♪ good afternoon in the east and good morning out west. i'm chuck todd. we're awaiting a moment of national mourning. george floyd's memorial service set to begin next hour. senate democrats held a nearly nine-minute moment of silence. that's the amount of time officer derek chauvin kept his knee on floyd's neck. tou thao, thomas lane and j. alexander kueng are scheduled to be arraigned this hour. we'll bring you any developments as they happen on that front. and attorney general bill barr is defending his use of force on the streets while the city's mayor wants troops from other

states withdrawn from the capital. joining me is katy tur. you know, katy, it's interesting hearing from the attorney general there, and it was one of the kyrons that jumped out at me that he wants to bring order to washington, d.c. that's up for dispute about whether d.c. is in disorder. >> and if you had been following any of our coverage and watching the incredible job that garrett haake has done in covering the protests, you would understand that, yeah, that is up for debate. and the debate would probably side with the peaceful protesters, especially after what we saw the other day when the president cleared -- the president cleared the way, cleared the protesters out in order to have a photo op in front of the capitol. yesterday we heard those amazing -- saw those amazing images and that moment where the crowd came together and sang "lean on me." just a remarkable sight in our nation's capital, especially against the backdrop of

militarized police officers essentially. and fencing in front of the white house. chuck, as you just -- >> katy, i tell you -- >> no go ahead. >> very quickly. it is creating the appearance as if this city is on some war footing. it's just so disconcerting. i'm just saying this as somebody who lives here. i've been here through 9/11, been here a long time. this is a city that has protests all the time. so it isn't unusual for this city to be host to protest both formal and informal. it is -- that, to me, is what makes this an odd stand we're seeing the federal government take. go right ahead. >> you have to ask the open question. is this administration trying to use the united states military to -- against the american public? against americans to get protesters in line. that is not their job. their job is to protect

americans. and, chuck, as you just said, attorney general bill barr and fbi director chris wray. barr said it's a day of mourning and that it's impossible not to be affected by the footage of floyd's death, but he also warned of so-called extremist agitators pursuing a violent agenda. >> at some demonstrations, there are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda. we have evidence that antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. and we are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence. >> there have also been white

supremacists arrests and boogaloo arrests. joining sustom costello in washington. what is it like there in washington? >> very peaceful. i would say we've now had the crowd grow to about 60 or 70 people across the street. that's lafayette park over there. and over here is st. john's church. and actually they're just now starting to take a march. the protesters down the street. but very, very peaceful. let me just show you really a representative of who is here. a family. and one more time your names are? >> mussah, christina and my sons lincoln and ellis. >> 3 years old and 5 or 6? >> 6. >> why are you here? >> because -- >> look at his sign. >> if you remember from your history lessons, i am a man. that's right out of the birmingham bus march, the protest of the 1960s.

and why are you here? >> i'm here because i want people to look up to the right thing. >> do the right thing? >> yeah. >> christina, this must be very difficult and powerful for you right now. >> it is. when we were coming into the city, i was just holding back tears to see where we are as a nation. and my husband and i are both believers. we're christians, and we're here because we want people to know that the god that we serve is just and we want justice for everyone in our country. >> but it was 50 years ago, more than 50 years ago, right, that we had the birmingham bus marches. that grown men were walking with a sign that this little guy is holding now that says, i am a man. and we're still dealing with this? >> that's really the big problem. i look at my little boys and the world they have to grow up in. you know, there has not been any victory that black people experienced that has not been by force. nothing has been given to us. i want them to understand what this is.

i want them to understand what's going out here and being justice and to care about -- care about these issues. >> thank you guys. thank you guys. beautiful family. thank you for taking time to talk to us. guys, that really is the kind of turnout we have here. these are very peaceful people. there are families here of all races, all ethnicities. and it's pretty much a universal call for dignity and for respect for black lives that matter and that all lives matter. that's where they stand right now as they face off against police. again today, very peaceful here in downtown d.c., guys. >> tom costello, thank you. chuck, that is the same thing that i saw just the other day when we were marching up the streets of new york city. families that had gathered. multigenerations coming out and asking to be treated the same. >> look, i do think that perhaps whether it's social media, whether it's television media, i do think some of the coverage of

this sometimes can create an impression that if you just aim at a dumpster that's caught on fire or something and it makes it feel as if, oh, my god, is the whole city on fire? i can't help but wonder how much of there's been some perhaps -- that can be a bit misleading as to the overall tenor and tone. and as you have seen firsthand, as we've seen firsthand in washington, the overall is a much different picture than if you sit here and iso on one individual bad moment in any one of these cities. it's just something -- it's a reminder that we ourselves are thinking about as we cover this in a visual medium. let me move forward here. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is defending the attorney general bill barr and mark esper and the administration's overall response to the killing of george floyd. mcconnell tweeted, the president and american people are very well served by the principled leadership of people like secretary esper and attorney general barr. this comes as former military

leaders and among them former defense secretary jim mattis, are speaking out against the president. joining us now, nbc news senior digital senior white house correspondent shannon pettypiece. shannon, we've seen the president's -- i've seen the president's tweet. we know there's some reaction here. does -- are there folks inside the white house concerned that mattis' criticism is going to open the door, as senator lisa murkowski seemed to hint at herself, that mattis' statement is that big crack, if you will, in the president's coalition? >> i will say, i have spoken to a couple administration officials about this, this morning. and just exchanging messages with people throughout the morning. it seems to be that there was an anticipation, that at some point mattis was going to speak out more strongly against the president because they did not leave on good terms. so in a sense, this was expected. and you have seen some of the president's allies like lindsey

graham coming out and speaking publicly, defending the president, sort of saying that mattis is blaming trump for things that are not his problem. he mentioned lisa murkowski. she is not solidly in his corner. had some very strong words. she said, i am really thankful. i thought general mattis' words were true and honest and necessary and overdue. and she went on to say when asked if she still supports the president, she said, i am struggling with it. i've struggled with it for a long time. i think you know that. and went on to describe this internal back and forth she's been having with herself about whether or not she'll continue to support the president coming in the november elections. i will say, chuck, one thing that has caused a little more drama in the white house in the mattis comments are the comments from defense secretary esper yesterday. that really enraged the president. at one point he threatened to fire esper, according to a

person familiar with the situation. but an administration official told me today that that is off the table and not worth the political shake-up it would cause this close to the election. >> perhaps secretary esper was counting on that when he made that decision to break with the president, at least on that one policy idea. shannon pettypiece, thank you. in one hour, family, friends and the world will set brcelebre life and legacy of george floyd. nbc's steve patterson is at minneapolis' north central university where the memorial will take place. steve, set the scene for us. >> so far this is as somber as you can expect. you can hear the tone of voice i'm speaking to you in. it's so quiet. part of that is because we're still waiting for guests to arrive. that's why these guys are standing here. you can see the gate, the

barricade. we've seen some civil rights leaders come in. martin luther king iii walked in. this is where entertainers and family and city leaders will arrive here. they'll follow this barricade down here. we'll keep walking. you can see north central university. swarms of press here. just awaiting, as you mentioned. the world is watching. one of the things i noticed driving in is the interest from the public just here in the general area. people that were parking. even though this is a private event, they still wanted to be a part of this. you see the hearse, the entrance. this is expected to be a very somber event, obviously, celebrating the life of that loss. so we'll send it back to you. >> steve, thank you. and we will all be watching. chuck, this is going to be just -- not just a memorial to honor george floyd's life and to celebrate his life. this is a moment where everyone is coming together and there's a lot of hope that this is going

to be the moment where real change is effected and we live up to our words that all men are created equal. and i would add all women as well but the words do say all men are created equal. >> probably all humans are created equal might be the way we might edit these days. george floyd is being honored also in his hometown of houston. there's a mural. a candlelight vigil scheduled for later tonight. houston police will escort george floyd's body to the city where a funeral will be held on tuesday. these memorials take place as large demonstrations also continue in houston. the city's mayor joining a large rally earlier this week. and the mayor, sylvester turner, joins us now. mr. mayor, thanks for coming on. >> thank you, chuck. >> give us an update about where your city stands right now. what would you say is the state of how these demonstrations have gone at this point?

>> i would tell you that the demonstrations, the protests have gone on very well. they've been very, very peaceful, with the exception of friday night when we had some disturbances. some looting, but not very much. from saturday to today, things have been rather peaceful. we had 60,000 people to march downtown on tuesday. and that was very peaceful. the city has not been under a curfew at any point in time. but this is george floyd's home. and his family has asked that we demonstrate, march, protest for change for better but to do it in a peaceful fashion. i'm pleased to say that's what's happened thus far in the city. >> is there a specific policy you want to implement now, you want to see done now on just the city level, where you have a chance to do this that in your way would be a way to say, look,

we're honoring the memory of george floyd here and we're going to start by doing this. what is that "this" that you believe you can do now? there's a lot congress needs to do. a lot a lot of folks need to do, but what's on your agenda? >> it's not any just one thing. there's a collection of things we need to take a look at. a series of reforms. we can always do more in terms of training. there are a lot of people in our city who are unemployed, lost their jobs. money is very tight. a lot of anxiety, pressures, mental, behavioral health issues. you always need to enhance our training. we're encountering people on the street, we have a better understanding of what they're experiencing and how to do it. de-escalation training is very, very important and we'll focus on that even more. we are reviewing our own internal practices, processes and procedures to make sure we engage in best practices. that's important. accountability is important.

we have already an independent police oversight board, and we'll look and see whether or not we need to add to it, strengthen it, make it more impactful. so we'll take a look at that. so there are a series of things we need to do to make sure that we gain the support of the general public, that we hold on to that support because it's very important for the police and the community to work hand in hand, be on the same team, moving in the same direction to achieve public safety purposes. >> mr. mayor, you mentioned that money is tight. money is tight in cities across the country. and now there are some major cities, the city councils that are looking into -- not defunding their police departments but maybe pulling back some of the funding and reassessing their budgets. los angeles is one of those places. i know the new york city council wants to look at that as well. have you given any thought to maybe looking at what goes into your police department and what might be able to be taken out to better fund some of your

communities? >> well, let me just say with the city of houston's police department, we've been operating in a very lean fashion anyway. we have 640 square miles in the city of houston. we have roughly 5,300 police officers covering 640 square miles. to give you some comparison, in the city of chicago, they have about 12,000 police officers covering 275. the reality is in the city of houston, we need more police officers, not less. that's not the issue. it's not an issue about how many police officers you have. it's about accountability. having good policing. it's about making sure that there's a respect and a trust level between the community and law enforcement. and, look, i grew up in this city. i grew up in the hood in houston. i still live in that same hood in the city of houston. and so in many of our communities, it's about added safety, public safety, but it's about trust and working in collaboration with one another. the police shouldn't be our

enemy, and neither should the community lack their support in the police. the two have to work together, but you have to work on it each and every day. while we recognize, regardless of where you live, whether you're in suburbia, influent part of houston or underserved communities, every neighborhood, every person in that neighborhood is important and should be treated with decency and respect. that's the critical component. so in our city, we need more police, not less. we're committed to doing just that. but we want good policing, not bad policing. >> houston mayor sylvester turner, appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective with us. obviously, we'll be seeing you, i think, quite a bit over the next few days. katy, over to you. coming up after -- or coming up in a moment, after standing over richmond, virginia, for over a century, robert e. lee's statue is coming down.

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today, virginia governor ralph northam announced a statue of robert e. lee will be removed from the state capitol. the statue has been the subject of controversy for years, but now the george floyd protests have prompted new efforts to remove confederate cmonuments i

quite a few places. this went from controversy to suddenly down very quickly, henry, considering how long this debate has been going on in our state. >> you know, the commonwealth has been a place of debate over those confessed rat stderate ste time. they're going to take it down as soon as possible. i want to step out of the way because i want you to see the gentleman talking at the base of the statue. that's robert e. lee, a descendant of the lee family. he was at the press conference earlier with the governor where he said the statues must come down. they are too painful. the lee statue here has been a focal point for those peaceful protests here for several days. we've seen thousands gathered here. hundreds are here as the official announcement came out from the governor not too long ago that the lee statue will

come down. the governor saying the time is now. these are too painful. it was met with a lot of applause and the lee statue will be taken in storage. it's under state control which is why the governor has the authority on this at this point in time. meanwhile, talking about people that might be opposed to it, the republican party here, chuck, in virginia coming out with a statement saying the statue removal say distraction to leadership here in virginia. we also note another protest is set to happen here in richmond, virginia, later on this evening. >> henry graph with wwbt in richmond, thank you. let's go to the state of georgia where an investigator laid out the harrowing final minutes of ahmaud arbery's life in a preliminary hearing this morning. travis and gregory mcmichael charged with arbery's murder and aggravated assault appeared from jail. william bryan faces another charge.

lead agent richard dial described how bryan joined the mcmichaels in repeatedly boxing in the young unarmed black man with two pickup trucks as arbery desperately tried to escape. and what bryan said he heard after arbery had been shot. >> mr. bryan said that after the shooting took place, before police arrival, while mr. arbery was on the ground, that he heard travis michael make the statement [ bleep ]. >> defense attorneys for both mcmichaels have not addressed that allegation but they said much remains unknown about what led to the shooting and have cautioned against rushing to judgment. the father and son have said they were acting in self-defense. we'll be watching this story very closely. katy, that was probably tough for some people to hear even bleeped out. >> well, i mean, if you can read lips, you know what he said. and it's important to know what he is alleged to have said.

chuck, in louisville, a public safety committee unanimously passed breonna's law overnight. it's a proposal intended to limit and monitor no-knock warrants in drug possession cases, and it would require officers to wear body cameras that start recording no less than five minutes before a search warrant is executed. it is named breonna's law because of the death of breonna taylor. a 26-year-old black woman who was shot and killed during a drug raid back in march when police busted into her home using a no-knock warrant. louisville police say taylor's boyfriend, who is a licensed gun owner, first opened fire on the officers under the impression they were intruders. taylor's family says the officers were looking for a suspect who lives in a different part of the city and who was already in police custody. taylor and her boyfriend had no criminal record and no drugs were found in the home. there's also a new letter

writing campaign in honor of taylor's upcoming birthday demanding attorney general daniel cameron charge the officers who killed her in the exchange of gunfire. those officers have been suspended during the investigation. breonna taylor would have turned 27 years old tomorrow. in just a few minutes, the now-former officers seen on video kneeling on george floyd's back and legs and the other officer who stood by are set to appear in court for the first time after being charged with aiding and abetting murder. joining us is michael eric dyson, professor of sociology and author of "tears we cannot stop, a sermon to white america." michael, i'm so happy we can have you back on. apologies again for the audio issues we had the other day. i just want you to tell me how you're feeling and what you're thinking today. >> it's devastating to be a black person in america, james baldwin said, is to be in a

nearly unending state of rage to paraphrase him. and the rage grows from the inability of many of our white brothers and sisters to understand where we are. to put themselves in our existential shoes and to understand how time and again with the murder of black people, with the hunting down of black people by white vigilantes, with policemen disregarding the pleas of a black man to breathe, treating him like an animal. why we feel, and it is not hyperbollic, that this country not only does not care but treats us less than human as a matter of fact. and so when we hear these statements, the f'ing "n" word that was allegedly, supposedly uttered after the death of arbery. when we see a policeman look into the recording device of a person filming him and still has no conscience or consciousness suggests that he is doing his job, that he is not fearful that he will be held to account and

that, after all, the person that he is subjecting to his knee is not human. this is what we've got to deal with. not a bunch of policy changes, oh, that would be critical. not just a difference of opinion about differences between police departments and african-american citizens. we have to have a fundamental, what martin luther king called revolution of values. until we value black life, black human beings as human citizens, we will not be able to move forward. and it's not by the way just those outright bigots. look at the kerfuffle invoked yesterday by drew brees, an otherwise decent man, who was totally not only tone deaf but profoundly insensitive to his fellow teammates for whom he throws the ball but he failed to pass it in the sense of being understanding about their situation. so that's the kind of anger, the heartbreak, the grief that we feel in the midst of the repeated recycling of black death on television.

>> let me ask you this. let's leave aside the extreme case, what we saw with george floyd, and let's look toward the middle. how do you change, how do you improve the internal biases that so many white people have, that maybe they don't intend to have, maybe they don't think they are racist, but there is an internal bias that might be there that causes them to look at a black person and they might be scared or look at a black person and think in some way they might not be like them or they might not be nice to them, something, that internal bias that haunts so many white americans. >> great question. but look at the spectrum there. if you look at the ones most nefarious, the police officer, the mcmichael father and son team, hunting down like an animal mr. arbery. but look toward the middle. it still has consequence. the woman who called the police on or threatened to, mr. cooper, in the rambull section of

central park. how many people of color or black people had she at her office turned down, been insensitive to? it has consequences whether it's in the street with a gun or in corporate america, whether it's in institutions of higher education or in public spaces. let's acknowledge that. however, what we've got to do, we've got to ask white people to be just as aggressive about reading about race, about social injustice and about inequality as they are about "star wars" and horror movies. the thing is that you've got to have a curiosity about it. you've got to involve yourself in a serious engagement with the issues of racial inequality in this country and you've got to understand that you've got to be educated and enlightened. and don't presume you know the history without having studied it. that's at least a beginning to root out implicit bias, identify the degree to which we're deferential to certain ideas. oh, that person makes me scared. makes me nervous. begin to check yourself.

don't project it on to that person and then have a universal grappling with this in the broader society. >> michael, i am curious what you make of suddenly now we go -- and it's in virginia. we've seen it a couple of places. it reminds me of south carolina after the tragic shooting at the ame church there which is all of a sudden in south carolina they said, oh, god, take this flag down. all of a sudden in virginia it's like, what were we thinking with robert e. lee. it's symbolic, but what do you make of that symbolic movement just in the last week? >> well, symbols are extremely important, right? colin kaepernick is denied a job in the nfl because of the symbolic gesture of resisting oppression and highlighting and underscoring black death through police brutality and people got enraged because of the symbol of the flag. so symbols make a difference. the fact that robert e. lee's

legacy and the inheritor of his name is there saying this has to come down is extremely important. the defense has been, leave it up. leave it up because there are occasion for conversation and education. you know there ain't no conversation and education going on around those statues. those statues are extremely offensive. they are flagrant and need to be brought down. and then what needs to be brought down after that is the pedestal upon which they stand. our complicity as a nation in being ignorant and our refusal to address the situation. after the statue was down, now we have to deal with the statutes on the book. the lays, the legal prohibitions. informal customs and habits by which americans live. we have to examine all of that. however, it's important for those kinds of flags, statues and symbols to be addressed because they are a way in which we affirm through the kind of architecture of our landscape. the kind of geography of american identity is littered with so many of these testimonials to the bravery of

these men who died in the confederacy. then let's replace them with acknowledgment of the men, women enslaved people, people who are marginalized. the immigrants who made this nation as great as it is today. that's the kind of thing we've got to do. >> michael eric dyson, thank you for making us smarter today. thank you very much. we just saw amy klobuchar there at the memorial for george floyd. i want to point that out to our viewers. chuck? >> we are awaiting that. we will have more coverage and more preview of the george floyd memorial. there's jesse jackson there. let's take a quick break. you're watching msnbc. some companies still have hr stuck between employees and their data.

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protesters in seattle gathered peacefully into the early morning as the city drew the largest crowds yet last night. mayor jenny durkin canceled the 9:00 p.m. curfew after the police chief said her department could ensure peaceful protests. the police presence was still strong, though, with both seattle police officers and the national guard in riot gear. protesters used umbrellas to guard against possible pepper spray and tear gas which were used by police officers in several of the last nights. while protesters say they're still looking for justice for george floyd, many are seeking economic justice as well. the economic pain is still raw

amid the coronavirus pandemic. nationwide, nearly 43 million people have now filed for jobless claims since the virus outbreak. and about 1.9 million new jobless claims were filed last week alone. chuck, over to you. >> i have to say, i saw some headlines saying those 1.9 million jobless claims was good news because it wasn't higher. but a little perspective. while it is a trajectory downward, that's still three times greater in a weekly jobless claims, three times greater than there are all-time record pre-pandemic. so just a little perspective on that 1.9 number. now the latest in the race for the white house. the trump campaign is spending early in states like ohio, iowa and arizona. states the president, two of which, he won fairly easily in 2016. and some new polling explains why he's there. we've got, check these out, new quinnipiac poll of texas voters

finds biden trailing trump by just a single point. it's a state trump won by nine points in 2016. texas is just the tip of the iceberg. not even really one of the battleground state polls we've been seeing. more on this, we're joined by msnbc national correspondent steve kornacki. it is from coast to coast in the battleground, steve, that you start to see a bit of a pattern. >> yeah, definitely, chuck. and really it starts nationally. just look at it this way. this is the average of all the national polls right now. basically an eight-point advantage nationally for joe biden. that's about as big a lead as hillary clinton ever got in 2016. usually the 2016 race was closer. so biden basically ahead by eight nationally. when you see a number like that you see the battleground numbers. here's a fox news poll out in the last 24 hours. wisconsin, remember, trump flipped that. first republican since '84. in the fox poll it's a biden advantage of 9 points in wisconsin. arizona, another one of these fox polls, biden up by 4 in

arizona. remember, trump won that by 3 points in 2016. you've got ohio here. this was a runaway for trump in 2016. used to be a big battleground state. maybe it is again. joe biden ahead by two here in this ohio poll. and then you mentioned the texas poll, 44/43. in terms of what's driving this, i think this is interesting. depending on the state, there might be a different factor at work. look at this. these are white college educated voters. and this was the margin in 2016 in the exit poll. red means a trump win. blue means a democratic win. so college-plus white voters. trump won them in 2016. hillary clinton not -- won them in wisconsin. look at the shift. in arizona now a double-digit lead. white college educated for biden. ohio, a 25-point advantage evaporated. look at that movement in texas. white college educated voters, notably, you don't see much movement in wisconsin. that's the flip side of it.

white noncollege voters, here's their margin in 2016 versus now. you see movement but this is where it's profound. wisconsin from 28 points to trump down to 6 now. noncollege white voters in wisconsin driving this and suburbanites in the other three states, chuck. >> another pattern in there, kornacki. trump's number, just look at trump's number in all those states. it looks like it's almost identical to his average job rating as well. he's not budging at all. the fluid number in all of this is always the biden number. anyway, just something interesting as well on this. thank you steve. katy, over to you. >> chuck, coming up, just minutes from now, three of the now former police officers charged in george floyd's death will be arraigned in court. as george floyd's memorial in minneapolis is set to begin as well. plus, the push to slash funding for the lapd and redirect part of it is services for people of color. you're watching msnbc.

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increase to the los angeles police department. garcetti also said he'd redirect $250 million from the department to other city services. this follows -- or these moves are rare. i'm sorry. this follows a rare move by the l.a. city council. it voted to identify up to $150 million in cuts to the lapd to go to services benefiting people of color instead. joining us is msnbc correspondent jacob soboroff from los angeles. this is an interesting angle you're taking on this. i was talking to the nypd chief of department yesterday and asking him about cuts because the new york city council wants to start considering those. and he wasn't in support of that. and we just spoke to the houston mayor who said they need more police officers on the street, not less. what are you seeing there in los angeles? >> katy, it's an almost unprecedented move that the budget from the city of los angeles is going to be opened up after it was passed by the city

council and the mayor virtually had it on his desk in order to sign it. that's because of the work put in here not just over the course of the last week but over the course of the last many years here in los angeles. i want to tell you where i am and introduce you to a couple of people that will help us understand better why this is so important and why this is so big that the los angeles mayor, the city council and police commission which, i have to say, my dad sits on as a member of the civilian oversight committee of the police department, has done over the course of the last days. first, i want to introduce you to one of the leaders of the black lives matter movement here in los angeles and get your reaction first, sir, to what you believe you have seen take place. is it enough? >> it certainly is not enough. it's too little, too late. it's moving forward but it's too little, too late. but it's a real accomplishment and recognition for the work of the people who once we found out that this budget was being proposed, that was being fast-tracked, we immediately sprung into action. coalitions sprung up led by black lives matter l.a. and we

were able to come together, educate people and get people's involvement, engagement and actions. and that's what's turned this around. the mayor's arrogance, poor timing and the people's actions have made this happen. it needs to go much further. we need much more money devoted to housing in this city and a lot less money, and no money in our case, we're calling for, no money for the police. they already get 53% of the budget. so we have been successful. it's a major victory for us, but we're going to keep up the pressure. >> if you guys don't mind switching positions here in the spirit of social distancing. i want to direct you to the leader of ground game l.a. you have been calling for -- first of all, in the course of the last two -- not even two weeks. under two weeks. six or seven days you've raised $2 million on social media. you've given $300,000 to black lives matter. >> probably more. >> what are we looking at here and how does your work connect

to what we're seeing and how much further you believe we have to go? >> we have a mutual aid network. this is food, ppe for our medics and protesters, protective gear. this all ties in. everything comes down to that the city is failing its people. right? this food right here is going out to families in need. so when people want to say that it's a victory for this budget to be, you know, trimmed down. sure, it is but it's not enough because there's still people that are starving out there that need help. and giving more money to the police is not going to do that. >> i want to thank you for being a part of this. katy, look at this. this place was set up to do covid relief. now they are handing out helmets to protesters throughout the city of los angeles. you heard it from leaders of the movement. back to you. >> it's interesting these protests, what you're seeing are these stations up and down the streets where volunteers are handing out masks, they're handing out hand sanitizer and snacks to the protesters as they

march for hours on these streets. jacob soboroff, welcome back from paternity leave. good to see you face again even if it's mostly masked. >> thank you both. up next, we're justnext, we minutes away from the minneapolis memorial for george floyd. the mourners are arriving now. we just saw mayor jacob frey speaking to a number of people there. after the break, we'll look back on his life and hear from someone who knew him well. you're watching msnbc. o knew hi. u're watching msnbc. powerful sunscreen? yes. neutrogena® ultra sheer. superior protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer with a clean feel. it's the one. the best for your skin. ultra sheer. neutrogena®. $$9.95? no way.? it's the one. the best for your skin. $9.95? that's impossible. hi, i'm jonathan, a manager here at colonial penn life insurance company, to tell you it is possible. if you're age 50 to 85,

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we are keeping a close eye on minneapolis, of course, where in moments a memorial will be held for george floyd. the 46-year-old man whose legacy might be forcing an inflection point on race in this country. originally from houston, floyd moved to minneapolis several years ago. after a few brushes with the law, floyd was in search of a new job and changed life. he worked as a bouncer at a restaurant and drove trucks part time. and like so many americans, floyd lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic. last week my colleague spoke to floyd's boss and landlord. he said he spoke to floyd the night before his death. he said that floyd was determined to move forward despite certain setbacks. >> so he worked here as a security guard and you had to close because of coronavirus? >> yeah. >> is it fair to say that he lost his job here because of the

pandemic? >> yeah. last time i kept telling him, okay, we'll open next month and we'll open this day and the governor kept, you know, pushing it back. >> right. >> he went without a job. >> so he was without a job and then this happens? >> and he still paid me part of the rent. you know, he was looking for a job. so he was looking for another job. because, you know, he worked three days here. and he was truck driver. >> in a twist to floyd's tragic death, we now learned he survived one threat only to succumb to another. the results of an autopsy revealed floyd was one of the 1.8 million americans that tested positive for the coronavirus. he was diagnosed in april and likely symptomatic at the time of his death. he leaves behind a young son and daughter. katy, over to you.

>> the video, chuck, is so hard to watch. i feel bad for that little girl. right now in brooklyn, thousands are paying tribute to george floyd. a memorial prayer service and march across the brooklyn bridge are happening at this hour led by members of floyd's family who are still here in brooklyn. and nbc's reporter is live following the memorial. you are in the plaza right now? >> yeah. that's where i am am. the speeches haven't begun yet. what will happen is there will be speeches including by terrence floyd, george floyd's brother up there. the crowd is gathered here for over an hour. just to give you a sense of how big it is, the plaza is bigger than ten acres. and the entire thing is full. once again, katy, like the protests you and i have been following in new york city over the last several days, this one is entirely peaceful. the plan here is for some speeches and memorial of george floyd. and then a walk across the brooklyn bridge to lower

manhattan. it's only about 1 1/2 miles of walk. but to see this large crowd peacefully walking there is a message that they want to give in their memorial of george floyd. like all the other protests i've been covering this week in new york, it is large. it is diverse. it is on one hand concentrated on the memorial of george floyd and what happened to him, but more importantly, the larger issue of what it represents. it is sort of a very positive energy around here today. however, there are people very angry about the situation. and you can hear behind me music just getting underway. and then a moment we'll start to hear the speeches. so i'll follow the crowd as we move into manhattan as this memorial starts to move after the speeches. katy? >> that is a 10 1/2 acre green space at the foot of the brooklyn bridge. so they'll be walking out of that park and right on to the bridge, chuck.

and showing something really powerful in doing so. >> it is. no doubt, no doubt i hope everybody has masks. i hope everybody has masks and socially distance as well. that brings this hour to a close for us. brian williams will pick up our special coverage of george floyd's memorial right after this quick break.

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good day. brian williams with you here, 2:00 p.m. in the east, 1:00 p.m. in minneapolis where we are awaiting the memorial service for george floyd. as his family has repeatedly said this will be a day to celebrate the life of george floyd. reverend al sharpton will be the eulogist. the service has gathered together friends and family and politicians and civil rights leaders. and prominent americans. it is just one of many events

scheduled this week in honor of george floyd. almost simultaneously a vigil and a march being held in floyd's honor in brooklyn, new york. that event is led by george floyd's brother, terrence floyd. before we go inside where we're about to get underway shaquille brewster can get us set from outside north central university. it's a private christian school in the center of minneapolis. shaquille, what's it like outside this event? >> well, brian, we know inside it's closed to private friends and family. outside you have people, members of the community coming out just to pay respects. there is a speaker out so they can hear what's going on. they can hear the proceedings are starting to go underway. and people are just bringing their family. you see kids here. you see people who just stopped by and brought their bikes over. the services are happening right

in the building behind me. we have seen people and it's right on this side we have seen people been gathering all day long about two hours ago we saw the hearse pull up and pull the casket into the building. this will be the first of many memorial services for george floyd that will happen here in minneapolis and all over the country. saturday is in north carolina. and we know houston on tuesday will be the place where he is laid to rest. but you see people in the city trying to come out and pay respects for george floyd. the a much different scene, a much more somber scene than what we've been seeing so far in minneapolis. brian? >> shaq brewster, thank you for that. we have several friends here with us watching with us. watching with us, rather. maya wiley, former assistant u.s. attorney in the southern district of new york. former counsel to the mayor of new york city. and chairman for center of african-american studies at

princeton university and joy reid, host of our broadcast, "a.m. joy." joy, i'd like to begin with you. normally a memorial service absolutely a celebration of life. but normally intensely private. it is for friends and loved ones. this being televised nationwide. the advantage of, of course, the educational role it will play in instructing people about the life of george floyd. >> yeah. and you know, we can't forget that this is also taking place during a pandemic when these kind of gatherings are the thing that has been slive been essent forbidden. so it is striking to see that choir and to see this memorial service that is so familiar in the black church, this black church experience that's being allowed to happen. it sort of has to happen because

of the way that george floyd died. you know, these events are hard. you know, i've sat through these for sandra bland and sat through these for trayvon martin. the family is in such a difficult position because they are in that moment public, as you just said, brian. grieving symbolically and personally and really. and the multiple tragedies here, the fact that george, you know, tested positive for covid-19. he survived covid-19 but couldn't survive cruelty and the cruelty of four men who thought of him as less than or treated him like less than human. it's so triply tragic. i think the whole world is really grieving. the whole world's spirit is in that church. >> professor, the death of george floyd now belongs to the united states and by that i mean the death of one man who sadly

went to his reward as we were able to watch on video in the middle of a street with the knee of a police officer on his neck has now affected every day and every aspect of american life since. >> yes. and joy reid hit the point -- made the point so well. we have to understand this particular ritual, this funeral in the context of covid-19. but it is the a public mourning. it's a national ritual of grief. there is a sense in which all of those people who have not been able to grieve the loss of their loved one channel their grief into this public ritual. we've needed a national day of mourning for a long time. for a long time here. and today will serve as in some

ways a proxy for that national day of mourning. and it will be layered with a lot of grief. >> maya wiley, here's where you come in. talk about the towering responsibility that now belongs to the attorney general of the state of minnesota, a long time former member of congress. >> you know, i sit here and listen to the wisdom of joy reid and of eddie and i just want to stop and take a moment to say, yes, we are all sitting here in a collective moment in a community moment and part of this moment and part of what the black church represents in this moment is the center of civil rights organizing in this country and the demand for

justice. martin luther king jr. said that the moral arc of the universe is long. but it bends towards justice. and what we see at the end of -- at the elbow of that bend right now is attorney general keith ellison and in a way that is a poignant symbol for us both of a black man and the first muslim to be elected to congress who himself was elected as a black man representing a very diverse, including majority white voter district. and so he embodies a lot of symbolism in himself, not just as a lawyer and as the head lawyer of the state that i think bears remark right now as does our present mourners in the church. and the thing about the moral arc of the universe is it doesn't bend by itself. and that's the the other lesson of martin luther king jr.

and it has always been the case that we have demanded representation in the hallowed halls of congress wearing the robes of justice as well as sitting in the seats that make the discretionary decisions about what conduct will not stand and where our public resources will be deployed to vindicate injustice. and what keith ellison is representing right now for so many of us across races, across religion, is the singular hope that both by collective mourning, collective recognition, but also the collective protest that demands that that arc bend faster. that keith ellison carries the weight of that both as a credible attorney, a credible leader, but also someone who will stand justly and fairly in neutrality and get it right.

doesn't mean the outcome is guaranteed. it does mean in this moment that all these things matter from the funeral, from this recognition to the criminal prosecution of these four former police officers. >> eight minutes after 1:00 p.m. in minneapolis. the now hauntingly familiar mural hangs behind the stage we had had a brief welcome to get everybody settled and now the crowd is enjoying some music prior to getting underway. to our viewers just joining us, obviously, when we begin in earnest, we're going to do the only thing we can and should do and that is we're going to live in this moment in, this event and listen to every word. and we obviously won't be interrupting any of it. joy reid, back to your point about this taking place in the

middle of a pandemic. each day, each night we have been living in the scenes from city streets across this country it has been just an incredible surge of people. yes, we all hope they're doing the right thing wearing masks, remaining aware of their surroundings. but even our pandemic experts on the air have been saying i understand this. this is an issue and people have cast aside some of our concerns just even two or three weeks ago to pour into the streets of this country. >> yeah. i mean, you think about it. you had people, you know, arming themselves and storming can tolls, demanding the riright ton to public life because they wanted conveniences. they want their hair cut.

they wanted to be free to go to the pool. but the real return to public life has been once again on the backs of, you know, the moral lessons that the african in america has had to teach this country from omar, you know, all the way to dr. king. all the martyrs that black people have had to present to this country, all the blood we've had to lay on the ground to teach them basic moral lessons about how you emerge out of being a slave republic and into a multiracial republic. we're still struggling with that. we're still struggling with anti-blackness and violence toward the black body. we have not figured out how to do that even after we elected a black president. we didn't figure it out while we had a black president. and so once again, we have another black body that goes into the history books as having moved the country morally and taught us a lesson.

our friend has taken up the tradition that dr. king had of having to go and eulogize the dead, eulogize the martyrs. there are just too many. tomorrow would be brianna taylor's birthday, 27 years old. we had had her. we had had ahmed aubery. he go through all the new emmitt tills that just keep coming. and i think that's the thing that is so challenging. "tears cannot stop," that's what this is. this is tears that cannot stop. at some point this country has to let us stop crying. but in the meantime, our church, the black church will just keep teaching this moral lesson and singing this moral spirituality and hopefully, you know, pray to god at some point this country will hear it. >> professor, as we wait for members of the family to arrive

in minneapolis, how do you react when you hear good hearted people say well it will be different now? it will be different this time. >> i understand. it's part of that kind of resilient american optimism that allows us to maintain the illusion of our innocence. it's a part of this efficient ideology of america as the shining city on the hill that protects us from the ugliness of what we do. the what i'm struck, brian, by the juxtaposition here. you know, black church, african-american christians emerges in the context of american slavery. frederic douglas talked about the church house being next to the slave auction block. and how this sound that comes out of the black church, this

moan, this mourning, in the hope for a morning. and so what we see here in 2020 is a long legacy of a blue note, of a very deep tragic comic sensibility rooted in the very contradiction of this country. so i think hearing the sound of that choir, looking at the floyd family and my heart goes out to them this tradition, this tradition is trying to teach the country once again to try to give to live up to the ideals of american democracy. it's the most ironic juxtaposition that one can imagine in human history. >> maya, we're watching these crowds from inside the vent. obviously, reverend jesse

jackson. we see kevin hart. maja, same question to you. when you hear -- especially given your background in the law when you hear perhaps this will be different. perhaps going forward this will change things. what's your reaction? >> you know, my reaction is similar to eddie's. st our aspiration is extremely important. we must demand we need it. the problem is we have too many different points in history including recent history that shows us that the moral outrage that we hear from the public rarely translates into winning the victory we need to meet the aspirations. what i think is different and what gives me hope and by hope i mean passion for the possibility

of making steps towards that aspiration, is twofold. we have seen an incredibly diverse outpouring within these demonstrations. we have seen every aspect of american society, black, white, you know, we talked about the fact -- asian. it is simply representative of the country, the kinds of people we have seen who come out night after night after night and we are not going to see that dissipate tonight. and i think one of the things that we're certainly going to hear certainly from our friend reverend al sharpton is that call to action. it was a call to action we heard from former president who is my president barack obama yesterday. and it is a reminder again that dr. king was right. it is our moral responsibility to get into the streets and make

leaders listen to the reforms that hakeem jeffries, for example, introduced in 2015 after eric garner's death and still has not been adopted into law. that's just one example. and i think we have the opportunity. but an aspiration is an aspiration until it becomes a reality. and so we're still living in aspiration. the we're not yet living in reality. >> joy reid, what you have learned watching the protests? what have you learned about who has been concerned by this? who has been mobilized by this? >> police violence goes back to the beginning of this country and the slave catchers that were the predater of the idea of a

constantly vigilant police force to control black bodies and black movements. the so that is not surprising. it is surprising that police departments wouldn't think better of meeting protests in a are about police violence with police violence. that's been baa bit surprising. the big difference here, go back to freedom summer, the reason that, you know, good young white kids got on those buses and wnt down because they understand for the white mom at home it is good to see people to get met with dogs but it's another thing to see their kids met with dogs. it makes it a lot more personal. they knew they were in some ways at less risk. but if you think about the other three, not always. they were at risk of death. and a lot of them also died. but the idea of a multiracial

coalition that says that these young white people in some case who's are the dominant number of people who are at some of these marches, what they're then saying is to these police, you can't just be violent towards these black people without being violent towards us. that's a huge and important statement. you know, that is the thing. a lot of white friends are saying what can we do? that's the thing that white folks are doing. they're saying if you're going to be violent towards these black men, women and children, you have to come through us. that's the message that needs to be sent to police departments. that's what these local leaders need to understand. if everyone agrees that policing needs to be humane, and it needs to be humane towards black people and white people equally and until that is the case, we are not going to stop marching. >> let's listen to what's going

on. >> thank you so much for coming. >> steve patterson is outside. what we've been watching is members of the family arriving. you saw reverend sharpton walking from the vehicles. and, steve, the audience inside has been told to make way and will be getting underway shortly. outside you have be an yfd the arrive will as. >> the families are going to come in throughout barriers. you see the family attorney, ben crump. that is al sharpton. i think that is quincey mason, george floyd's son. you heard an announcement, be

quiet, silence your phones, be respectful. all morning long we've seen this is a respectful event despite all the media, despite the large crowd that has gathered. everybody is really quite silent in waiting for this moment. as we see these civil rights leaders, the family and their associates walking in now. and just hearing, you know, the hundreds of camera clicks and the obvious media swarming as they watch this moment, everyone wearing masks. a lot of people wearing gloves. obviously we think about covid-19 in these times with such a large crowd. but this right now is all about the family. it's about the respect for the life lost and the celebration of that life as they walk in the building, brian. >> steve patterson just outside the slow procession. perhaps you saw reverend sharpton's mask. and the masks of some of the other people bearing the letters

nan that is reverend sharpton's organization, national action network. they will come a side entrance now and we'll see them led to their seats. we've seen a number of politicians, elected politicians. we saw senator klobuchar. we saw governor walz earlier. we saw the mayor of minneapolis. a number of recognizable faces. but to whom those to whom this will be most impactful are the people at this gathering and at the gatherings to come in the days to come. who are not known to a national audience but the people who knew george floyd. the people who spent a lifetime in his life and the people most

greatly impacted by his death. eddie, i thought we would continue on the point joy reid made. and what a terrific point she made about the deaths of the other three. whatever people's motivation during the birth of the struggle and during the mid 60s, it was about awareness. it was about getting people angry. getting people into the game. >> indeed. it was about calling the nation to its principles, right? and urging all of americans to understand the power, the purpose and the necessity of the black freedom struggle in the mid 20th century. late political theorist, she taught at harvard. she insisted that america didn't become a true genuine democracy

until the passage of the voting rights act of 1965. you want to think about all of those people who are unheard of. the folks that lined the mississippi river with the budweiser cans. all the people that sacrificed, who are still living with the violence of their efforts to bring america into its stated principles. and here we are in 2020. still struggling. still trying to make real the promise of democracy. still trying to cash that check that dr. king talked about in 1963 and all the carnage that has happened in between. but also in some ways we've seen the heroic nature of every day ordinary human beings. the power of people in spite of -- in spite of the prevalence of evil and cruelty. the monstrous nature of this country. we still see every day ordinary people standing up with courage and commitments and wherever

there are people, i said this earlier to one of our colleagues. wherever there are human beings, there's hope. wherever you find us, there's hope. and we have to hang on to that in this moment as george floyd represents an example of what can happen and what we can be. if we fight. >> we just saw the -- majya, we just saw the police chief of minneapolis come in with the family, with the dignitaries. on sunday night on live television he surprised a lot of people in a good way by talking about complicit y and silence. by saying the other three officers formerly on his force in his view bore the same responsibility for being there standing witness to a heinous

act saying nothing, doing nothing, and yesterday all the way to the east we had the new york city police commissioner for all that's been in the news and for all the shared blame of police departments in this country, commissioner shea said his department stood with the floyd family. so maya, do you see incremental change? are you hopeful for the future? >> i think it is critically important that police leadership throughout the country acknowledge and take responsibility for the behaviors we saw in that videotape. but there will be measured by their actions not by their words. one of the things that we have seen here in new york city just

reflecting on the videos that we've seen. we saw what appears to be a white police officer flashing a white supremacy symbol. we saw images of a protester running way from police as they viciously chased and swung a baton. we saw police cars speed up into a crowd of protesters in front of the cars. we have seen far too many instances of the very types of excessive force that have brought such a rainbow coalition of americans into the streets to peacefully demand change in how we police. they can't say that complicity is wrong. they must demonstrate who they themselves will not be complicit. >> let's go inside and listen to this. we just missed the announcement.

again, it's probably about the arrivals -- i'm told that this last announcement was a reminder to folks to socially distance. joy reid, it's incumbent on us to keep talking about the fact that african-americans now have 25% of the total fatalities from covid-19. but more than that and more importantly in some of our big cities, 75%, 80% of those who have passed from covid-19 are african-american. >> yeah. and again to reiterate george floyd survived that. and only to die. and, yeah, look at the compounding here. the covid-19 pandemic has hit the black community as just

mentioned, brian, disproportionately hard. the march that's are taking place in big cities like louisville, kentucky, new york city are taking place in communities where there was already hot spots of covid-19 which will now potentially two weeks from now see additional hot spots from covid-19 because people have gathered. the black community has borne the brunt of the economic catastrophe that has come in the wake of the mishandled covid-19 pandemic. and black people and brown people work more often in the kinds of jobs that can't stay home. they can't socially distance. they're producing the food, producing the steaks that people are out with their ar-15s demanding. working the kind of jobs that put us more at risk of getting ill. and so we were already hurting. and so you have a community

that's always been the one hurting the most when america catches a cold, the black community catches the flu and now catches covid-19 and on top of that, we have to force ourselves out of the little bit of safety we've been able to garner for ourselves in our homes and people are forcing themselves out into the world and putting themselves at risk again. we're at risk to vote. stand in line and vote because conservative politicians won't let us vote from home. they don't want to. so it's all piled on top of black people. and it's a lot. i have to tell you, everyone i know is exhausted. emotionally exhausted. physically exhausted. the we're tired of bearing the brunt of all the bad things that happen in this country. and so, you know, is there going to be reform? i think this time we can't wait for politicians to do the right thing. we need force them to do the rig

thing. sorry, but the one last standing union are the police unions. they have to give in because we're going to have to elect people who will make them live under the law. there can't be a job where you can come right out of high school and get a license to kill and have almost no oversight that you just have the license to kill without any real consequence. this is not acceptable. i think finally for the first time you're seeing in polls that even white americans who never really agreed that policing is problematic, start to move in the direction and say wait a minute, it's problematic. i guess watching a man die will will sober you up real quick even though we already watched eric garner die the same way. but whatever it takes. if george floyd is the martyr that finally forces us to vote in people who will make police treat black people as human beings, that's what it takes. and god bless george floyd's

memory. >> professor, you're among those sending fresh young ivy league students out into the world. tell us about your next generation of leadership. >> they're coming of age at a time of catastrophe. think about the great recession. think about hurricanes. you think about school, mass school shootings. you think about police murders. global pandemic. they're coming of age when they have access to so much but their futures seem to be constricted in so many ways. they want to break loose from the straitjacket that has had america so closed. and they're offering, i think, they have the capacity to offer us a new language because they

have lived in a time of catastrophe. >> i think we're underway. we will now listen and live in this ceremony. >> my name is robin willkerson. i'm the co-chancellor of north central university. to all 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 hagen, president, on behalf of the board of regions, 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 macafy followed by an opening prayer from dr. scott hagen, president of north central university and a solo by mrs. tawana porter. >> on behalf of the pastors and preachers for minneapolis and st. paul, the bloods on the south side, gangster disciples and others on the south, on the north side, palms 27. the lord is my light and my

salvation. 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 to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell. and host should encam am against me and my heart shall not fear and the war shall rise against me and this i will be confident. one thing have 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 inquiry 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, he shall 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. [ applause ] even before announcing this scholarship yesterday, unsolicited over $53,000 was handed to me to contribute toward 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. [ applause ] 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 on 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 prove eshs is clear, 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 super natural 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're

asking you lord to show us the way. our city and our 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, oh, lord, rebuild our national family. and finally, lord, at this table of healing today, we're asking you to search our hearts as pastors, rabbis, priests, business leaders, politicians and educators, help us reconcile our failed witness and lead us forward as caring neighbors and diligent gate keepers of mutual alt and mercy. guide this generation to change the national narrative on race and power. and change all the 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 i'm found ♪ ♪ was blind but now i see ♪ ♪ twas grace that taught my

heart to feel ♪ ♪ and grace my fears released ♪ ♪ how precious is 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 oh, praise god ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ come on and help me. come on, praise god. ♪ oh, praise god can you wave your hands?

♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ he is worthy to be praised. ♪ praise god praise ♪ ♪ praise got praise ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ oh, praise god praise god ♪ ♪ he is worthy praise god ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god isn't he worthy ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ oh, yes praise god ♪

♪ praise god praise god ♪ >> come on. praise god. ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god in the midst of our pain ♪ ♪ god, we're going to still praise you ♪ ♪ praise god he's worthy ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god praise god ♪ ♪ praise god oh, praise god ♪ ♪ praise god hall hallelujah ♪

>> thank you to tawa in. a. 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? thank you.

>> i'm attorney ben crump and along with attorney tony ramanucci and attorney chris stewart as my co-counsels out front 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 like devin jacob, chris o'neal, lee merit, darrell parks, jasmine rand, bill penthouse, and carol powell-lexon because you have

seen us but it's a whole team of lawyers who are working because it's going to take a united effort for 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 record. it was that other pandemic that

we're far too familiar with in america that pandemic of racism and discrimination that killed george floyd. so before we make a plea to justice, we feel it appropriate that you hear from the people who really knew george the boy, knew george the adolescent, knew george the man. and from where george came. so i would ask that his brother palonis floyd, his brother rodney floyd, his cousin sharita tate, his nephew brandon williams please come to the stage and i will ask attorney tony ramanucci and attorney

chris stewart to stand with me behind them as united they tell the world why we should celebrate the life of george floyd. please come up, floyd. please come up, family. [ applause ]

how y'all doing? i'm the brother of george floyd. we come up together. we didn't have much, our mom did what she could. we would 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? [ laughter ] because the ball never came to me. and years down the line i was catching with one hand, two hands. any way you threw it, i started catching it. he said i could throw but i wanted you to get the ball. [ laughter ] the ball don't need to come to you. you need to 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 our mom, brothers, and sisters. so much. we made banana mayonnaise sandwiches together, you know, it was a family thing! every day we knew when we would come in the house, our mom was going to have a huge plate of food separate from each other and we would sit down and argue with each other like whose plate it is. i'm 10 or 11 and i'm talking about the plate was six pieces of chicken is mine and he way bigger than me. you know what i mean? he's huge! it was just, like, inspiring to other people because my mom used to take in other kids and most of them was george's friends and

they wanted to stay with her. they loved her! you know, my brother he was okay with it. so then you had three -- to me they were grown men -- because they kicked me out of the room. they were three men, like, 16, 17, they grown and sleeping in the same bed. waking up. going to the same school. 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 go in and put our socks and underwear in the bathroom sink and just start washing them, washing them. we didn't have detergent. we would use soap. we were going to be clean. [ laughter ] we were going to be clean. so we would literally right after that we would take the socks and hang them over the hot

water heater. we would take the underwear and hang them. we would fight about it. me and his friends and they were like you did it last night because your clothes probably be damp the next day if you don't put it on the hot water heater. so from that and we learned a lot of stuff. it's crazy because we would, like, we didn't have a dryer. so the fastest way to dry your clothes was to put it and let it dry like that. i love my brother, man. we had so many memories, you know, together. i remember him waking me up and telling me, hey, man, can you iron my clothes for me? i would look at him and look at his size and say you're right, big bro, you right. you know what i mean? it was just amazing. everywhere you go and see people how they cling to him. they wanted to be around him.

you know, george he was like a general. every day he walks outside there would be a line of people. just like when we came in -- wanting to greet him and wanted to have fun with him. guys that were doing drugs, like, smokers and homeless people, you couldn't tell because when you spoke to george, they felt like they were the president because that's 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. we didn't call him george. we called him perry. if you called him perry, you knew him direct. you know what i mean? [ laughter ] because george was the name everybody called him big george. big floyd. big floyd. he had so many different names. but i'm going to go ahead and

let it's crazy, all these people came to see my brother and that's amazing to me that he touched so many people's hearts. because he's been touching all the hearts. you know, you come to where we're from, people are crying right now. that's how much they loved him. you know, i'm just staying strong as i can because i need to get it out. i need to get it out. everybody wants justice. we want justice for george. he's going to get it! he's going get it. [ applause ] >> good afternoon, everyone. i'm just going to echo some of the things that was talked about than is we come from a long line of large family members. our mothers were siblings of 13, and, umm, if i can kind of fast forward a little bit. my aunt moved to -- she lived in

houston and she would always talk about being there and not having any of her siblings close to her. so my mother decided to move to the houston area back early in '80 or '81. so we came to houston and we were all excited that we could have somebody close to us. the only time we would see each other was, like, during the holidays or when people travelled to visit my grandmother. long story short, i mean, we didn't have a whole lot but we always had each other. and we always were taught that, you know, we always bring other people into the fold. always. no one should ever go home without having a meal or having food, and so that's how -- as he talked about my aunt was someone in the community -- everybody -- they called her miss cissy. 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 they could get something to eat if they came there. not only food, but they could be

loved and feel a part of her. so we were raised to always welcome people in and to embrace other people. so you could see as all these people, no matter who you talk to, they'll all say the same thing. george was somebody who was always welcoming. always made people feel like they were special. nobody felt left out when he would enter into a room. everybody would feel like they were special. he would embrace them. as i think about the thing that i will miss about him most is his hugs. like, he was this great big giant and when he would wrap his arms around you, you would feel like, you know, everything could go away. any problems you had, any concerns you had would go away. so while we're all grieving, i just want to kind of highlight his children. quincy, tyson, and gianna and

his 3-year-old granddaughter. we all need prayer. if i am honest about it, we are more concerned about his children and grandchildren. so i ask you pray for us as we go along this marathon to make sure that justice is served on george's behalf, or perry, as we call him. ask you pray for us and especially for their children. thank you. [ applause ] how y'all doing? i'm the youngest brother of george floyd. and my older brother p.j. was talking about childhood memories and i would like to start we didn't have much growing up but all the stuff we dried and washing all the clothes, that was ingenuity. hey, what we had. we didn't have much but a house

full of love. and, i mean, i appreciate the love of everyone in here and the state of minneapolis y'all adopted my brother and showed him so much love. we feel that love in your city and thankfully everybody plus around the world -- it's a beautiful thing this great love we're receiving. and george floyd is receiving because he would love it. i wish he was here to see it because all this great unity it would bring him to tears like it is bringing us. but i had fond memories of my brother. big floyd, as y'all know him. oh, cooking wise -- three brothers grew up in our house. it was the best grilled cheese. can you please make us one? if i tell y'all 6 or 7-year-old kid, i did this numerous times, y'all are using me. [ laughter ] but, you know, happened to be

doing it but my big brother, i mean, great guy. great gentleman. great man. as a child without a father figure, he was big brother but i didn't see the stuff he was doing. he was doing the best he can and the mistakes he made and watching him and following him and correcting myself as a grown man, as a teenager growing up and, you know, learning from him how to be a man and everything he taught us. he was doing him but he was teaching us how to be a man because he was in the world already before us. he gave us a lot of great lessons and, i mean, one thing about a man, he had responsibility. he would stand up for his family and friends and he was great at that. i want you to know he would stand up for any injustice everywhere. oh. can y'all please say his name? >> george floyd. >> thank you, y'all. [ applause ]

>> i'm brandon williams. i'm george's nephew. we happened to share the same middle name, for some reason. my momma wanted to name us all and consequently i ended up with george. growing up, i'm a lot younger than them but my grandmother raised me. i didn't have a father figure present in my life so i grew up in the same house with them and, you know, my uncles were my father figures in my life. and george being the alpha male, i gravitated to him. coming up, i played sports he did. it connected us and brought us close. i'm trying not to be sad. it's harder than i thought it would be. [ applause ] i just remember -- i just

remember all the memories. more than anything, i want to say thank you to him for being there. just being a real, genuine person. being loving and caring and somebody i can count on no matter what. we didn't have much but coming up my grandmother tried her best. he made sure i had sneakers and clothes and a lot of stuff like that. i appreciate that. i'm going to end it with a funny story about -- he was the biggest lebron james fan. i remember -- i don't know if you guys are familiar with the nba but when the cavaliers -- they came back on the golden state warriors in the finals. i remember the very first phone call and i told him, oh, man, you happy? you sound like you won the championship! and we laughed about it, man. you know, he said, man, you know how i feel about lebron.

i did win the championship. so every time we would talk, i asked him, hey, how you doing, man? you good? and he said "i feel like i won a championship." that kind of stuck. it was an inside thing we had. i know him being the strong person he was and seeing everybody come together and rally around him and feeling all the love and support. so, man, we're thankful and grateful. i know more than anything with everybody grieving and hurting, he would want us to feel like we won the championship. so i end on that note. thank you. [ applause ] >> y'all, please give us family another round of applause. please show them love. show them love.

thank you so much for batter -- bearing your hearts. if we learned one thing, the floyd boys like to eat! [ laughter ] and, also, they had a conversation with tyler perry that was pretty profound because they said we are the big extended black family you portray, will packard and others on your movie screens. we all need one another. you can tell this family always needed george. so it's awfully difficult for them.

the plea for justice is simply this; dr. martin luther king said "he who passively accepts evil is as much involved as he who helps to perpetrate it." [ applause ] "he who accepts evil without protesting against it is really like cooperate with it." you know, on that video, what we saw was torture. reverend jackson, what we saw in that video was inhumane. what we saw in that video was

evil. and so, america, we proclaim as we memorialize george floyd, do not cooperate with evil. protest against evil! joichb y'all people in the streets protesting against the evil, the inhumane, the torture that they witnessed on that video! we cannot cooperate with evil. we cannot cooperate with injustice. we cannot cooperate with torture. [ applause ] because george floyd deeper deserves better than that. we all deserve better than that. his family deserves better than that! his children deserve better than that. [ applause ]

what george wanted from life is what any of us want. as thomas jefferson said in the declaration of independence, "inalienable rights endowed by our creator. to life, liberty, and the pursuit of to -- to be happy on this earth." that's all george was asking for, like any and all of us but he was denied those rights. we will seek justice in his name. we will all unite as a people who are god's children, seek justice in his name. but beyond the specific justice, in his case, chris, the prosecution of the four

individuals who deprived george of his life, we seek a broader, more transformative justice. a more just treatment of people of color. a more just criminal justice system. in essence, what we're endeavoring to do, brandon, is what my personal hero thorogood marshall said "make the constitution real for all americans." you see, justice marshall said the basis of the constitution is simply this, that a black baby born to a black mother -- the

most -- an educated black mother. the most inarticulate black mother. the most impoverished black mother have the same exact rights as a white baby. born to a white mother. [ applause ] the most educated white mother. the most articulate white mother. the most affluent white mother. just by virtue of that baby drawing its first breath as an american. justice marshall said, reverend jackson, i know that's the case in america today but i challenge anybody to say, tony, that's not the goal we're fighting for. he said i challenge anybody to say that's not what makes america the great beacon of hope and justice for all the world to

marvel. so when we fight for the george floyds of the world, but more importantly -- when we fight for the unknown george floyds of the world. when we fight for the trayvon martins of the world. when we fight for the terrance crutchers of the world. the michael browns of the world. when we fight for the philando castiles of the world. when we fight for the eric garners of the world. when we fight for the brianna tailors of the world. when we fight for the natasha mckinneys of the world. when we fight for the least of these. what we're really doing is helping america live up to its creed. what we're really doing is helping america be the great

beacon of hope and justice for all the world to marvel! most importantly, brothers and sisters, what we're doing is helping america be america for all americans. [ applause ] what we want is not two justice systems in america one more black america and one for white america. what we endeavor to achieve is equal justice for the united states of america and george floyd is the moment that gives us the best opportunity i have seen in a long time of reaching that high idea that this country was founded on.

thank you so much. [ applause ] this is the plea for justice. on behalf of the family, the children, we will get justice. we are committed to it. now, i would introduce you to a man who really needs no introduction who will eulogize george floyd. he has fought for so many families, too many hashtags to remember. when he gets the call, he always answers the call. even when the cameras aren't around. even after the cameras are gone. ask eric garner's family. ask any of these families. the cameras have long gone, but reverend al continues to answer the bill when our people call.

he is is a leader that you see on tv commentating about our experiences but more importantly, he is a leader who has lived our experiences and because he has lived those experiences, that's what makes him so effective in commentating on msnbc about our experiences. he is going to talk about the experience of the terrible loss of somebody who should be with us today. that is george floyd. please give a great round of applause for the reverend al

sharpton. >> thank you. i want us to not sit here and act like we had a funeral on the schedule. george floyd should not be among the deceased. he did not die of common health conditions. he died of a common american justice foundation. he died because there hasn't been the corrective behavior that has taught this country that if you commit a crime it

doesn't matter if you wear blue jeans or blue uniform. you must pay for the crime you commit. so it is not a normal funeral. it is not a normal circumstance. it's too common. we need to deal with it. let me ask those of you that, in the traditions of eulogies need a scripture reference. to everything there is is a time and a purpose and season under the heavens. i'm going to leave it there. i saw somebody standing in front of the church the other day that had been boarded up as a result

of violence. held the bible in his hand. i've been preaching since i was a little boy. i've never seen anyone hold a bible like that but i'll leave that alone. but since he held a bible, if he's watching us today, i would like him to open that bible. [ applause ] i would like him to read. to every time there's a purpose. i think it's our job to let the world know when we see what is going on in the streets of this country, and in europe, around

the world, that you need to know what time it is. first of all, we cannot use bibles as a prop. and for those that have agendas that are not about justice. this family will not let you use george as a prop. [ applause ] don't use him. let us stand for what is right. because when i got the call from attorney crump, and usually when he calls me, it's not to find out how i'm doing.

it's usually because something happened that he wants national action network and i to get involved. hein he explained to me what was happening with this case. and i said let me know what you want to do. he said whatever you need to do one of the things, martin, that i've always had to deal with, as critics would say, all al sharpton wants is publicity. that's exactly what i want because nobody calls me to keep a secret. [ applause ] people call me to blow up issues. that nobody else would deal with. i'm the blow up man and i don't apologize for that. because you get away too much

with hiding things. you talked about y'all putting clothes in the oven to have your clothes dried -- well, i grew up in brownsville. we had roaches. and i know kevin hart and some of the rich hollywood folk don't know what roaches are, but we had roaches. ludicrous. one thing i found out about roaches is that if you keep the light off, if you in the dark -- [ cheers and applause ] a roach will pull up to your dinner table and have a five-course meal. [ applause ] so i learned one of the ways to deal with roaches is if you kept the light on, i could run the

roaches and track them down. and i would spend all my life chasing roaches all over this country. [ applause ] as soon as i talked to the family and got the details and heard that among george's last words was "i can't breathe," with a knee on his neck, i immediately thought about eric garner. i did the eulogy at his funeral. i called his mother and i said i know we're not going out because of the coronavirus, but this is so much like eric.

if we could arrange some private way to go to minneapolis, would you go? she said, well, al, i'm already packing. let me know. tyler perry said i'll give the family the plane or whatever y'all need. this is wrong. robert smith said, don't worry about the funeral costs. people across economic and racial lines started calling and getting in and we flew out of here -- her and i -- last thursday. when i stood at that spot, the reason it got to me is george floyd's story has been the story of black folks. because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be and as you kept your knee on

our neck. [ applause ] we were smarter than the underfunded schools you put us in, but you had your knee on our neck. we could run corporations and not hustled in the street, but you had your knee on our neck! we had creative skills. we could do whatever anybody else could do but we couldn't get your knee off our neck. what happened to floyd happens every day in this country and in every area of american life. it's time for us to stand up in george's name and say get your knee off our necks!

that's the problem no matter who you are. i thought we had a complex but even blacks you were broke through, you kept your knee on our neck. michael jordan won all of these championships and you kept digging because you got to put a knee on our neck. they would run home to see a black woman on tv, oprah

winfrey, and you mess with her because you can't your knee off our neck. a man comes out of a single parent home, educates himself, rises up and becomes the president of the united states. you ask him for his birth certificate because you can't take your knee off our neck! the reason why we're marching all over the world is we were l george, we couldn't breathe. not because there was something wrong with our lungs but you wouldn't take your knee off our neck. we don't want no favors but just get up off of us and we can be and do whatever we can be!

there have been protests all over the world. some have looted and done other things. none of us -- ain this family condones looting or violence, but the thing i want us to be real cognizant of is there's a difference between those calling for peace and those calling for quiet. [ applause ] some of y'all don't want peace. you just want quiet. you just want us to shut up and suffer in silence.

the overwhelming majority of the people marching wasn't breaking with us. they were trying to break barriers. they weren't trying to steal nothing. they were trying to get back the justice you stole from us. those that broke the law should pay for whatever law they broke. so should the four policemen that caused this funeral today. we don't have a problem denouncing violence, mr. governor. we don't have a problem, mr. mayor, denouncing looting. it seems like some in the criminal justice system have a problem looking at a tape and knowing there's probable cause and it takes a long time for you to go and do and see what you need to do but i'm one that has,

as ben said, national network have been involved in these fights and we started around criminal justice. i did speeches and eulogies at most of the funerals we've had in this space for the last couple of decades and lead the marches and did what we had to do. i look at martin and we went to jail together fighting these fights. like his daddy went to jail before. but i'm more hopeful today -- than ever --. why? reverend jackson taught me, stay on it. there is is a time and a season. when i looked this time and saw

marches where, in some cases, young whites outnumbered the blacks marching, i know it's a different time and a different season. when i looked and saw people in germany marching for george floyd, it's a different time and a different season. when they went in front of the parliament in london, england and said it's a different time and a different season, i come to tell you, america, this is the time of dealing with accountability in the criminal justice system. years ago i went to march and i

remember young white lady looked me in the face and said go home. but when i was here last thursday and i was heading back to the airport, i stopped near the police station. as i was talking to a reporter, a young white girl didn't look no older than 11 years old. she tugged my suit jacket. i looked around and i braced myself. she looked at me and said "no justice, no peace." [ applause ] . it's a different time! it's a different season. if my bible carrying -- if i got him to open up the bible, i want you to remember something. i was late last october to an appointment b