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Terrence Floyd, the brother of Minneapolis police-murder victim George Floyd, endorsed former NYPD cop Eric Adams for mayor on Wednesday.
Floyd, who is a New York resident, said that he trusts Adams, a Democrat now serving as Brooklyn borough president, to reform the department through his firsthand experience working on the inside.
“I lost my brother to police violence last year when an officer used their knee to choke him to death — but he was sadly just one of many many black men to be killed in that way,” said Floyd in a statement released through Adams’ campaign.
“More than 40 years ago, Arthur Miller was murdered by a police officer in New York when that officer used a nightstick to choke him to death,” continued Floyd. “Arthur Miller’s death drove Rev. Herbert Daughtry to recruit young black men to join the NYPD and change it from the inside — and one of those men was Eric Adams, who then dedicated his life to racial justice and reforming the police department.”
Adams, who achieved the rank of captain before retiring from the NYPD and entering the political arena, has often spoken of his negative experiences with police in his youth — and how they drove him to join the Finest and make a positive impact from the inside.
That experience on both sides of police-community interactions, Floyd said, is needed to make meaningful change.
“If we are going to make true systemic change in this country, we need leaders like Eric Adams to be in positions of power, and that is why I am supporting Eric for mayor of New York City,” he said. “Eric is the racial justice leader we need right now, and I will be proud to join him on Election Day at the polling booths when he votes, beginning what I believe will be a wave of positive change for this city and our country.”
On Memorial Day 2020, George Floyd was stopped by Minneapolis police after allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill.
One of the officers, Derek Chauvin, drove a handcuffed Floyd to the ground and knelt on his neck, ignoring his gasps for breath until he lost consciousness and died.
The caught-on-video death sparked nationwide protests and calls for police reform, including in New York.
Chauvin was fired from the department, arrested and ultimately convicted of Floyd’s murder.
“George Floyd’s tragic murder at the hands of police ignited a movement for reform, the effects of which are still being felt today,” said Adams in the joint statement with Terrence Floyd. “As someone who has spent decades fighting against police violence and for racial justice — and who himself was beaten by police — it was deeply painful to see yet another Black life cut short.
“But I also took heart in seeing so many people take to the streets demanding change in the wake of Mr. Floyd’s death,” continued Adams. “I am so grateful to receive the endorsement of his brother Terrence, who has been an outspoken voice for justice. Together, we will continue the fight for racial justice and comprehensive police reform.”
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