MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Demonstrators gathered at the FedEx Forum Friday night to protest in honor of George Floyd.
More than 200 people marched through downtown Memphis, moving from the FedEx Forum to City Hall as well as the National Civil Rights Museum.
When the crowd arrived at intersections, protesters stopped and knelt for approximately nine minutes, which is around the same amount of time that Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground.
The diverse crowd is filled with people who say this is important, and it’s time for change. That includes organizer and local activist Frank Gotti, who is concerned the Minneapolis officer will not face jail time.
“He might did get charged, but what are his results gonna be? Everybody can get happy right now and get excited because they charged him,” Gotti said. “Because he’s an officer, they’re not gonna do nothing but give him a slap on the wrist.”
“There are fighters out here!” said protester Tre Black. “There are people that are fighting not only for our rights but your rights, and peoples at home rights. I think the people feel energized and want to get organized.”
Bottles of water and face masks were available for those who attended.
Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. He was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department earlier in the week.
This is the third demonstration for Floyd held in Memphis this week.
