm trying

to understand why it had to happen to my brother. it happened to us because we had to come out. that's what i feel. we had to come out, we had to let our voice be heard, because we have something to say that really will change the world. son's what i got from it, six months later. >> terrence floyd still raw with grief over brother george's killing on memorial day. >> every time i look up and i see somebody who passed after what happened to my brother, i just ask myself like, what more do we have to do? >> reporter: the words of george floyd's 6-year-old daughter, gianna. >> daddy changed the world! >> reporter: ringing true six months later. may 25th, 2020. the world left breathless for roughly eight minutes as minneapolis police officer derek chauvin took a knee to floyd's neck.

months before ahmaud arbery was pursued by a father and son in georgia. in march, breonna taylor shot and killed in a police shoot-out in her own home. >> she's down at the end of the hall. >> reporter: a string of unarmed black bodies dying violently. >> i'm dying here! >> reporter: just as the covid-19 pandemic uniquely struck black and brown communities, the world erupting in mass protests. >> god took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that's going to change the whole wide world. >> reporter: the legacy of george floyd's death and its impact on society now reverberating through the country, from the halls of congress and police precincts, to corporate boardrooms, and the voting booth. >> people are no longer tiptoeing around racists and racism in an attempt to appease them for their dollars or their votes. >> reporter: earlier this month, voters across the country deciding to finally jettison

some of the lasting relics of the old confederacy and jim crow era. >> it feels like i'm in a brand-new state at this point. the confederate symbols are coming down. >> reporter: in mississippi, for the first time in 126 years, the state's flag no longer bears the stars and bars emblem, something black lives matter activist calvert white says represented a dog whistle for slavery. in november, the state legislature adopted a more influencive banner bearing a white magnolia. >> new state flag is going to represent so many more mississippians who were counted out for 126 years. this is going to usher in a new generation of love, of brotherhood, of peace, of racial equity. >> reporter: a death in minnesota creating a ripple effect deep in the south. >> i think george floyd's legacy speaks to the countless black men, women, and children who were unnecessarily murdered at the hands of a system that doesn't love us.

>> reporter: in rhode island voters renouncing the word "plantation" in the state's official name. in alabama, removal of jim crow language from the constitution. corporate america has leaned into the fight against racial inequality too. companies pledging millions to fight racism and promote institutional change from within. bank of america pledging to spend $1 billion. professional sports leagues now taking a stand. >> when you are nascar and you're taking a stand about the confederate flag not being waved during your events, you're risking dollars. and it's encouraging to see elected officials as well as the ceos of companies and sports leagues decide that it's more important for their business model to take a stand against racism when you have a league as conservative as the nfl acknowledge that the way that they handle colin kaepernick's

protest was misinformed and they were wrong, then turn around and use their resources and their platforms to address racism. that is something that we hadn't seen in the past. >> george floyd! >> reporter: beyond these symbolic changes, tangible criminal justice reform is also under way. the house passing the george floyd justice in policing act which would ban racial profiling and mandate race training. his brother, philonus testifying before the house. >> when you watch your big brother, who you looked up your entire life, die? die begging for his mom? i'm tired. i'm tired of pain. honor george and make the necessary changes that make law enforcement the solution and not the problem. >> we needed somebody to be able to listen to us. and i just -- just thank god for just giving me the strength just to walk in there and be able to get the message across.

>> reporter: attorney ben crump has represented both the floyd family and breonna taylor's in their fight for justice. >> that's why we've seen in the united states, cities pass police reform legislation. that's something significant. then the other side, as you know, byron. last week in cocoa, florida, the police shot two young black teenagers, 16-year-old a.j. croons, 18-year-old sincere pierce. and so even though george floyd has brought a focus on the conversation, it's still happening. >> reporter: some of the loudest cries over the past six months have been for radical change, including calls to defund the police. city leaders in baltimore, portland, and philadelphia pledging to drastically cut or reallocate funding of their police departments. >> i think every police department right now is trying to figure out how they look at

policing in general. how do they reimagine what policing should be? but it's really about looking at our policy and practices and our vision of every police department, to assure that we're moving in the right direction. >> let's bring this down! >> reporter: in seattle, weeks of fierce protests culminated in the takeover of a police precinct. protesters created a "cop-free zone." bowing to activist demands, the city council pledged to slash the department's budget by 50%. in response the city's first black police chief resigned. >> it really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers. >> reporter: her successor, chief adrian diaz, facing pressure from activists to make good on those cuts. >> what's your take on the defund the police movement? >> i don't support like kind of the abolitionist movement of getting rid of police departments. i want to make sure the department is run efficiently,

the department has its resources, that the department also has the tools to ensure that if we're looking at restoring justice and we're looking at programs to support our community, that there is investments in those communities. >> reporter: but defunding the police remains controversial. 64% of americans oppose the movement. president-elect joe biden is also against it, saying he instead favors adding mental health resources to police department toolkits. >> i don't want to defund police departments. i think they need more help. they need more assistance. we have to make it clear that this is about protecting neighborhoods, protecting people. >> reporter: derek chauvin, the officer accused of killing floyd, released on bail, facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, the other officers charged with aiding and abetting. all are expected to stand trial together in march. floyd's family starting a foundation in george's name to

address systemic racism, police brutality, and protecting civil rights. >> i couldn't let my brother's death be in vain. i don't want to see my brother on t-shirts and stuff like that without him getting justice for what happened to him. >> thursday, thanksgiving. there will be one less family member at your family dinner table tomorrow. how will you guys get through that? >> we have a karaoke machine, and i really wanted to see him be able to have a chance to sing a song. >> i want to remember my brother -- he was an eater, he liked to eat. so even though his physical body is not here with us, all the words he spoke to me, all the things he said to me, all the things we did together, that's going to be a memory, and that's going to be -- i'm going to be thankful for that, and i'm also going to eat for him. >> something that was said of

him, and i sense in the two of you in your spirit, that there is a kindness. that both of you, though still heartbroken, have greeted this conversation with a smile. >> that's just the floyd way. even though we're upset and we want to get angry and just go out of our minds, it's really not in us to do that. people in the world, seeing the love and encouragement, through facebook, social media, it's a wonderful feeling. coming up, what's next as calls to defund the police and rising crime rock the city of minneapolis? what about rob's ? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. iwith vicks sinex saline nasal cmist.tion for drug free relief that works fast.

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communities in america have declared racism a public health issue. minneapolis one of them. the death of george floyd in police custody adding to the distrust of lawful there. now how a wave of crime may impact the calls to defund the police. here's abc's alex perez. >> he can't breathe! he can't breathe! >> reporter: the scars and community wounds from the summer of unrest can still be seen everywhere. six months after the world watched george floyd's final moments, the rubble of the third precinct police station is seemingly frozen in time, burned down to the ground by protesters. some owners weary of repeated looting never took down the boards that protected their businesses. graffiti across the city echoing the rallying cry of many protesters, abolish the police.

a promise some minneapolis city councilmembers made as they tried to convince the community what happened to floyd would never happen to anyone else. >> our commitment is to end our city's toxic relationship with the minneapolis police department. >> reporter: but that controversial promise hits roadblock. the committee that oversees the constitution dismissing the proposal to dismantle the police. the next step to let residents vote on the matter, if the council can get it on the ballot in time for 2021. according to recent stats released by mpd, so far this year, over 70 homicides, nearly double the number of last year. assaults up 24%. robberies climbing 45%. carjackings up by an alarming 319%. and with the ranks of the police force thinning, the council ultimately granting the police department an additional $500,000 to bring in as many as 50 officers from surrounding

agencies to help police the city. >> i'm hoping that, through having the funds to launch a city wide joint enforcement team initiative, we can try to stop the bleeding here in our city. >> you voted to defund police, not refund police. >> reporter: community organizer marcia howard calls the funding move a slap in the face. >> $500,000 more to get outside cops to come into the city. when one of the biggest problems was that over 80% of the cops in minneapolis don't live in minneapolis. they're not our community. but they police our community. >> reporter: howard maintains the george floyd memorial site in south minneapolis. she says she was hopeful when the city council initially voted to defund the police. now she's unsure what the future holds for residents who don't trust and fear police. >> there's no argument to be made that defunding police and taking those monies and putting

it, investing it into social services, would be a better option. >> reporter: but according to a recent poll by local news outlets, a 44% of minneapolis residents don't want to see a reduction of the police force, compared to 40% who do. the rest, unsure. david bicking owns a small auto repair shop. he says he's seen the rise in crime firsthand. >> shootings in the neighborhood are definitely up. there is some significant increase in certain types of crime. >> reporter: bicking is a member of a local police watchdog group. he supports reforming the police, not defunding it. some of the loudest activists and some city councilmembers have pushed for that. >> they didn't ask anybody else before they made that resolution or before they introduced the charter amendment. they just talked to people who they knew were going to agree with them. >> reporter: according to that poll, many who oppose less police on the street are

african-americ african-american. black residents surveyed, 50% don't agree with shrinking the police force. lisa clemens as former cop and runs a violence prevention organization in minneapolis. she argues the recent rise in crime is proof the city needs police officers. >> majority of us boots on the ground in the community, we worked side by side with the police and with our chief. because we know we can't do it alone. and neither can they. >> we've seen in minneapolis in particular violence numbers sort of skyrocket now in the months and weeks after george floyd. are police afraid to do their job? >> i think they feel beat up on. and i think you have to be able to get out your crying towel, wipe your tears, and do the job you were hired to do. but i do understand that feeling of abandonment. or the feeling of, this is all we have is us. >> reporter: according to the mpd, they've seen a reduction in staff. response times in the city are

reportedly slower. and morale in this areas of the force is low. the department issuing a statement to abc news reading in part, right now our officers are committed to serving the communities they've sworn to protect. our officers are showing up every day and doing the best job they can do with the resources they're provided. the addition of outside support will allow us to target violent crimes and the response to those crimes. this is not where minneapolis city councilmember jeremiah ellison, who supports defunding, thought the process to dismantle the minneapolis police force would be six months after floyd's death. >> we're doing the same old things we've been doing with regard to this reform discussion. and it hasn't led to a lot of change. >> reporter: the city is now in the process of setting its budget for 2021 at the forefront of voters' minds, the nearly $180 million currently allocated for the police force. a final vote on the budget by the council is set for december 9th. >> we talk and talk about healing. we talk and talk about safety.

what brings us safety, though? >> unity. >> reporter: as for organizers like marcia howard, whether defunding police materializes or not, she says she'll keep fighting to for change. >> what we're doing right here in minneapolis has made an impact throughout the world. we will stand in solidarity against systemic racism, against anti-blackness, and against policing as we know it. we're not going anywhere. >> our thanks to alex. up next, this thanksgiving, how the family of george floyd is turning pain into purpose. my nunormal: fewer asthma attacks. less oral steroids. taking my treatment at home. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor.

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i want a doll house, a pony bike ♪ finally healing this holiday season. in fayetteville, north carolina,ed bring gel floyd, george floyd's sister, serving thanksgiving meals to the homeless to honor the memory of her late brother. family and friends launching a foundation in his name. coming together to give back to a community in need. >> he would be very, very happy today, man. i know he's happy today.

he always would say, i'm for you. and i want him to know, i'm for him today. >> being thankful is a powerful thing. it was maya angelou who said, be a rainbow in someone else's cloud. that's "nightline" for this evening. watch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. happy thanksgiving. you're constantly on the go, on the clock, and on your way. hang on a second. what's the rush? know the speed limit, go the speed limit, and slow the fast down. go safely, california.