But i mean, a great guy, great man, and as a child without no father figure, he was big brother, but i didnt see the stuff that he was doing the best that he can and the mistakes that he made and watching him, correcting myself as a teenager growing up. And learning from him how to be a man. Everything he taught us, he was teaching us how to be a man because he was in the world already before us. And he gave us a lot of great lessons. And one thing about a man, responsibility, he would stand up for his family and friends. And i want you to know that he would stand up for any injustice anywhere. So yall please say his name. George thankall. Im brandon williams, georges nephew. I called him perry. We happened to share the same middle name for some reason. Growing up, im a lot younger than him, but my grandmother raised me. I didnt have a father figure present in my life, so i grew up in the same house with them and my uncles were more a father figure than and with perry being the alpha male, i graph talted to him. Coming up, i played sports. He did. That kind of connected us and brought us real close and we tried not to be this is a lot harder than i thought it would be. I just remember i just remember all of the memories. More than anything, just thank you to him for being there, being a real genuine person, being loving and caring, someone that i can care on no matter what. We didnt have much, but coming up, my grandmother tried her best and he made sure that i had sneakers and clothes and a lot of stuff like that and i appreciate that. And ill end it with a funny story. He was the biggest lebron james fan and i remember i dont know if you guys are familiar with the nba, but when the cavaliers, they came back on the Golden State Warriors in the finals, and i remember the very first phone call and i told him, man, youre too happy, sound like you won the championship. And laughed about it and he said you know how i feel about lebron. I did win the championship. So every time we would talk, i asked him, hey, how you doing, you good . And he said i feel like i won a championship. And that kind of stuck. Just this inside thing that we had. So i know him being a strong person that he was and seeing ifsh co everybody coming together and rallying ash him and s ining ar more than anything with everybody grieving, he would want us to feel like we won a chafrl sh championship. So ill seend on that note. Thank yall. Prielease give his family another round of afternoon 34r5us. So he show show them love. We learned they love to eat. And they had a conversation with tyler perry and we are the big extended family that you portrayed on your movie screens because we all need one another and you can tell this family always needed george. And so it is awfully difficult for them. The plea for justice is simply this. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to person twrat it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really like cooperating with it. That video we saw was tortured. What we saw in that video was inhuma inhumane. Martin iii, what we saw in that video was evil. And so america, we proclaim as we memorialize george floyd, do not cooperate with evil. Protest against evil. Join the young people in the streets. Protest against the evil, the inhumane, the torture that they witnessed on that video. We cannot cooperate with evil. We cannot cooperate with injustice. We cannot cooperate with torture. Because george floyd deserved better than this. We all deserve better than this. His family deserves better than this. His children deserve better than this. All george wanted from life is what any of us waas Thomas Jefferson said in the declaration of independence, the inalienable rights endowed by our create or, life, liberty an the pursuit to be happy on this earth. That is all that george was after like any of you. But he was denied those rights. And we will seek justice in his name. We will all unite as a people who are gods children to seek justice in his name. But beyond the specific justice, in his case, chris, the process could you go process could you secution of t individuals who deprived him of his life, we seek a broader more transformative justice. A more just system of policing. Just treatment of people of color. A more just criminal Justice System. And in essence when we are endeavoring to do, brandon, what my hero Thurgood Marshall said, make the constitution real for all americans. You see, Justice Marshall said the basis of the constitution is simply this, that black baby born to a black mother, the most un uneducated black mother. The most inarctic could you what the black mother, the most improvished black mother have the same exact rights as a white baby. The most educated white mother, the most articulated and most affluent white mother, just by virtue of that baby drawing its first breath as an american. Justin marshall said i know that is not the case in america today, but i challenge anybody to say that that is not the goal worth fighting for. He said i challenge anybody to say that is not what makes america the great beacon of hope and justice for all the world to marvel. So when we fight for the George Floyds of the world, but more importantly, when we fight for the unknown grneorge floyd of t word, the trayvon make yortins e word, the eric garners of the word, when the sandra plannbran t the world, the brionna taylors of the world, when we fight for the least of these. Lrands of the world, the brionna taylors of the world, when we fight for the least of these. Ands of the world, the brionna taylors of the world, when we fight for the least of these. What were doing is helping america live up to its creed. What were really helping is helping america be the great beacon of hope and justice for all the world to marvel. But most importantly, brother a a are and sister, were helping america be america for all americans. We dont want two Justice Systems in america. One for black and one for white. What we endeavor to achieve is equal gestures for the United States of america and george floyd is the moment to gives us the best opportunity ive seen in a long time of reaching that high idea that this country was founded on. Thank you so much. This is the plea for justice. On behalf of the family, the children, we will get justice. Were committed to it. And now i would introduce you to a man who really needs no introduction who will eulogize george floyd, here is a man who has fought for so many families that too many have had to remember. And when he gets the call, he always answers the call. Even when the cameras arent around or after they are gone, as eric garners clark, after the cameras are gone, he continued to answer the bell when our people call. And he is a leader that you see on tv but more importantly, he is a leader who has lived our experiences and that makes him so effective on comment dating on msnbc about our experiences. And he will talk about the experience of the terrible lossn msnbc about our experiences. And he will talk about the experience of the terrible loss of somebody who should be with us today and that is george floyd. Give a great round of applause for the reverend al sharpton. Thank you. I want us to not sit here and act like we had a funeral on the schedule. George floyd should not be among the deceased. He does not die of Common Health conditions. He died of a common american criminal justice malfunction. He died because of there has not been the corrective behavior that has tout this country that if you commit a crime, it does not matter whether you wear blue jeans or a blue uniform, you must pay for the crime you commit. So it is not a normal funeral. It is not a normal circumstance. But it is too common. And we need to deal with it. Let me ask those of you that in the tradition of eulogies need a scriptur biblical reference, to everything there is a time and purpose and season under the heavens. And i saw somebody standing in front of a church the other dana had been boarded up as a result of violence. Held the bible in his hand. Ive been breaching since i was a little boy, never seen anybody hold a bible like that, but ill leave that alone. But since he held the bible, if he is watching us today, i would like him to open that bible. And id like him to read ecclesiastic 3. To every season there is a time. And a purpose. And i think that it is our job to let the world know when we see what is going on in the streets of this country, and in europe around the world, that you need to know what time it is. First of all, we cannot use bibles as a prop. And for those that have agendas that are not about justice, this family will not let you use george as a prop. If you want to get your stuff off, dont use him. Let us stand for what is right. Because when i got the call from attorney crump, usually when he calls me, it is not to find out how im doing. It is usually because something happened that he wants National Action network and i to get involved. And he explained to me what was happening with thicase. And i already hard about it in the xwleed. And immediately i said, well, lets me know what you want me to do. And he said whatever you haneed. People say all i want is publicity. And that is exactly what i want because nobody calls me the keeper of secrets. People call me to blow up issues that nobody else would be deal with. Ill blow up man and i dont apologize for that. Because you get away too much with hiding things. You talk about yall putting clothes in the oven to have your clothes dried. Well, i grew up in brownsville and we had roaches. And i know kevin hart and some of the rich hollywood folk dont know what roaches are, but we had roaches. And one thing i found out about roaches is that if you keep the light off, if you in the dark, a roach will pull up your dinner table and have a five course meal. So i learned one of the ways to deal with roaches is if you consult t cut the light off, i could run them roaches and track them down. And ive spent all my life chasing roaches all over this country. Isnt i talked to the family and got the details and heard that among georges last words was i cant breath. I immediately thought about eric garner. I called his mother and i said that i know that we are not going out because of the coronavirus. But this is so much like eric. If we could arrange some private way to go to minneapolis, would you go. And she said, refer end verend already packing. And tyler perry said ill give the plane, whatever yall need because this is wrong. And robert smith said dont worry about the funeral cost. People across economic and racial lines started calling and getting in. And we flew out her her and i last thursday and when i stood at that spot, the reason it got to me is George Floyds story has been the story of black folks. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee on our neck. We were smarter than the underfunded schools you put us in. But you had your knee on our neck. We coukocould run corporations not hustle in the streets, but you had your knee on our neck. We had creative skills, we could do whatever anybody else could do. But we couldnt get your knee off our neck. What happened to floyd happened every day in this country and inner area of america life, it is time for us to stand up in george eye name a georges name and say get your knee off our neck. We thought maybe we had a complex, maybe it was just us. But even blacks that were broke throu through, you kept your knee on that neck. Michael jordan won all of these championships and you kept digging because you kept the knee on our neck. Whites, housewives would run home to see a black woman on tv named Oprah Winfrey and you messed with her because you just cant take your knee off our neck. Man comes out of a single parent home, educates himself and raises up and becomes the president of the United States and you ask him for his birth certificate because you cant take your knee off our neck. The reason why were marching all over the world is we were like george, we couldnt breathe. Not because there was something wrong with our lungs, but because that you wouldnt take your knee off our neck. We dont want no favors, just get up off of us and we can be and do whatever we can be. Some have looted and done other things. And none of us in this family condones looting or are violence. But the thing i want us to be real cognizant of is there is a difference between those calling for peaceful and those calls for quiet. Some of yall dont want peaceful. You just want quiet. You just want us to shut up and suffer in silence. The overwhelming majority of the people marching, they were trying to break barriers. They wasnt trying to steal nothing, they were trying to get back the justice that you stole from us. Those that broke the law should pay, but so should the poor policeman that called this f funeral today. We dont have a problem denouncing the looting, but it seems like some in the criminal Justice System have a problem looking at a tape and knowing that there is probable cause and it takes a long time for you to go and do what you see that you need to do. But im crump said, involved a lot in these fight, we started around criminal justice. I did speeches and eulogies at most of the funerals that weve had in this space in the last couple of decades. And led the marches and did what we had to do. I look at martin iii, we went to jail together fighting these fights like his daddy went to jail before. But im more hopeful today than ever. Why . Well, let me go back. Reverend jackson always taught me go back to your text. There is a time and a season. And when i look this time and saw marches where in some cases young whites outnumbered the blacks march, i know that it is a different time and a different season. When i looked and saw people in germany plarn germany marching for george floyd, it is a different time and a different season. When they went in pronfront of parliament in enr llondon and s that it was a different time and a different soem, im telling you this is a time of building with accountability in the criminal Justice System. Years ago i went to march. And i remember a Young White Lady looked me right in the face and said nigger go home. But when i was here last thursday and headed back to the airport, i stopped near the police station. And as i was talking to a reporter, a young white girl, didnt look no older than 11 years old, she came up and i looked around and i braced myself because she looked at me and said no justice no peaceful. It is a different time. It is a different season. And if my bible carrying guy in front of that church, if i got him to open up the bible, i want you to remember something. I was late last october to an appointment because the time changed and my watch was on the wrong time. And once a year time goes forward. And if you dont move your watch, you will find yourself an hour late not because your watch was wrong, because you had your watch on the wrong time. Well, i come to tell you that sitting in washington talking about militarizing the country, figuring that you can sell whoop tickets to people who had enough of abuse, i come to tell you that you can get on the tv but you where on the wrong time. Time is out for not hold willing you accountable. Time is out for you making excuses. Time is out for empty promises. Time is ultimate for you filibustering and time to stall the arm of justice. This is the time we wont stop, we going to keep going until we change the whole system of justice. Our organizations have called this a day of mourning. Naacp, National Urban league, dwns fu defense fund, all got together said well have a day of mourning. But then we going to come out of this day of mourning because there is something about experts he, others that know the legal field have outlined a Legal Process that we must enforce. Ex legal field have outlined a Legal Process that we must enforce. E, others that know the legal field have outlined a Legal Process that we must enforce. , others that know the legal field have outlined a Legal Process that we must enforce. Everything from residency and dealing with police background. Talking to governor quu know tod q in new york, he said that we have to change how we stop people. If they stop you, they find out everything that you ever did. Why dont we know when it police men have a pattern . There was pattern and practice under consent decrees. They put it under consent decree. One of the first things that happened in the next administration was they stopped the ckoconsent decree. We have specific policies that need to happen. Therefore im glad that martin iii is here today because on august 28, the 57th anniversary of the march on washington, we going back to washington, martin. That is where your pafather sto and said i have a dream. And were going back this august 28th to restore and recommit that dream, to stand up because just like in one era, we had to flight slavery, another era we had to fight jim crow, and then we dealt with voting right, this is the era to deal with policing and criminal justice. We need to go back to washington and stand up, black, white, l k latino, arab, sell them this is the time to stop this. Well be starting a noz pru and l new process and led by the families that knows the pain and know what is it is to be neglected. And getting us ready to vote not just for who is going to be in the white house, but the statehouse and the city councils. That allow the policing measures to go unquestioned. We are going to change the time. Let me say this to the family who has shown such great grace. Level and balanced thinking. And i want them to help leeld this a lead this and i want dr. Michael, ive asked we need to break down because yall dont know what time it is. You all are operating like it is yesterday. And the reason yall are late catching up to what these protests mean is because you didnt turn your clock forward. Talk about America Great. Great for who . Well make America Great for everybody the first time. Never was great for blacks. Never was great for latinos. It wasnt never great for others. Wasnt great for women. Women had to march to get the right to vote. But lastly is the religious side. I was reading and kept thinking about how i was a little embarrassed because when i heard that george at this point of structuring this brutal attack called for his mama, i said to attorney crump, i said i appreciate talking to his brothers on the phone, but i wasnt to talk to his mother. And he said his mother passed. I said his mother passed . But he was calling for his mother. And i thought about it, you about because i was raised by a single mother and sometimes the only thing between us and our conditions was our mothers. Sometimes the only thing that we had that would take danger away was our mothers. Only ones that would make sure that the food was on the table was our mother. I know why george was calling for mama. But then as i had got that all placed in my mind and i realized why i was always calling my mother died eight years ago, but i still try to talk to her. Sometimes just dial her cellphone to hear the voice mail that i never cut off. I still want to reach out to mama. But talking to quincy last night, one of his five children, quincy said, you know, i was thinking maybe he was calling his mother because at the point that he was dying, miss mother was stretching her hands out saying come on, george. Ill welcome you and wicked will cease from troubling. Where police dont put knees on you, george. There is a place that prosecutors dont drag their feet. Maybe mama said come on, george. There is a god that looks down low and he will make a way out of nowhere. This god is still on the throne. Believing that we can fight. I dont care who is in the white house. There is another house says if well fight, he will fight our battles. If we stand up, he will hold us up. So as we leave here today, i say to this family, i know that years ago reverend jackson said keep hope alive and president obama wrote a book about hope. But i want you to know in my life, there are times that i lost hope firefighter thi, thin that advance your hope, but as something that is called faith. And faith is the substance of things. Hope for. The evidence of things unseen. And faith is when it you got a pile of bills and no money, but you say that he will provide all of my needs. Faith is when you got no medicine in the cabinet and you are sick in your body but you say he is a doctor that never lost a patient. And he will dry tears from my eyes. Faith is when your friends walk out, when your loved ones turn their back. But you stay i dont believe he brought he me this far. To complete me now. We didnt come this far by luck. We didnt come this far by faith. We come this far by faith leaning on the lord, trusting in his holy word. He never he never he never failed me yet. From the outhouse to the white house, we come a long way, god shall, god will, god always has he will make a way for his children. Go on home, george. Get your rest, george. You changed the world, george. Well keep marching, george. Well keep fighting, george, we done turn the cop, george. Timeout. Timeout. Timeout. Sf and well sing a song and after wit after which, Derrick Johnson amd for the time that he was on the ground. And we want you all over the world to stand with us for 8 46 to make the commitment for justice. In the name of george. I want to thank the members of the Congressional Black Caucus for being with us. I want you to stand. I want to standing his kids and revere Martin Luther ringoout euther k with us. And the mayor and their brides for being with us. Amy klobuchar of the state of minnesota. I want to state with my mentor and one who fought this fight for more than a half a century, rev Jesse Lewis Jackson is with us. And his spokesman for the rainbow push, Jonathan Luther jackson. And i want to thank from the entertainment world kevin hart, he told me dont mention he is here, so dont clap. Stand up, kevin. We joke with each other. Brother, stand up, brother, brother ludacris. Tyrice gibson. Extraordinary actor. And master p. The one and only Creative Genius will packett is with us today. And a brosh are thther that we together. And he does not just put his name on somebodys petition, brother t. I. Is in the house. I want this brothers, one of the greatest gospel singers alive. Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute. I didnt want to announce it and say let me tell you something, one of the most popular outstanding artists that is also committed. I read her interview, she think im old and i dont read stuff, but i do. And shes been saying the right things and she wanted to be here today and i was so busy joking with kevin, i didnt like at her, let husband welcome sister tiffany had addition in the house. Difference fanlg tiffany had additi tiffany that haddish in the house. I got them all. Lets matter a selection from brother walker. I came from brooklyn, new york to do in for gornlt aeorges family. Let lets codo it, put your hands together, come on. Every praise is to our god, every praise, every praise is it our god sink hg hallelujah to our god glory hallelujah to our god every praise every praise is to our god come on, lets take it up. Every praise is it our god every word of worship is one of the lord. Every praise, he have praieveryo our sink hg hallelujah to our god glory hallelujah to our god every praise, every praise is to our god every praise is to our god, he have word of worship is one of hope every praise, every praise is to our god, sing hallelujah to our god, glory hallelujah to our god every praise, every praise is to our god [ music playing ] and we pray and we pray and we pray and we pray and we pray and we praise him and we praise him and we praise him to our god and we praise him to our god all right. As we remain standing, i want to recognize crowd bellacourt of the American Indian movement. Brother, were honored that you came. Thank you. Around let me say they recognize someone yell out the state, chairman naacp and many black lives matter and many Grass Roots Organization that have been doing the protests on the ground in minneapolis and around the country, movements are about everybody. We dont exclude anybody. That is the reverend al sharpton who gave the eulogy now calling out some of the people in the crowd and doing some political work. As he did as well during his eulogy here. I have to say he called himself the blower upper during eulogy and if you were uncomfortable in parts of that eulogy, its probably on purpose from the reverend al sharpton. Thats what he does thats what he wants. He wants you to think about the actions in this country and to put people as we say on blast for their action or lack thereof. Talking about getting your knee off our necks. About the history of this country when it comes to people of color. Speaking of the former president and making really had no hesitation talking about the current president and the birther issue and so on and so forth. And the current president calling what he calls a bible, religion as a stunt two days ago in washingtonful all of this part of the Memorial Service for george floyd. What kept running through my mind, brooke, is a couple things. Number one is how many of these services have we not seen, hundreds or thousands of people who have lost loved ones for Police Brutality or criminal justice we dont see on our television sets. Or those of you concerned and i would not be a journalist if i did not talk about this is the social distancing, just so you know attendees in minneapolis were asked to socially distance themself, the speaker at the podium asked attendees to silt sit and social e socially distance a crowd. They are Wearing Masks. Others were not Wearing Masks as we know. As we have been reporting for months on this network that Services Like this can be super spreader events for the coronavirus. We are in the middle of a pandemic. But people, this family, their representative, they chose to get together and do this and we must be respectful. But we do have to report for some people at home i just came from a zoom funeral, i didnt get to see my loved one, send them off. But this is happening and this is how they chose to do it the part that got me when the reverend al sharpton talked about him calling for his mother. As a mamas boy, you know, i dont go anywhere without my mama i have been texting her throughout the service talking about the things we mentioned. We talked about the folks here, i hope everybody is Wearing Masks and being safe there. There was a political tone to this as well. This is something you will see in every single black church on sunday, the reverend al sharpton addressed. No pun intended as here. But you will hear that. Thats the message for george floyd, the change that they hope will come from this from his death as his daughter, his young 6yearold daughter said, my dadly changed the world. You get that sense from hearing from members of the family, right . From ben crump, the attorney saying now is the time. Now is the opportunity talking about the Justice Systems in this country and there should be one and this is the opportunity to have one Justice System. What you said off the top when reverend sharpton kept on that refrain, get off our necks, he said this, we dont want any favors, just get off of us and we can do and be whatever we want to be. Yeah. Thats the thing listen, al sharpton is quite polarizing. Ive known him for years but he says what he means and there is a reason that the family chose al sharpton to do this eulogy is this is the type of message that they wanted to send. They wanted someone who would light a fire under america, who was as al sharpton said, himself, a self proclaimed blower upper . That people came to him. They wanted all this stuff. Whatever their issue is blasted. He put people on blast. America on blast torpt america. Political america. The sports world. Talked about what celebrities were doing and so on and so forth. That was the message coming today. Lets bring in laura coats and lauren bacari, as we sit here and watch this, taking 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the minutes almost 9 minutes that george floyd was on that ground, on the road there. The blacktop as we would say when i was a kid, saying he couldnt breathe. I cant breathe and hereby we r. I say if that message made you uncomfortable, good, it made you think. What do you say to that . You know, al sharpton has given me eulogies so much. That the first thing that crossed my mind like al sharpton is here having to do something he does very well deliver a powerful message to the country and deliver a healing word and people have to realize how much faith means to people in this country in particular. When you go through so much trauma and pain, you will resht this. You got those women that sit in the first two rows with the real big hats. We got about 30 seconds, here i want to get laura in i want to say its that healing and nourishment, like the ladies with the big hats. Go ahead, laura what do you want to say . Whats so poignant is how reverend al sharpton has been, not just in recent times. Hes still fighting in all of the years we have been looking for civil rights and equality and the idea that i am hard of hearingening back to making power. We heard from president obama yesterday and about the idea of using light. He used a roach anal of turning on the light and people are scattered and following and the cell phones are an antiseptic at this point in time all deliberate speed and having to intervene that we actually have to 1st accountability. So power. So poignant, coming from him, in particular. Brooke. I just want to thank all of you for being here through honoring and celebrating george floyd and, of course, our coverage will continue. I love you all. Its r ritz an honor. So, thank you all. Thank you. Lets go to washington now with the lead request jake tapper starts right now. [ music playing [ music playing ] this is cnn breaking news. Welcome to the lead often this historic day. Im jake tapper. You have been watching this afternoon. A Community Coming together to mourn and to remember the life of george floyd the first Memorial Service for the unarmed black man killed by a white Police Officer lastyear week. Police gathered in minneapolis, brothers, a cousin and a nephew all speaking, honoring his
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