Events mark anniversary of George Floyd's death
George Floyd died in front of a Minneapolis Cup Foods on May 25, 2020.
Activists are continuing their quest for police reform and social and racial justice on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death.
Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after he was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a Cup Foods.
His death sparked nationwide protests that persisted in major cities for much of the summer, despite a raging pandemic.
Floyd's family is set to meet with President Joe Biden Tuesday and other prominent lawmakers to push for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which aims to address "a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability."
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Chuck Schumer mentions Floyd's name on Senate floor
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer commemorated Floyd on the one-year anniversary of his death by acknowledging the massive social justice movement that was born as a result.
"This was not only a fight for justice for one man and his family, who I've had the privilege to meet with, but a fight against the discrimination that black men and women suffer at the hands of state power, not just here in America, but around the globe," Schumer said. "It is a fight that continues today."
Schumer also recalled the “stomach-churning video” of Floyd’s death, which was played numerous times during Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.
"George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by a police officer sworn to protect and serve our country was forever changed by the stomach-churning video of Derek Chauvin killing Mr. Floyd," Schumer said.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., are working on bipartisan police reform legislation, Schumer said, but gave no details on what the legislation will look like or when it may be ready for consideration by the Senate.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Court to hear arguments on need for a public inquiry in Eric Garner's 2014 death
On the anniversary of Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, a New York appellate court will hear arguments on the need for a public inquiry into the 2014 death of Eric Garner, whose dying words "I can’t breathe," the same as Floyd’s, became a national rallying cry.
A lower court allowed for a judicial inquiry beginning in July, siding with the Racial Justice Project at New York Law School, which said the Garner family has endured "nearly seven years of false promises about transparency" from top city officials.
"It is difficult to conceive of a matter more worthy of transparency: a police killing of an unarmed civilian, preceded by a questionable stop, followed by inadequate medical treatment," the Racial Justice Project said in a filing to the Appellate Division.
The City of New York conceded Garner’s death “is of singular importance to his family, his community, the City, and indeed the nation” but is appealing to stop the inquiry because the incident has already been well-documented.
"There has already been a public trial covering seven days, 15 witnesses, and a thousand transcript pages," the city noted.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky