Black Lives Matter Long Beach commemorated George Floyd on Tuesday evening on the one year anniversary of his tragic death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
Students opened up about their experiences protesting and why George Floyd’s death in particular sparked a mass movement that lasted several months.
“Quite frankly, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” participant Gregory Johnson, a child of the civil rights movement, said.
The purpose of the memorial event was to honor George Floyd and look back at the activism that Long Beach residents participated in as a result of his death and the tragic deaths of many others due to police brutality.
Participants in the memorial event were encouraged to share their activism efforts over the summer and how the death of George Floyd affected them in their fight for true reform in America.
BLM Long Beach member Audrena Redmond also spoke about the many events and fundraisers the organization put on in the community in an effort to create change.
“Most of us here were in the streets and we were organizing and we were pushing for some change because what happened to George Floyd sadly is not restricted just to Minneapolis, Minnesota,” said Redmond.
The combination of Floyd’s death happening at a time when most of the U.S. population was jobless and people being upset with the government’s financial handling of the pandemic led to thousands of protestors in the streets. Now, more than ever, people had time to rally for what they believed in.
Last summer, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, peaceful protests and rallies led by the local BLM chapter took place in the city of Long Beach.
Other events included the People’s Budget rally and march, a rally in response to Breonna Taylor’s death, and a rally in front of LBPD Police Chief Robert Luna’s residence in response to his violent handling of BLM protests in the past.
LBPD’s handling of the protests, often using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds, left many organizers wounded. Protestor Marisa Baltazar was severely injured after an officer shot off part of her finger with a “less-lethal” round.
Events and fundraisers include feeding the “houseless” community, helping organize the 51st Annual Stonewall Pride March, and participating in community reform. (BLMLB member Audrena Redmond insisted on using the term houseless because the term homeless is considered to be inaccurate and offensive.)
In response to Floyd’s death specifically, BLM Long Beach pushed for the city’s leadership to defund the police and allocate those funds to local institutions that really need them. As a result of their efforts, $1 million was given to the local health department.
According to Redmond, the organization also successfully removed LBPD police officers from public schools in favor of hiring people who specialize in de-escalating potentially harmful situations instead of contributing to them.
Long Beach itself was the target of two peaceful protests. Those who could not protest from the streets used their wallets instead.
The foundation claimed they earned more than $90 million last year. Funds were used to bail out BLM protestors from jail for minor offenses and funding national health organizations, amongst other things.
At the end of the virtual memorial, participants who were not already part of an activist organization were encouraged to join one and make their voices heard.
While Summer 2020 was a year ago, the racial injustice continues.
Since Floyd’s death, over 400 people have already been killed by police officers in 2021 according to the Police Violence Report.
Black Lives Matter and other activist groups are already preparing to take the streets and have their demands for justice heard by encouraging the community to attend future rallies and make their presence known.
“It is up to us… keep your heads up and let’s go… let’s get this!” said Johnson.