Milwaukee, WI – March 25 marked the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Derek Chauvin and the Minneapolis Police Department. In 2020 Floyd’s murder sparked the largest uprising against police in decades in the United States, and even five years later his life brought together 250 Milwaukeeans to rally, march and eat as a community to honor his memory.

The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) and All People’s Gathering Church (APGC) cohosted the afternoon events in order to commemorate Floyd as a person, give voice to the lives of the many Milwaukeeans murdered by police and jails, and recommit to the struggle to end police crimes.

At the opening rally, speakers from the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Black Leaders Organizing our Communities connected the fight to end police crimes to the immigrant rights movement, the labor movement and to Palestine. This connection was reflected in the crowd, as dozens of unionists and anti-war activists cheered.

Families of people murdered by police and jails in Milwaukee took the stage. Tracy Cole and Kerrie Hirte recounted the experiences of losing their children to the police and sheriffs, and it was clear why Floyd’s death was still able to draw so many people out five years later. The pain and suffering that the entire world watched over nine long minutes as Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck was matched by the realities that these mothers, two of many, had to live through in Milwaukee. The crowd was clearly ready to recommit to struggle long and hard for Community Control of the Police to end police crimes.

There was a proud march through one of Milwaukee’s historically Black neighborhoods, past murals depicting many people killed by the police including Floyd and Milwaukee locals like Sylville Smith.

Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake who was brutalized by the Kenosha Police Department, riled the crowd up by once again connecting the struggle against police crimes to many different struggles. The final speech, from Lo Cross of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, summed up the theme of the day, “We aren’t just gathered here to remember the George Floyd Rebellion as some distant memory, we’re gathered here to recommit to the struggle for workers’ rights, gender liberation, immigrant rights, and Black liberation because the struggle continues and we need to join forces to finish the job!”

After the demonstration, the community gathered to cook out, listen to music, and celebrate the lives of all victims of police murders. Neighbors expressed gratitude to have the chance to come together in remembrance of lost loved ones. MAARPR co-chair Aurelia Ceja expressed that the organization had celebrated George Floyd day for several years now and has no intention of stopping. While some across the country feel hopeless, it is clear that in Milwaukee people are optimistic and ready to commit to the struggle!

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