The anniversary of George Floyd’s death was remembered Tuesday in Oakland by city and state leaders, youth and others gathered at Youth UpRising, said the office of Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland.
The 11 a.m. gathering at 8711 MacArthur Blvd. and was hosted by the Oakland branch of the NAACP. A separate memorial gathering followed at noon at Broadway and Telegraph Avenue by the Anti Police-Terror Project and Defund Police Coalition.
“Our fight for justice, it’s going to continue on in Mr. Floyd’s honor and will not stop until all black lives matter,” Lee told the group gathered at Youth UpRising.
That group held silent for eight minutes, which was the time former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck before he died. Chauvin was convicted of murder for the death of Floyd.
Mayor Libby Schaaf at Youth UpRising, said, “Let us reflect and honor the community workers, the social justice warriors and the powerful youth who have for years in Oakland, California, worked to end injustice and violence that so tragically ended George Floyd’s life and too, too, many like his.”
Youth performed dance and poetry at Youth UpRising.
“How many hearts need to shatter before we turn the page and start a new chapter?” said Maddux Reid, a student at Oakland’s Skyline High School in his poem “Black Lives Matter.”
Cathy Adams, president and CEO of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, said, “Today is a day for all of us to rise and remember, demanding change to remember George Floyd, remember George Floyd, the man.”
At Broadway and Telegraph Avenue, the groups gathered remembered Floyd as well as demanded a smaller budget for Oakland police and more resources for alternate public safety measures.