George Floyd’s murder was broadcast on national television. Americans and the world watched in horror as one Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck until the life left his body. Another officer stood watch, making sure no one interfered with the task at hand. And another two officers helped by holding Floyd’s lifeless body to the ground.
The killing sparked outrage, and Americans took to the street. This time, the protests felt different. This time, Americans of all races and ethnicities voiced their disgust in the way blacks in this country is treated. This time, even those in Congress… though only the Democrats… are paying attention.
Senate Democrats on Thursday held a moment of silence lasting eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that George Floyd was held down by a police officer, who kept his knee pressed on Mr. Floyd’s neck even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive.
The moment was also meant to honor Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old black man killed while running down a suburban street in Brunswick, Ga., and Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black medical worker who was shot by the police at her home in Louisville, Ky.
Standing six feet apart next to a statue of Frederick Douglass in Emancipation Hall on Capitol Hill, it appeared to be the first moment the Democratic caucus had gathered in one place since the coronavirus pandemic began to spread through the Capitol.
