'I want justice for him': Mother of George Floyd's daughter speaks out
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The mother of George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter spoke out Tuesday, calling for justice after his death in Minneapolis police custody.
Roxie Washington, who is represented by Atlanta-based attorneys L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, addressed the media Tuesday while accompanied by her daughter as well as Floyd's longtime friend Stephen Jackson.
"The image that most of us have of George Floyd is the horrible video that we've seen," Stewart said. "But, what we really wanted the world to see was the beauty of their child, and that there are actual situations in life that these things affect. It's not just that someone passes and people are angry in the street. It affected people's actual lives and their futures. A father was taken."
"This is what those officers took from me. At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families," Washington said. "He will never see her grow up, graduate. He will never watch her walk down the aisle. If there's a problem and she needs a dad, she does not have that anymore. I want justice for him. I want justice for him because he was good - no matter what anybody thinks - and this is the proof that he was a good man.”
During the press conference, Stephen Jackson said he would walk Floyd's daughter down the aisle in his place.
Stewart said the group had just flown in from Atlanta where the district attorney had just indicted six officers who were involved in the beating of college students.
"The district attorney, the mayor and our chief of police took action in under a week - fired and indicted - but yet here, we’re still waiting for the arrest of the other officers. Why can’t that be a blueprint in what should happen in these officer-involved incidents?" Steward asked.
"Everybody at home is wondering why the riots and protesting is happening. It is because things like this do not get addressed. No one is saying that every law enforcement officer is out trying to kill somebody, but when someone does do something, when someone crosses the line, they have to go through the system and be held accountable. And it always happens to African Americans, and the end result is this. And it’s a circle because then it’s held against a young African American child when they don’t have a parent.”
"We plan on fighting this until the end," Stewart said.
On Tuesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced his administration launched a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department following the death of George Floyd.