George Floyd Six Years After His Death: Family & Residents Still Keeping His Legacy Alive

Family members, supporters, and community members gathered on May 23 to honor George Floyd, six years after he was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers. A memorial was held at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the site where Floyd died, now known as George Floyd Square, to remember and celebrate his life. According to KARE 11, the event, titled “Rise and Remember,” featured a marketplace with more than 75 BIPOC-owned businesses, live music, children’s activities, and a candlelight vigil.

Speaking with CBS News Minnesota, Courtney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend, reflected on his caring spirit, saying he would have wanted people to celebrate his life rather than mourn his death. Ross also distributed copies of Heather N. Wilde’s Floyd’s Baller, a young adult historical fiction novel told from the imagined perspective of Floyd’s best friend, Adarryl Hunter, before the world knew Floyd’s name.

“Floyd would like it like this. Floyd would want everybody celebrating, like he never liked to see tears in anybody’s eyes. And I tell people all the time, whenever he saw anybody in need, he would take his big arm, you know, and wrap it around them,” she shared.

What happened to George Floyd?

On May 25, 2020,  Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd, handcuffed and pinned to the ground by former officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, repeatedly pleaded that he could not breathe. The fourth ex-cop, identified as Tou Thao, held back bystanders and prevented them from intervening. The fatal encounter began after a convenience store employee accused Floyd of using a counterfeit bill. Video captured by bystanders quickly spread around the world, sparking global protests and renewed demands for police reform.

Residents and notable figures say more needs to be done to prevent police violence. 

All four former officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired and later convicted. While many viewed the convictions as a measure of accountability, community advocates say much more work remains to prevent similar tragedies. Photo studio owner King Demetrius Pendleton stressed the need for continued involvement and support within the community. He took photos of the protests that erupted shortly after Floyd’s death, archiving them so the world never forgets that tragic day.

“I’m asking that people just don’t come out on this particular day, but come out all particular times because this community needs their help,” the Minneapolis resident told CBS News Minnesota.

The commemoration comes amid ongoing concerns about police violence nationwide. According to the annual Police Violence Report, killings by police remained high in 2025 despite a slight decline from the previous year. The report found that 1,201 people were killed by police in 2025, compared to 1,271 in 2024, which marked a record high. Although the numbers decreased slightly, they remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Notably, Minneapolis was also the site of two high-profile deaths tied to federal immigration enforcement operations earlier this year. Federal agents participating in an immigration crackdown fatally shot multiple individuals, including Renee Good, who was observing a protest against ICE on Jan.7, and Alex Pretti, a nurse, who was reportedly attempting to protect a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by agents before he was tackled, disarmed, and fatally shot on Jan. 24. Both incidents sparked renewed protests and intensified concerns over the use of force by authorities in Minneapolis.

Terrill Griffin told the outlet that while growth has occurred over the last six years, recent events are a prime example of why a “tremendous amount of healing still has to come forward” for residents.

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton was among many political leaders who called for stronger police reform legislation, urging lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The proposed legislation, which passed the House in 2021, seeks to increase accountability for police misconduct, restrict certain policing practices, improve transparency and data collection, and establish stronger national standards for law enforcement training.

It would also lower the criminal intent standard required to convict officers in federal misconduct cases, limit qualified immunity protections in civil lawsuits, and expand the Department of Justice’s authority in pattern-or-practice investigations.

“The struggle for justice cannot be seasonal or episodic. It must remain consistent, persistent, and unwavering. We owe that to George Floyd, and to every family still fighting for equal justice under the law,” wrote Sharpton, who shared the message alongside Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, on Monday. 

SEE MORE: 

The Legacy Of George Floyd: 1 Life That Sparked A Global Movement

Black Ex-Cop In George Floyd’s Killing Leaves Prison