Cork City Council has opened a digital book of condolence for the people of Leeside to express their sympathies to the family of George Floyd who died in the course of being restrained by a police officer in the United States.
Green Party City Councillors contacted the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan yesterday afternoon seeking to have a book of condolences opened in City Hall for the late Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American.
However, Cork City Council management told the Green Party that “it was not feasible to open a book of condolence” during the current Covid restrictions” but instead opened a digital book of condolence.
Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle said that the digital book, which can be found by going to "bit.ly/gfloydcork," will be open from Thursday until close of business on Wednesday June 17th.
Responses will then be collected and sent to the US embassy in Dublin, for it to be passed along to the family of Mr Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while detaining him in Minneapolis on May 25th.
Police officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder and three other police officers involved in the arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder.
Cllr Boyle, who was born in Chicago, urged people to show solidarity with Mr Floyd's family by signing the book, saying "what happened in the case of George Floyd, and in the case of too many before and since then, is abhorrent.
"Too many times something like this has happened, even just in recent memory. If we don't stand against injustice like this, if you're silent now – whether you're in Cork or Kansas – then you're standing with the injustice."
