MINNEAPOLIS — Saturday marks four years since George Floyd was murdered by then Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Time has passed, but for those in George Floyd Square Saturday, the wound is still fresh.
"George Floyd is actually from my hometown, my neighborhood, my childhood friend," Shawn Allison, who traveled from Houston, said. "As I'm getting close to the square, like I'm feeling emotion. I can feel him crying, I can hear him crying, I can see his face like it just happened."
"It's gonna always let us know that man, we lost a friend," Corey Smith, another friend who traveled from Houston, added.
While four years have passed, the wounds are still fresh.
"The time is passing, but like I say, the struggle is still the same," Columba Reyes said. "Our color don't mean anything, we are human beings and we deserve respect."
Still, grief can turn into hope and healing when surrounded by the right people. Jay Webb, the gardener for George Floyd Square, is trying to grow those connections.
"Where there was hate, we can add love," Webb said. "It's not how good we are, it's how good we want to be. It's not how good the world is, it's how good we want the world to be."
Roughly a hundred people gathered Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil in Floyd's honor. Family members of Floyd came from the Carolinas to pay their respects.
Multiple city and state government leaders issued statements to mark four years since Floyd's murder.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "Today we honor the life and legacy of George Floyd. Four years ago, Mr. Floyd was murdered by a former MPD officer. On this day each year since, we have remembered Mr. Floyd and kept our hearts with his family, friends, and loved ones. Since May 25, 2020, we have consistently worked together as a city and as a community in the name of change."
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