Galvanized by the murder of George Floyd, hundreds of people attended racial justice demonstrations last year in Moore County.
The local chapter of the NAACP held a vigil for Floyd in downtown Southern Pines, where a throng of masked mourners knelt in silence for nearly nine minutes. That is about how long a former Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floydâs neck before the unarmed Black man perished in front of a convenience store on May 25.
OâLinda Watkins, president of the Moore County NAACP, was delivering food to needy families on Tuesday when she learned that Derek Chauvin, the white officer who killed Floyd, had been found guilty of murder. While pleased with the juryâs verdict, Watkins said she is âa little on edge about the sentencing,â which will not be announced until June.