Stephen Jackson speaks up at rally for George Floyd, defends his 'twin's' character

On Friday (Saturday IST), retired NBA star Stephen Jackson spoke about George Floyd's death during a Minneapolis rally for him at the Minneapolis City Hall. Jackson considered Floyd a close friend and called him his 'twin'. Earlier this week, Floyd was killed by a police officer, who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck, despite his constant protests about being unable to breathe.

Jackson was among many protesters who gathered to ask for justice and grieve the loss of Floyd's life. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has now been arrested and charged with murder for Floyd's death.

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Stephen Jackson speech at the Minneapolis rally

Stephen Jackson spoke to the crowd, telling them that he was present so no one would try and 'demean' Floyd's character. He said that when the police does something that is wrong, the first thing they do is try and cover it up while bringing up their background so their actions look like they were 'worthy'. Jackson further rhetorically question the crowd, asking them 'When was murder ever worthy?'

However, he thinks that for them, it is justified it it is a black man. Jackson added that the smirk on Chauvin's face indicated that he believed it was his duty to murder his brother, knowing that he could easily get away with it. As per Jackson, no on can tell him 'that wasn't the look on his face'.

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Minnesota Timberwolves players Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Okogie joined the Stephen Jackson speech about George Floyd. People praised Towns being present for the rally as his brother passed away in April due to COVID-19. Okogie stated that there was 'a lot of emotion, a lot of frustration, a lot of pain', but 'everybody that spoke today stood firm'. He added that everyone was there to make a point and he would continue to stand with them. 

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Stephen Jackson and George Floyd relationship

Jackson wore a hoodie that read 'RIP GEORGE FLOYD 3rd Ward, TX' during the rally. The two grew up together in Texas and were close friends. In a video Jackson posted shortly after Floyd's death, he explained that Floyd was in Minnesota to work on his life by driving trucks. He had recently given his twin clothes and was unable to believe something so vile has taken place. Since then, Jackson has posted multiple times on his social media accounts, saying that he will not let this rest while also sharing various memories of his friendship with Floyd. 

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