George Floyd

NC Freedom Park in downtown Raleigh highlights the journey of freedom for Black Americans.

The North Carolina Freedom Park, a 20-year project, is expected to have its grand opening this summer.

Supporters of the increased punishments say the legislation is a necessary deterrent. But the ACLU says the law goes overboard in criminalizing people who exercise their rights to free speech and assembly.

WUNC's Will Michaels talks with Thomas McLaurin, George Floyd's cousin and executive director of the Floyd Family Center for Social Equity, about the organization's mission.

The appeal makes multiple references to the fact that the traffic stop involving Marvin Minor occurred two months after George Floyd was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Backers of the legislation signed Thursday say it will rid departments of derelict officers and give mental health assistance to others on the force.

Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

Video documented the death of George Floyd a year ago this week, but it wasn’t from policy body cameras. In North Carolina, police body camera footage is often released before a decision is reached on whether to file charges. And sometimes it’s not.

Two bills — one in the state House, the other in the Senate — would stiffen penalties for damaging property or injuring others during a riot. The bills come as North Carolinians continue to protest police violence toward Black individuals.

Fayetteville State University Chancellor Darrell T. Allison announced the gesture during an on-campus presentation Friday. WRAL reports that Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd, who started the foundation last year, said it’s a gift to honor the memory of Floyd, who was born in Fayetteville, and to invest in future generations.