
City officials in Newark, New Jersey have erected a 700-pound statue of George Floyd. Commissioned by filmmaker Leon Pickney and designed by artist Stanley Watts, the statue will sit in front of city hall for at least one year. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka unveiled the statue in a ceremony at city hall on Wednesday.
“George Floyd represents a lot more than himself at this point, at this juncture in history. Congress is contemplating a George Floyd in policing bill right now,” Baraka said.
“All of the activity that took place around this country around the world because of the untimely and ferocious and vicious death — murder — of George Floyd and all of the activism that sparked out of it, you know, is worth us pausing and paying attention to.”
Baraka hopes that the statue will inspire residents and citizens around the city to create change within their communities for years to come.
“And hopefully when people walk by and they see it and they participate [in] it, hopefully it inspires them to become active in the things, the struggles that are happening right here in Newark and right here in New Jersey,” Baraka added.
WOW! New Jersey has honored George Floyd with a statue outside of Newark City Hall! This beautiful acknowledgment is a symbol of the tremendous impact he continues to have on America. #LongLiveGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/XWxsrfFa70
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 17, 2021