A memorial service in honour of George Floyd was held on
Thursday in Minneapolis and Rev. Al Sharpton’s sermon stood out.
Floyd lost his life in the hands of an officer who pressed his
knee against his neck sparking protests all over US.
On Thursday, Sharpton said he visited the scene of the
incident and it made him realise that blacks have been oppressed for over 400
years.
"When I stood at that spot, the reason it got to me is
that George Floyd's story has been the story of black folks.
"Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could
never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee on our neck,”
he said.
Adding: “What happened to Floyd happens every day in this
country — in education, in health services and in every area of American life.
It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ’Get your knee off our
necks.’ ”
Sharpton called for immediate change announcing a new march
in August to push for reforms.
“In one era, we had to fight slavery. Another era we had to
fight Jim Crow, another era we dealt with voting rights. This is the era to
deal with policing and criminal justice.
“We need to go back to Washington and stand up — black,
white, Latino, Arab — in the shadows of Lincoln and tell them this is the time
to stop this,” he remarked.
Police have made a total of nearly 10,000 arrests in the
country in recent days, according to an estimate reported by American media.
Other arrests were reported Thursday evening in New York among the protesters defying the curfew effective at 8:00 p.m.