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Mourners Set to Honor George Floyd; US Protesters Demand Reforms

VOA News

   Mourners are set to gather Thursday in the U.S. city of Minneapolis for
   the first of three memorials for George Floyd, the man whose death in
   police custody has led to more than a week of nationwide protests
   demanding justice and systemic reforms.

   Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton is leading Thursday's private
   service for family and friends.

   "We remember the long list of those that were killed unjustifiably by
   law enforcement and those that were killed unjustifiably because of
   double standards, bigotry and racism," Sharpton said in a social media
   post hours before the service. "We think of their loved ones, we think
   of what they could have been. We think of the contributions that they
   could have made, and then we get up and do something about achieving
   justice and fairness."

   A public viewing and private service is then scheduled Saturday in
   North Carolina, the state where Floyd was born, followed by a large
   service Monday in Houston where he spent most of his life.

   Protesters welcomed the move by prosecutors in the state of Minnesota
   to charge three additional officers in connection with Floyd's death,
   and demonstrations Wednesday night in numerous cities were once again
   largely peaceful.

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