Only days ago, McKinney’s 19-year-old son, Ayodele McKinney, felt “the power of marching on the street” to protest the May 25 killing of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of a Minnesota police offer, who now faces a string of charges and has been fired from the force.
Like every conscientious father of African-American sons, McKinney had “the talk” – If you’re ever stopped by police, do everything you are told to do, and be polite; answer “yes, sir” and “no, sir.”
“My older son knows what was going on in his life by the names of people who have died in police custody,” said McKinney.
Charles McKinney saw the future a few years ago when he took his sons to a rally protesting the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
Now his 19 year old, Ayodele McKinney, is among those local protesters saying “no more” to ongoing police brutality and systemic racism.