George Floyd’s death reignited a movement for civil rights and calls for police to be held accountable. Since then, several states, including Minnesota and Illinois, have passed police reform legislation.
Todd Belcore
One year ago, the world watched a horrific, pivotal video of George Floyd gasping for air under the knee of former police Officer Derek Chauvin. We reflect on the lessons of the past year as local and national organizations continue their push for social justice and equity.
A new generation of activists and organizers are working to build on past coalitions and bring Chicago’s Black and Brown communities together to end the systemic inequities that have persisted in our city for decades.
This summer, tensions between Black and Latino Chicagoans threatened to explode into violence before activists restored peace, but the incident underlined the sometimes uneasy history between our city’s Black and Latino communities.
Negative police interactions can have a lasting impact on individuals and entire communities. We speak with two activists and a mental health worker about the changes they believe would improve police-community relations.