On the first night of its national convention, the Democratic Party has sought to cash in on months of raging protests over police brutality to sell 2020 nominee Joe Biden, trotting out George Floyd’s relatives at the event.
“George had a giving spirit, a spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation and around the world. People of all races, all ages, all genders, all backgrounds, peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity,” said Philonise Floyd, the brother of the man slain by Minneapolis police in May, bringing in a moment of silence to honor the memory of “the many other souls we lost to hate and injustice.”
It’s up to us to carry on the fight for justice. Our actions will be their legacies.
‘They should all be alive today’: Speaking from Houston, Philonise Floyd introduced a moment of silence to honor his brother George and others killed at the hands of police. Follow live #DemConvention updates https://t.co/8mtXh0wSovpic.twitter.com/2OT0guA2ct
Though both Biden and running mate Kamala Harris have frequently backed ‘tough-on-crime’ policies that have taken a disproportionate toll on black communities – with Biden helping to write a controversial 1994 crime bill and Harris working as a career prosecutor with a less than progressive record – the Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind growing calls for police reform in recent months. The Black Lives Matter movement has led those demands, and is expected to feature heavily throughout the four-day convention, with DNC Chair Tom Perez saying ahead of the event that the party shares BLM’s “commitment to justice and hears their demands for change.”
When we nominate Joe Biden to be our standard-bearer, we will not miss this moment to ensure those values are reflected in everything we do.
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