From coast to coast, in all fifty states, including here in North Carolina in Greensboro, Fayetteville, Raleigh and Charlotte, diverse groups of angry youth filled the streets after hours of peaceful protests in memory of Floyd, who was slain when four Minneapolis police officers in Minnesota arrested him for allegedly passing a forged $20 bill at a store, handcuffed him, and then further subdued the Black man by placing him face down in the street, with one officer’s knee in Floyd’s neck for approximately eight minutes.

In the aftermath of the devastating uprisings across North Carolina over the weekend, leaders spoke out, urging all angered by the killing of George Floyd, to respect his memory, and for an end to police violence against Black people.

After Charlotte and Mecklenburg County were placed under a state of emergency for the second time in four years last weekend, Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) said, “The reason we are here is because of modern-day lynchings – the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and others – and the failure of individuals within police departments across the country to value Black lives.”

Black police chiefs and sheriffs across North Carolina have condemned the killing of George Floyd, as have many elected officials.

The Minneapolis police officer who allegedly killed George Floyd has been fired, along with three other officers on the scene who stood and did nothing.