Retired NBA wing Stephen Jackson has been outspoken since the death of George Floyd. Jackson considered Floyd a brother, going as far as to call him “twin,” and has used his platform to demand that the officers involved in Floyd’s death are brought to justice as swiftly as possible.
During a press conference on Tuesday at Minneapolis City Hall, Jackson joined Roxie Washington — the mother of Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter Gianna — in speaking about Floyd’s death. Jackson spoke passionately about the desire to see justice in this case, and made it clear that as long as justice is not served, he will fight tooth and nail in memory of his “brother.”
Stephen Jackson spoke out at a news conference, promising to take care of George Floyd’s daughter and demanding justice for his death. pic.twitter.com/qozf5R6ZKI
— ESPN (@espn) June 3, 2020
“Floyd might not be here, but I’m here for her, I’m here to get justice, and we gonna get justice for my brother,” Jackson said. “We not leaving, we’re gonna keep fighting, we’re gonna send him home in beautiful ways this week. But I’m telling you, we are not leaving, we demand justice, and I’m tired of seeing that. I’m not gonna see her hurt every day like this. We need justice, we demand it, and some kind of way, god dammit, we’re gonna get it.”
Jackson also responded to Washington’s heartbreaking remarks about hers and Floyd’s daughter. Washington lamented on how, “He will never see her grow up, graduate, he will never walk her down the aisle. If there’s a problem she’s having and she needs her dad, she does not have that anymore.” It’s a crushing comment, but Jackson made it clear that he plans on doing what he can to fill that void.
“There’s a lot of stuff you said that he’s gonna miss, that I’m gonna be there for,” Jackson said. “I’m gonna walk her down the aisle, I’m gonna be there for her. Imma be there to wipe away her tears, I’m gonna be here for you and Gigi.”
Jackson posted a video to Instagram of himself walking around with Gianna on his shoulders. While that happened, Gianna proudly proclaimed that “daddy changed the world.”
As for the pursuit of justice, the murder charge against the police officer who dug his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes were upgraded from third-degree to second-degree on Wednesday, while the three officers who watched as this happened were charged with aiding and abetting murder.