George Floyd Pleaded for the End of Gun Violence in Newly Resurfaced Video

A newly resurfaced video reveals that George Floyd pleaded with the younger generation to end gun violence. In the clip, Floyd addressed the pressing issue, saying, "It's clearly the generation after us that's so lost, man." He then went on to echo the sentiment that he felt the "young are clearly lost."

"I don't even know what to say anymore," Floyd continued. "You youngsters just going around busting guns in crowds, kids getting killed." He then turned his focus toward people his own age, chiding them for "condoning" the use of firearms. "You know what I'm saying," Floyd said, adding that the youth who commit gun violence "go home and their knees shaking at night, but they don't show it to nobody because they aren't tough then." Finally, Floyd pleaded with the younger generation to "go home," adding, "It's going to be you and God. You're going up or you're going down."

The clip surfaced in the wake of Floyd's death on May 25. During an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, as Floyd cried out that he couldn't breathe. Floyd was later pronounced dead, and Chauvin was fired from the police force, along with three other arresting officers. Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. He had initially been charged with third-degree murder, but Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Wednesday that the murder charge against Chauvin has been upped based on the evidence.

The other three officers — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao — have all been arrested as well. They are charged with "aiding and abetting second-degree murder," as well as "aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter." All four men are currently behind bars. "I strongly believe that these developments are in the interest of justice for Mr. Floyd, his family, our community and our state," Ellison said when publicly announcing the charges during a press conference.

He also explained that he "did not allow public pressure to impact" his "decision-making process," adding that his team "made these decisions based on the facts" they "gathered since this matter occurred." Ellison also stated that they made "these charges based on the law that we think applies." Attorney Benjamin Crump released a statement on behalf of Floyd's family, saying that "this is a bittersweet moment" for them. The family feels "deeply gratified" that Ellison "took decisive action" by "arresting and charging ALL the officers involved" in Floyd's death." They were also pleased that officials upgraded Chauvin's murder charge to "felony second-degree murder."