The families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright hold an emotional press conference in Minneapolis

As snowstorms swirled under gray April skies, the families of George Floyd, Daunte Wright and other Black individuals who lost their lives in police-involved killings held an emotional news conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and dozens of relatives, activists, community members and media gathered outside the Hennepin County Courthouse on a chilly Tuesday. As family members spoke one after the other, there have been tears, prayers, anger and demands for justice. Remarks were often followed by anguished cries of “Say his name!” and “Black Lives Matter!”

In the third week of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the previous Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death in May 2020, the region was once more rocked by the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. The incident took place on Sunday, April 11, in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis.

Wright was reportedly stopped by police for a minor traffic violation. During the arrest, bodycam footage showed the boy’s young father being shot as he tried to flee.

“If there was ever a time when police should not kill anyone in America,” it was during one of the “harsh” trials in American history, Crump told the group. He and co-counsel Jeff Storms were retained by Wright’s family.

Katie Wright said her son called when the incident happened and he seemed scared. As she tried to calm him down, she heard shuffling. A friend who was in the automobile with Wright later broke the news to his mother that her son had died by sharing a cellphone photo. “I have not received any explanation since then,” she said.

Police officials have said publicly that Kim Potter, a 26-year law enforcement veteran, tried to achieve for her Taser but by chance fired it as a substitute. She has since resigned from her position, as has, amongst others, chief of the town police.

There have been protests and unrest in Brooklyn Center for several days, where the young black mayor, Mike Elliott, has promised an intensive investigation.

“We are united. We stand in solidarity,” said Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, an advocacy group in Minnesota. “Enough is enough and we are getting up,” she said during a press conference.

To show solidarity, Deborah Watts, a relative of Emmett Till, also attended. The gruesome 1955 racially motivated murder of a Chicago teenager in Mississippi isn’t a thing of the past, she added. “We are tired and exhausted by terrorism against our families across the country.”

Jurors this week will now hear from the defense team for Chauvin, who faces charges of second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Floyd, 46, died in police custody on May 25, 2020. The viral cellphone video shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for greater than nine minutes. Floyd, handcuffed and lying on the bottom, said, “I can’t breathe,” and called for his mother as Chauvin, 45, kept his hands in his pockets and didn’t render aid. He pleaded not guilty.

Floyd’s gruesome death sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the country and the world. Crump, together with co-counsel Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart and Chris Storms, form the legal team for Floyd’s family. In March, they settled a civil lawsuit with the town of Minneapolis for a historic $27 million.

Crump said Wright’s arrest by police throughout the pandemic, when many drivers had their IDs expired as a result of months of limited or no access to DMV vehicles, was an example of implicit bias. He said the difficulty stays particularly glaring for “marginalized” Americans.

“Daunte Wright is yet another young Black man killed at the hands of those who swore an oath to protect and serve all of us – not just the whitest among us,” Crump said in a press release provided to ESSENCE. “As Minneapolis and the rest of the country continue to grapple with the tragic murder of George Floyd, we must now also mourn the loss of this young man and father. This level of lethal force was completely preventable and inhumane.”

From civil rights organizations to the White House, this latest police-involved killing has stirred emotions. Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said in a press release that that they had “heavy hearts” and that the country must “rethink policing and public safety.”

“Michelle and I join the Wright family in mourning their loss. We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers and children feel after yet another senseless tragedy. We will continue to work with all honest Americans to confront historic inequities and bring about the nationwide change that is so long overdue.”

Karissa Lewis, national field director of the Movement for Black Lives, said in a press release: “Let’s say it again: there is no ‘reform’ of this system – it is time to abandon lethal policing and invest in a public safety vision that protects us all. We mourn with Daunte Wright’s family and community and will continue to fight to move away from systems of oppression in the pursuit of justice and Black liberation.”

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Contractors (NOBLE) released a written statement noting Wright’s fatal traffic stop and the viral video of the incident involving Army 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario.

NOBLE said in part: “Even as police reforms are being implemented in many municipalities, as support for reforms grows, and as our nation finds itself in the center of a trial in the death of George Floyd, with evidence and heartbreaking witness testimony After reviewing the circumstances “His death continues to be an example of excessive use of force, a lack of transparency and understanding of incident-specific policing orders, and another unfortunate loss of life of a citizen of color.”

The statement continued: “When will police leadership and civic leaders stop having to explain the failures of those determined to disregard the principle of “serve and protect?”

As the families of George Floyd, Daunte Wright and countless others seek justice, Crump vowed to fight but lamented the present state of affairs.

“What will it take for law enforcement to stop killing people of color? The growing number of black men and women who have been killed or harmed by police is far too high a price to pay for the equality we seek.”

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