The murder of George Floyd by a police officer last summer which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement now has a tangible and visible impact. The lawsuit has been settled, the victim’s family gets millions in compensation and the police are being reformed. BLM protests have made pressure on authorities which now shows a positive impact.
GEORGE FLOYD’S ESTATE GETS $27 MILLION
On Friday, March 12th the city of Minneapolis council unanimously voted to settle a lawsuit with George Floyd’s estate and pay $27 million. His brother Philonise Floyd was pleased with the settlement although it does not help with missing George forever: “I thank the state of Minnesota for getting this settlement taken care of. But even though my brother is not here, he’s here with me in my heart. Because if I could get him back, I would give all of this back. I know that he’s with us, and he’s standing up, right now, knowing that we have the opportunity to be able to fund low-income, African American communities.”
He thanked the protesters for supporting his family during the height of the pandemic and also called out for peace. Bridget Floyd – George Floyd’s sister made the following statement: “While we will never get our beloved George back, we will continue to work tirelessly to make this world a better, and safer, place for all.”
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS BEING REFORMED
Another positive impact is visible with the upcoming police department reform. Both Floyd’s family and their lawyer Ben Crump hailed the reform while Ben made the following statement: “The settlement is not just historic because of the $27 million paid out but for the impact on social justice policy reforms and police reforms. Because the financial compensation most directly impacts George Floyd, and his family, the future of his family. But it is the policy reforms that affect all of us.”
It is encouraging to see that Floyd’s tragic death will not just end with a financial settlement. It is necessary to make adjustments within the government in order to prevent similar events in the future and the reform just might contribute to that mission. Hopefully, wider societal changes will follow.
EFFORTS OF PROTESTERS PAID OFF
It remains to be debated how this settlement would end and whether reform would follow if there were no BLM protests. However, since we are witnessing a positive change after this tragic case, everything that happened before contributed to the change itself including protests. And surely the authorities do not want another series of widespread protests or public unrest.
To a certain extent which highly matters for the entire nation, the movement keeps rulings and reforms checked. Because as widely written on protester’s signs: “No justice, no peace!” For all that matters protests, lawsuits and the fight for justice have yet again proved that IT CAN BE DONE! And we sure know what to do if there is no justice in the future: more protesting!
