On Wednesday, July 17th, 2024, Harlem photojournalist Seitu Oronde with Terrance Floyd brother of George Floyd with National Action Network (NAN) participated in the 10th annual murder of Eric Garner.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in the street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd’s head before Floyd was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, with members of the NAN, Dominic Sharpton daughter of Rev. Al Sharpton, to honor his memory at the site of his passing.
The Rev. Al Sharpton joined Ms. Carr, with members of the NAN, to honor his memory at the site of his death.
“We gathered to show community in unity, even amidst the pain and anger, that we will not be divided,” Sharpton wrote in a lengthy post on X. “Together, we fight on in Eric’s name against injustice and police brutality. While we have seen some progress, such as body cameras and the Eric Garner law, true justice and accountability for Eric’s death remain elusive.”
RELATED: Click here to find more of Seitu Oronde’s photo essays at Seitu’s World.
Six years after Garner’s death, the death of George Floyd, who spoke the same words while gasping for air during a police confrontation, ignited a renewed new wave of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.
Both men and so many others are in our thoughts and prayers.
Photo credit: Seitu Oronde.
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