As war breaks out in Gaza after the attack by Hamas on Israel, the president of the free world didn’t want Americans to forget about George Floyd on his birthday — George Floyd, the domestic violence perpetrator, drug user, and thief, who died during an arrest in Minneapolis in 2020, after using counterfeit money at a local store.
President Joe Biden issued a statement celebrating the life of Floyd.
“George Floyd should be alive. He should be celebrating his 50th birthday with his young daughter Gianna, family, and friends. He deserved so much more,” Biden said in his statement.
“Today, we join his family to honor his life and legacy. And we remember the tragedy and injustice of his death that sparked one of the largest civil rights movements in our nation’s history and inspired the world,” Biden said.
Between 1997 and 2005, Floyd served eight jail terms on various charges, including drug possession, theft, and trespass. For instance, Floyd was convicted of possessing half a gram of crack cocaine in 2004
“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that our nation has never fully lived up to its highest ideal of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” Biden said.
“A year and a half ago, Kamala and I stood with the family of George Floyd, civil rights leaders, and law enforcement officials, and I signed an executive order, which applies key elements of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to federal law enforcement. This order bans chokeholds, restricts no-knock warrants, establishes a database for police misconduct, and directs other measures to advance effective and accountable policing that increases public safety. It is putting federal law enforcement on the path to becoming the gold standard of effectiveness and accountability,” Biden said.
Derek Chauvin, a 20-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, was convicted in the murder of Floyd, after his chokehold resulted in Floyd’s death.
“My order also directs the use of federal tools to support similar reforms in state and local agencies. Across our Administration, we have made significant progress in fulfilling the requirements of my executive order, making policing safer and rebuilding trust in American communities,” Biden said.
Since Biden became president, crime has soared in cities across the nation, in part because of the Biden border policy, which has allowed millions of undocumented criminals to enter the United States.
In the nation’s major cities, homicides were 42.6% higher in 2022 compared to 2019, according to the America First Policy Institute. In the past year, robbery has increased by 13%, larceny by 20%, motor vehicle thefts by 21%, and residential and nonresidential burglaries by 6% and 8%, respectively.
But Biden was not focused on stopping crime. He was focused on police reform.
“But we know that implementing real and lasting change at the state and local levels requires Congress to act. I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability and urge Congress to pass meaningful police reform and send it to my desk. I will sign it,” he said.
