FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – About 70 people gathered in Fargo’s Island Park Tuesday evening to pray and pay their respects to George Floyd on the one-year anniversary of his killing by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Many took to the knee for nine minutes and 29 seconds, the time it took for Floyd to die.
Bahati Numbi of Moorhead was among those in the crowd. She said this was a way to remind people not to forget people are still fighting to make others aware of racism and how the police play a role in it.
Faith Dixon of Black Lives Matter-Fargo Moorhead said there’s been some progress made in racial equity but it’s not enough. She says, “We need change and we need it now.”
Mayor Tim Mahoney and Police Chief Dave Zibolski issued a joint statement marking Floyd’s death. They said, “The City of Fargo and the Fargo Police Department have zero tolerance for any and all forms of discrimination. We continue working to identify and eradicate any instances of racial inequalities and implicit bias at all levels of our organization and metro community.”