George Floyd’s brother on protesters: ‘They have pain. They have the same pain that I feel’
(CNN) — The brother of George Floyd — the man who died after pleading that he couldn’t breathe while a police officer held him down with his knee — said that he wants justice for his brother’s death after a second night of protests.
“People are torn and hurt because they’re tired of seeing black men die constantly, over and over again,” Philonise Floyd said in an interview with CNN’s “New Day.”
Protests overnight in Minneapolis were marked by looting and buildings set on fire as crowds of demonstrators clashed with police.
“This is not a one-time thing. It’s going to last forever. … I’m never going to get my brother back,” Philonise Floyd said while wiping away tears.
“I understand and I see why a lot of people are doing a lot of different things around the world. I don’t want them to lash out like that, but I can’t stop people right now. Because they have pain. They have the same pain that I feel. I want everything to be peaceful, but I can’t make everybody be peaceful. I can’t. It’s hard,” he said.
Philonise Floyd cried as he spoke about watching the video of his 46-year-old brother –unarmed and handcuffed — being held down by a police officer and other officers not intervening.
The Minneapolis Police Department fired the four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest. The cause of his death hasn’t been released, and the incident is being investigated by local, state and federal authorities.
Philonise Floyd said he wants to see the officers involved in his brother’s death to be charged with murder.
“These guys need to be arrested, convicted of murder and given the death penalty. They need to,” he said. “Because they took my brother’s life. He will never get that back. I will never see him again. My family will never see him again. His kids will never see him again.”
George Floyd’s family attorney Benjamin Crump said the family wants an independent autopsy to be done because they “do not trust” the city of Minneapolis after what happened.
“It was the police who continued to escalate the situation by keeping the knee on the neck for over eight minutes. I mean, that is unconscionable,” Crump said.