An unarmed American citizen was killed by a police officer five years ago

Today marks five years since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man whose killing by a Minneapolis police officer ignited a national reckoning on race and policing.

The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder and sentenced to over 20 years in prison. Yet half a decade later, most Americans believe the promises of change that followed have gone unfulfilled.

In the summer of 2020, millions took to the streets in protest, demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality.

The Black Lives Matter movement, which first gained prominence after Trayvon Martin’s death in 2013, saw record support—67% of Americans backed it at its peak. But that support has since waned. Today, just 52% of U.S. adults express approval, a 15-point drop.

The optimism that once accompanied calls for reform has faded.

In September 2020, 52% of Americans believed the heightened focus on racial inequality would lead to meaningful improvements in the lives of Black people. Now, only 27% say it has. A staggering 72% see no lasting progress.

Police accountability remains a contentious issue. While views of law enforcement soured immediately after Floyd’s death—with majorities criticizing officers for misconduct and excessive force—those opinions have since moderated.

Still, fewer than half of Americans today believe police are doing an excellent or good job in holding officers accountable or treating racial groups equally.

The impact of viral videos documenting police violence continues to divide the nation. While 45% say widespread sharing of such footage is a good thing, and 63% believe it aids accountability, 54% argue it makes policing harder. Black Americans (65%) and Democrats (68%) are far more likely than Republicans (31%) to see value in these videos.

Corporate and political commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have also weakened.

Once a rallying cry in boardrooms and government, DEI initiatives have faced backlash, particularly after President Donald Trump moved to eliminate such policies at the federal level, falsely asserting that opening opportunities for more applicants allowed less qualified people to be hired.

In fact the opposite is true. When women, racial minorities, or other under-represented groups are excluded from consideration for job openings and promotions, those selected are frequently well-connected rather than highly qualified.

Workers’ enthusiasm for these programs has dimmed, with many questioning their effectiveness, but a look at the clown car that makes up Trump’s cabinet will certainly reveal that making choices without DEI influence results in poor quality.

Perhaps most striking is the growing pessimism about the future of racial equality.

Among those who say the U.S. hasn’t made enough progress, 49% now doubt Black Americans will ever achieve equal rights with Whites—up from 39% in 2020.

Black Americans are particularly disillusioned, with two-thirds of those who see insufficient progress saying equality is unlikely.

As the nation reflects on this somber anniversary, the question lingers: Was the summer of 2020 a turning point, or merely a moment? For now, the prevailing sentiment is one of exhaustion.

There is good reason for this dim view of American justice.

Eric Garner famously gasped “I can’t breathe” 11 times while lying face down on the New York City sidewalk in 2014.

The medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide caused by the compression of his neck from a “chokehold” and the compression of his chest held on the ground in a prone position.

Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who held Garner in a chokehold, was fired in 2019, after a department trial found he used an unauthorized chokehold, but not charged, inciting protests nationwide.

Pantaleo lost his lawsuit to have his job reinstated, after he was fired for his role in the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island.

“Substantial evidence supports respondents’ conclusion that petitioner recklessly caused injury to Eric Garner by maintaining a prohibited chokehold for 9 to 10 seconds after exigent circumstances were no longer present, thereby disregarding the risk of injury,” the judges said.

“None of us can take back our decisions, especially when they lead to the death of another human being,” said New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill, adding it was clear that Pantaleo “can no longer effectively serve as a New York City police officer.”

None of us can take back our decisions, but we can resolve to take action, which is something that our political establishment has failed to do.

Half of Americans say they often feel weary when thinking about race in America today. Anger, fear, and frustration remain—but so too does a quiet, stubborn hope that change, however delayed, may still come.

The road ahead remains uncertain. But five years after George Floyd’s death, one truth endures: The work of justice is far from finished.

No matter what you know or think you know about George Floyd, he was an American citizens whose life was taken without charges, a trial, and anything like the justice to which most people feel all human beings are entitled.