George Floyd anniversary: Joe Biden meets family as US embassies fly Black Lives Matter flag

As many as 30 gunshots were reported a block from George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on Monday, one year to the day that Mr Floyd was murdered.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene heard the shots and reported that there were no known injuries as of yet.

Meeting with Nancy Pelosi today, Philonise Floyd said the killing of his brother’s one year ago “set the world in a rage”.

“And people realize what’s going on in America, and we all said enough is enough,” he said.

“We need to fight one thing and that Covid, that’s what we need to be fighting. We need to be working together to make sure people do not live in fear in America anymore.”

The family met with Pelosi to discuss the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ahead of their private meeting with Joe Biden.

Pelosi, how has previously thanked Floyd for his “sacrifice”, said today his death would lead to change.

“People around the world flooded the streets for days and weeks,” Pelosi said. “[Daughter] Gianna said, ‘my daddy would change the world’.”

What sounds like roughly a dozen shots can be heard fired in the background of a live ABC news broadcast from George Floyd Square as people can be heard shouting “down, down, down, behind the engine block, behind the engine block” before the footage cuts back to the anchor in studio.

“Alright we’re going to check in with Alex in a bit, sounds like there may be some trouble there in Minneapolis, we’re going to check in with them, obviously we hope that they are safe,” the anchor says, before discussing police reform.

After the shooting and cut away to the studio, KARE11 reports on cities that voted to defund the police.

See the footage below.

Press secretary Jen Psaki was asked today if Joe Biden supports a compromise proposed to overcome a sticking between Democrats and Republicans on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The compromise proposed by senator Tim Scott is to allow civil suits to be brought against entire police departments instead of individual officers, similar to a practice in the legal and medical industries.

Asked at the daily briefing if the president would support the compromise, Psaki said “we’ll see what the final agreement looks like”.

“The president has had a principle from the beginning, which is that he wants to allow the negotiators the time and space to have those negotiations and discussions,” Psaki said.

“We have been closely engaged with the negotiators and a range of parties on the Hill, we have also been respecting the space needed for the negotiators to have these discussions about where they can find common ground.”

Press secretary Jen Psaki took a sideswipe at the “defund the police” movement from the Democrat’s far left-wing during today’s media briefing.

Psaki was pressed by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on whether Joe Biden agreed with the mayor of St Louis how said more police does not prevent crime.

In response, Psaki said “there’s not going to be a shortage of funding under our watch”.

“The president believes there are a number of steps that need to be taken to rebuild trust in communities,” she said.

“Police reform is long outdated. He also believes there needs to be funding for local programs and local initiatives and there’s not going to be a shortage of funding under our watch.”

Phil Scott has signed a proclamation designating Tuesday as George Floyd Remembrance Day in Vermont on the anniversary of Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

Floyd, 46, who was Black, died on Memorial Day 2020 after then-Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground for about 9 1/2 minutes. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last month of murder and faces sentencing June 25. Three other fired officers still face trial.

“One year ago today, George Floyd, an African American man, was murdered by a police officer. His death under the knee of someone charged with protecting all citizens, and caught on video for all to see, was a terrible tragedy –- one that sparked grief and outrage around the country,” Scott said in a statement. “Importantly, it also inspired a national reckoning on racial justice and equity and the role we all play to address these issues, as well as reforms to modernize law enforcement and address racism across government systems. ”

Scott said he marked the day with a proclamation “so that we reflect on Mr. Floyd’s death and remember why we must continue to acknowledge systemic racism and inequality in order to fulfill the promise of American freedom and justice for every citizen.” - AP

The White House previewed Joe Biden’s meeting today with the family of George Floyd, saying he will mostly listen to hear how they’re doing and give an update on the Justice in Policing Act.

“A lot of the meeting will be listening to them and hearing from them on what they want the path forward to look like. He’ll provide them I’m sure an update on his efforts on the legislation and the negotiator’s,” press secretary Jen Psaki said.

“But he really wants it to be a private meeting because he has a personal relationship and he wanted to hear how they’re doing.”

That update will be slim if it reflects the update from Psaki during the White House daily briefing.

Asked repeatedly what Biden is doing to pressure lawmakers to reach an agreement in passing the act to meet his self-imposed deadline this week, Psaki would say only he’s giving “space for them to negotiate, so we’re not going to get ahead of that”.

“The president looks forward to signing the bill into law as soon as possible, but he’s encouraged by the fact that they’re making progress and he’ll stay in close touch with them as they continue to negotiate.”

Governor Tim Walz announced 9 minutes and 29 seconds of silence at 1pm local time to mark the anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

‘Celebration of life’ with street art, vendors and murals, says MSNBC

The cable news network is on the ground as the moment of silence gets underway in Minneapolis, with correspondent Shaquille Brewster reporting a celebratory atmosphere.

“I’ll tell you the vibe, the atmosphere here has been one of celebration and this is the celebration of life that’s being hosted by the George Floyd memorial foundation, there are vendors here, painting art murals, there’s actually walk up Covid vaccines that are taking place here,” he said.

“Sh*t, sh*t where is that? We’re ok, we’re ok, we’re ok, we’re ok,” a reporter can be heard saying as people run for cover during the live broadcast.

AP reporter Phillip Crowther counted about 30 shots fired, and said another journalist had her phone smashed for taking photos of a storefront hit by bullets.