Tuesday morning in downtown Los Angeles began with quiet reverence.
Against a backdrop of city sounds came the splash of water hitting a truck’s flatbed in front of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters. Then came the names of men and women in Los Angeles killed by law enforcement or while in police custody: John Horton, Matthew Blaylock, Wakiesha Wilson.
“We have 700 names, and we’re still counting,” said Black Lives Matter Los Angeles leader Paula Minor, dubbed “Mama Paula,” as she steadily poured water from a bottle onto leafy branches tied together with string. A little water trickled out as each name was said aloud, until the bottle was empty.
A crowd of a few hundred people gathered around a makeshift stage to honor the dead and commemorate the life of George Floyd, who was murdered a year ago Tuesday when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned the Black man to the ground for nearly nine minutes.
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