FLOYD FAMILY PEACE PLEA
George Floyd’s brother paid an emotional visit Monday to the scene where his older sibling died — and urged an end to the violence and looting that has erupted over the police-brutality case.
Terrence Floyd collapsed in a friend’s arms on his way to the Minneapolis site, which has now become a memorial to his 46year-old brother, who was killed when a cop knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during what should have been a routine arrest.
Terence, wearing a blue New York Yankees cap, told the crowd, “First of all, hello. I understand you’re upset. Like I already said, I doubt you all are half as upset as I am.
“So if I’m not over here welling up, if I’m not over here blowing up stuff, if I’m not over here messing up my community, then what are ya’ll doing? “What are ya’ll doing? “You’re doing nothing. ’Cause that’s not going to bring my brother back at all.
“It may feel good for the moment, just like when you drink, but when it comes down, you’re gonna wonder what you did.
“My family is a peaceful family. My family is God-fearing. Yeah, we’re upset. But we’re not going to take it. We’re not going to be repetitious.
“In every case of police brutality, the same thing has been happening.
“Y’all protest, you all destroy stuff, and they don’t move. And you know why they don’t move? Because it’s not their stuff. It’s
stuff. So they want us to destroy our stuff. They never move.
“So let’s do this another way. Let’s do this another way.
“Let’s stop thinking that our voice don’t matter. And vote. Not just vote for the president. For the preliminary. Vote for everybody.
“Educate yourself. Educate yourself.
“Don’t wait for somebody else to tell you who’s who. Educate yourself. And know who you’re voting for.
“And that’s how we’re gonna hit them. Because it’s a lot of us. It’s a lot of us. It’s a lot of us!
“And we’re still going to do this peacefully.
“Cause that’s how we gonna get ’em. ’Cause we’re gonna fool ’em.
“They think we gonna do this, gonna do something, and we gonna switch it on them. “Let’s switch it up, y’all. “Let’s switch it up.
“Do this peacefully. Please. “My brother moved here from Houston, and I used to talk to him on the phone. He loved it here. He started driving trucks. He was good.
“So I hardly doubt — no, I know — he would not want y’all to be doing this.
“And I’m not saying the people here. Who’s ever doing it. “Relax.
Terrence Floyd then started chanting, “Peace on the left!’’ with the crowd shouting back, “Justice on the right!’’
“That’s what I’m talking about,’’ he said.
“On behalf of the Floyd family, thank you. Thank you for the love. Thank you for the flowers. Thank you for the memorials. Thank you.
“Now before I go, I just want to hear this again. What’s his name?”
The crowd responded, “George Floyd!’’
Terrence then repeatedly yelled, “George!’’ and they responded, “Floyd!”