Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey honors George Floyd on Memorial Day

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey honored George Floyd on Memorial Day, May 25. It was six years ago that George Floyd died while in police custody after being arrested for passing a counterfeit bill in a store. When cell phone video of the arrest went viral online, agitators burned parts of Minneapolis and rioted across the US, causing over $1 billion in damages and leading to the deaths of at least 30 people.

"Today, we remember George Floyd," said Frey, "who was murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer six years ago. That moment changed our city forever." Frey took a knee during the summer of BLM riots in deference to the rioters. He also advocated to defund the Minneapolis police department after claims that policing itself is a racist vestige of slavery.

"It forced Minneapolis to confront painful truths about race, policing, inequity, and trust—and demanded hard conversations and accountability. Since Floyd's murder, our city has been challenged not just to say we've changed, but to prove it," Frey said.

"We’ve worked hard to reform policing, strengthen our department, and rebuild trust with neighbors – while knowing there is still more work ahead. This anniversary also comes as reconstruction begins at George Floyd Square and work continues on the People’s Way," he went on.

"We are committed," Frey promised, "to honoring this place both as a memorial with global significance and as a neighborhood where people live, work, gather, and heal. The work ahead is bigger than any one moment or administration.

"The weight of what happened is still with our city six years later – and the responsibility to keep moving forward together is too. I know we can keep building a Minneapolis that is safer, more accountable, and more worthy of the people who call it home."

An autopsy later revealed that Floyd died from an overdose. Former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for his murder. Minneapolis burned while Frey issued platitudes about racial justice. Since then, Frey has continued to oppose law enforcement, rejecting the authority of federal immigration officials to carry out deportations of those illegal alien criminals with detainer orders. He told Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to "get the f*ck out of Minneapolis."