For nearly a year, Carl Shurz Park has been home to a nightly protest outside Gracie Mansion.

"It started with thousands of people from the neighborhood and from all over the city and then it got, it really became a place of community,” said a woman leading the demonstration who identified herself as Alexa, but declined to give her last name.

What You Need To Know

  • Police reform advocates in the city say they're still committed to the cause as the anniversary of George Floyd's death occurs on Tuesday

  • Rev. Kirsten John Foy says progress has been made, but the fight to protect communities of color continues

  • Rev. Foy says advocates are focused on reform initiatives like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

She was among those committed to maintaining a presence outside Gracie Mansion, however small, after George Floyd was suffocated to death by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. On the same day, a white woman was recorded calling the police on a Black man who asked her to leash her dog in Central Park.

"What was really particularly shocking for me about watching the George Floyd murder was that it came right on the heels of Amy Cooper and really reckoning with what my role as a white woman is in all of this, and I always thought it was good enough to not be racist,” said Alexa.

Floyd's death marked a watershed moment as thousands across the city joined a global showing of outrage over the use of deadly force against people of color. The movement saw a rare show of solidarity from members of law enforcement, even as clashes between protestors and police highlighted concerns about aggressive policing.

“We have seen resolve from everyday Americans,” said Rev. Kirsten John Foy, founder of the Arc of Justice. “I think we have seen an awakening in corporate America around these issues. We have seen an awakening in the political establishment.”

Rev. Foy said Chauvin's conviction on murder charges is a sign of progress for social justice, but that he hopes to see a reform bill named for Floyd become law.

“We still have the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which must get through the Senate. We are seeing Republicans hold up the bill" said Rev. Foy.  "This must be a holistic, top to bottom movement. We have reforms that have to happen on the local level, the state level and the federal level."

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act includes a ban on chokeholds and would also create a national registry for officers who've been disciplined for serious misconduct.  Advocates like Rev. Foy say they're encouraged, but the work for justice continues.