Good morning and welcome to Friday. Today's newsletter is dedicated to George Floyd and will consist almost entirely of tributes offered yesterday, the day of his memorial service in Minneapolis. We'll begin with a quick forecast first. Sunny and nice. Twin Cities highs in the lower 80s with 10 to 15 mph winds. Nighttime lows in the upper 50s. Statewide, highs from the upper 60s in the northwest to lower 80s in the south. Clear and cooler at night. More on Updraft | Forecast "For a person who was pretty much unknown to the world until just last week, this is unprecedented." That's how Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, describes the aftermath of George Floyd's killing. "This has touched a nerve," Carson said. "It's been building up for all of American history . I think that people who are aware of the history of this country understand that there's a lot to atone for and a lot to celebrate in terms of people who stood up for justice."
The Rev. Al Sharpton's eulogy said what happened to Floyd is symbolic of African Americans' long oppression. “We could do whatever anybody else could do, but we couldn’t get your knee off our neck,” he said. “It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks ... Time is out for empty words and empty promises. We’re not stopping until we change the whole system of justice.”
The size of Floyd's memorial reflects his impact and the need to recognize the widespread grief his killing has caused. That's from Tashel Bordere, an expert on grief and University of Missouri assistant professor, who added, "grief goes far beyond the funeral; healing goes far beyond the funeral. Justice is experienced when people feel safe in their communities and in their lives."
The attorney for Floyd's family demanded justice, and justice in a way that goes beyond prosecuting the four officers involved in his killing. “What we saw on that video was torture,” said attorney Ben Crump. “What we saw on that video was evil. So, America, we proclaim as we memorialize George Floyd, do not cooperate with evil. Protest against evil. ... We seek a broader, more transformative justice . A more just treatment of people of color. A more just criminal justice system. Make the Constitution real for all Americans.”
Floyd's memorial showed him as more than the symbol he's become. Speakers remembered him as a kind man, always there for his family. His brother Philonise remembered playing video games and football together growing up. “We did a lot of things together,” Philonise said. “Dancing with my mom, cooking with my mom. We made banana mayonnaise sandwiches together.” When the crowd laughed a little, he added, “It was a family thing.”
The remaining memorial services will retrace Floyd's life path. His body will travel next to Raeford, North Carolina, where he was born 46 years ago, for a public viewing and private service for family on Saturday. And on Monday, there will be a public viewing in Houston, from where he left for Minneapolis in 2014, searching for a job and a new life. There will be a 500-person service Tuesday in Houston at The Fountain of Praise church. A private burial will follow.
Now, a brief update on COVID-19 in Minnesota. The number of patients requiring intensive care hit its lowest level in a week yesterday as the number of overall hospitalizations fell, too. More than 80 percent of those infected have recovered to the point they no longer need to be isolated. However, health officials still reported 29 new deaths.
Here are the latest coronavirus statistics:26,273 cases confirmed via 275,622 tests 1,115 deaths 3,253 cases requiring hospitalization 512 people remain hospitalized; 244 in intensive care 21,490 patients no longer needing isolation — Cody Nelson. MPR News | @codyleenelson |
