United States: Three years after the death of George Floyd, what has changed?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, died of asphyxiation under the knee of a police officer

United States: Three years after the death of George Floyd, what has changed?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, died of asphyxiation under the knee of a police officer. Filmed, his agony shocked the whole world, sparking mass protests against racism and police brutality. Three years later, his aunt, a protester met by Agence France-Presse in 2020 and one of the leaders of an organization dedicated to his memory tell us what has changed or not.

For George Floyd's aunt, Angela Harrelson, among the most notable developments after her nephew's death was "the realization that systemic racism exists." "The conversation is different" at the national level, she told AFP in front of "George Floyd crossroads", the makeshift memorial erected where the 40-year-old was killed in Minneapolis. "People are more open, especially white America, to talking about race relations," she adds.

“People always ask me: do you think things are getting better? Yes,” she judges. She wants proof of this in the conviction of the police officers involved in the death of George Floyd, the reforms undertaken in Minneapolis within the police forces, the programs on diversity in universities.

"Having said that, is there more to do?" Yes. Will there be more deaths at the hands of the police? Yes, there will be,” she acknowledges. This is why the work must continue. "Twenty, 50, 100 years from now, the goal is to not be holding up a sign that says 'Black Lives Matter.' When we don't have to say "Black Lives Matter" anymore, we'll know we've made it. That's the goal,” she concludes.

AFP had met Bethany Tamrat, 22 today, at a protest in Minneapolis in 2020. At the time, she says, it was essential for her to take part in the movement. She particularly wanted "to be able to say 'I saw it with my own eyes'". “At the time, in 2020, it felt like there was a shift […]. There was a lot of hope," "it felt like positive change was going to come out of it," she continues on her college campus. "I can say without a shadow of a doubt that three years later, it was really a facade," says the student. "It almost feels like we've taken five steps forward, fifteen steps back. »

The heated debates about racism awareness programs at school or university are a glaring example, she said. On May 15, nearly a month after AFP's interview with Bethany Tamrat, the governor of Florida signed legislation to end diversity programs at public universities in his state. "I don't think people are ready for change," she said.

Co-founder and executive director of the "George Floyd Global Memorial", Jeanelle Austin explains that real change was possible, but "people don't want it". "Because we have a system and an industry in our country that relies on black people being all the way down," she pings into the space where relics are carefully gathered and sorted.

Policing isn't the only issue, she says: it's also the media, education, the health care system. And "most people have gone back to their routine, as if nothing had happened," she laments. But "the routine is what caused the harm", she says, while "we are in a permanent state of emergency".