On Sunday — marking the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, 200 protesters gathered at Federal Plaza to commemorate his death and protest President Donald Trump’s rollback on police reforms.
“We’re protesting in honor of the five years since George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin and the Minneapolis Police Department. The main reason Chauvin is behind bars is because of the people power that put him there, and it’s people power that’s going to keep him there,” said Faayani Aboma of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which organized Sunday’s protest.
The organization condemned Trump’s executive order 14288, signed on April 28, that would unleash “high impact policing on our communities,” Aboma said.
The order would share more military resources and increase funding and enhance legal protections for local and state police.
Trump has already sought to dismantle “diversity, equity and inclusion” across the federal government. These developments signal a step backward from the racial justice reforms sparked by Floyd’s killing in 2020, activists say.
In 2021, Chicago enacted the Empowering Communities for Public Safety legislation that established civilian oversight of police, according to Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
But more work needs to be done, Chapman said. He pointed out that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — a police reform bill — has stalled in Congress.
“While some gains were made, there were a lot of gains that were not made,” Chapman said. “They give us [police reforms] with a teaspoon, and they take them back with a shovel,” he said.
The 2020 protests in Chicago saw tense confrontations and clashes between protesters and police.
For example, a video showed an officer chase down and punch a protester, while gun violence, vandalism and looting occurred.
On Sunday, however, the demonstration remained peaceful, with police observing from across the street.
A banner hung between two trees in the plaza listing the names of victims police violence.
Demonstrators held signs reading “Stop police crimes. Free them all” and “From Chicago to Palestine. Occupation is a crime.”
Rania Salem, 28, from Orland Park, and Nazek Sankari, 33, from West Elston, are members of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.
They came out to protest because they believe it’s important to “mobilize our communities” and demand change in policing, Salem said.
She said the solidarity between the Palestinian people and Black Americans goes back to the 1960s.
“Our liberation struggles are connected. We cannot win our liberation … without Black liberation, immigrant rights, and fighting against deportation,” Sankari said.
Protester Kevin Jackson, 43, from the South Side, decided to come to Federal Plaza, having experienced injustice himself.
He spent “23 years and four months” in jail for a crime he did not commit, and his conviction was overturned in October.
“Every morning I wake up, I’m grateful for being home. Though I have not received justice to [the extent] I feel like I deserve, I’m free. Anytime I’m free, I want to be a part of these groups, to be a part of these protesters,” he said.
Jackson said Floyd’s family has not received “what they deserve,” which saddens him. “It’s our duty to fight for our freedom. We’re not free,” Jackson said.
He carried a sign that expressed the same message.
In light of Trump’s rollbacks, Chapman emphasized unity, calling upon protesters to “put aside the differences.” He plans to work with anyone “we can possibly organize with to defeat the Trump agenda.
“We’ll work with Black Lives Matter. We’ll work with the antiwar movement. We’ll work with the LGBTQ community. We’ll work with the teachers union,” he said. “The differences that we have between each other is not as great as the difference we have with Trump.”