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Houston activist goes to Minneapolis to protest death of George Floyd
A Houston activist has traveled to Minneapolis to help protest the death of George Floyd, a native of Houston’s Third Ward.
HOUSTON - A Houston activist has traveled to Minneapolis to help protest the death of George Floyd, a native of Houston’s Third Ward.
The daunting images of the fiery riots and looters in Minneapolis gone wild have caught the attention of outspoken activists like Gerry Monroe, who feel like those acts of violence defeat their purpose.
"You have thousands of people who are peacefully protesting, not violating the law here," Monroe said.
Monroe flew from Houston to Minneapolis Wednesday evening and has since taken part in multiple peaceful protests, joining the crowd as they shout the name of his friend and fellow Yates High School alumni, 46-year-old George Floyd.
"They're chanting different things at different times. They’re saying prosecute the police. At different times, they'll be screaming George’s name," Monroe said.
"We have violated the community’s faith and trust in us as law enforcement and we have to work that much harder to build it back," said DeAndre Hutchison, President of the Afro-American Police Officers League.
On Thursday, the Afro-American Police Officers League echoed Monroe’s message, urging the community to stand united against the actions of the four Minneapolis cops. One of them was captured on video pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes while the other three stood-by without intervening. Floyd eventually passed out and died at the hospital.
"We want everyone to express their frustration and pain in a peaceful manner. We can only work towards a solution when everybody is at the table willing to put in work and input but that can’t happen when we are getting arrested for committing vicious crimes in our community," Hutchison said.
Monroe says he plans is to stay in the Twin Cities until justice is served.
"We are actually going to stay here as long as we need. You know, I'm going to stay on until I see them arrest these four officers. That's what I want to see. I want to be here the day that they do," Monroe said.