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BRENTWOOD, Mo. - On a day when George Floyd was memorialized in Minneapolis, St. Louis and Metro East Illinois residents are gathering for a call-to-action event.
Floyd died under the knees of a Minneapolis police officer - Derek Chauvin - recently when he was taken into custody after a report he possessed a counterfeit $20 bill and he purchased a pack of cigarettes at a nearby store. While he was detained an officer used his knees to keep him to the ground and literally choked Floyd to death. A call-to-action protest titled: “ExpectUS I AM George Floyd” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 4, at 25 Brentwood Promenade Court in Brentwood, Mo. Businesses in the area are taking special precautions and have closed early for the day.
Frontenac Plaza is completely shutdown and boarded and barricades are blocking all the entrances of parking. The call-to-action protest is projected to be very well-attended by St. Louis and surrounding Metro East Illinois residents.
Businesses in Brentwood, Mo., on Thursday afternoon, were boarding up their stores. It started at Highway 170 and Brentwood Boulevard and stretched all the way down Brentwood Boulevard. There are several stores in the Brentwood Promenade area.
Some of the businesses boarded up were Target, World Market, Ultra Beauty, Five Below, DXL Clothing, along with many other businesses.
The memorial service for the life of George Floyd was held from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday in Minneapolis.
ExpectUS, the organizers of the event, said on their pamphlet the gathering in Brentwood is a call to action against the violence towards black people. The organization has said that violence is unacceptable in their protests. The group also said their goal is to keep everyone safe in the protest.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page asked that anyone attending wear a face mask and practice social distancing because of COVID-19.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
