The anniversary of George Floyd’s death recalls efforts made by South Dakota uncle

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - On May 25, 2020, at 9:25 pm George Floyd died after Minneapolis Police Officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck. The nation was in shock, as the video of Floyd yelling for help and ultimately becoming silent spread across social media and the media.

Now, Floyd’s uncle Selwyn Jones says he is fighting a system that let this happen to his nephew. Jones is the co-founder of the Hope929 Foundation. This organization is pushing to have our nation’s congressmen and congresswomen pass the Medical Civil Rights Bill. This bill would, “establish the statutory right to medical care during any police interaction where the person communicates, they are in a health crisis.” However, it is receiving pushback, and here is why Jones thinks people are not in support.

“There’s no money in people not dying. This is a sad situation that we have so much pushback because the less people die, the less money goes in people’s pockets,” says Selwyn Jones.

The day after Floyd’s death, Uncle Selwyn Jones was in Rapid City and joined the protest against police brutality. Jones spent days at this protest where he watched people unite together.