Joe Biden claims that George Floyd “changed the world” and inspired the Civil Rights Movement following his death in 2020.
“George Floyd should be alive. He deserved so much more,” Biden said.
“Today, I join all those who loved him and all those touched by the civil rights movement he inspired in remembering the tragedy and injustice of his death.” Biden said.
Finishing off his Instagram post, Biden stated:
“He changed the world. Now, let’s act in his memory.”
George Floyd should be alive. He deserved so much more.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 25, 2024
Today, I join all those who loved him and all those touched by the civil rights movement he inspired in remembering the tragedy and injustice of his death.
He changed the world.
Now, let's act in his memory. pic.twitter.com/uPSCkxFMRs
George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after suspicion he used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.
Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, reportedly causing his death from a lack of oxygen, according to his conviction.
Following the arrest and subsequent death, protests against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread across the U.S.
However, Floyd was found with multiple drugs in his blood, according to an autopsy report at Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
These drugs were as followed in order as listed in the report:
- Fentanyl 11 ng/mL
- Norfentanyl 5.6 ng/mL
- 4-ANPP 0.65 ng/mL
- Methamphetamine 19 ng/mL
- 11-Hydroxy Delta-9 THC 1.2 ng/mL;
Delta-9 Carboxy THC 42 ng/mL; Delta-9 THC 2.9 ng/mL
- Cotinine positive
- Caffeine positive
Resist The Mainstream reported: Furthermore, interactions with the law were not a new occurrence for Floyd. He already had a very comprehensive criminal history, having been arrested nine times.
Among some of these arrests he was charged with charges such as aggressive robbery with a deadly weapon, theft from person, theft of $50-$500, trespassing, and the list goes on.
The Black Lives Matter riots that ensued after as a direct response to Floyd’s death had caused considerable damage to multiple cities, and multiple deaths had happened as a result of these riots.
Even USA Today stated that some reports have estimated insurance claims for damages related to the 2020 riots totaled about $2 billion of which USA Today characterizes as not r̶i̶o̶t̶s but rather “protests.”
Over 10,000 people were arrested during the Black Lives Matter riots.
There was also much more controversy surrounding this matter as even a key figure and executive of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (GNF), Shalomyah Bowers, according to CNN news has been accused of “syphoning” over $10 million from BLM donors.
Also, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Melina Abdullah were noted by the New York Post a while back for a “secretly bought” home for nearly $6 million using donation cash, according to a report.
With all of this taken into consideration, along with the fact that Floyd was detained and placed inside of the police vehicle at the time of his arrest before he resisted arrest by violently fighting his way out of the police vehicle before soon succumbing to his death leaves many to think that Biden’s statement is not something that aligns with reality.
