On May 25, George Floyd was stopped by police in Minneapolis for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a store. The encounter quickly took a tragic turn after officers said he resisted arrest.
"I can't breathe, I can't breathe,” Floyd can be heard saying in cellphone video that captured Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while other officers restrained Floyd.
Floyd became unconscious and unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead. The video went viral.
The next day, protests erupted in Minneapolis, beginning a movement that would spread worldwide and include peaceful demonstrations and clashes between police and protesters. There was also looting and property damage in many cities, including New York.
As this was all unfolding, the officers involved in Floyd's death were fired.
"One hundred percent it is the right decision for our city, the right decision for our community, is the right decision for our Minneapolis Police Department,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
On May 29, now-former police officer Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder in Floyd’s death.
In New York, more than 200 people were arrested as a second day of protests turned confrontational. In Brooklyn, police clashed with demonstrators near Barclays Center, while blocks away, protesters vandalized and torched police vehicles.
"There were people who came there to peacefully protest and others obviously to try to incite acts of violence,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
On June 1, after several clashes between police and protesters and several nights of looting, de Blasio imposed a nightly curfew that lasted for six days.
His defense of the overall police response to the protests – and of the sometimes-aggressive enforcement of the curfew against peaceful protesters – drew criticism.
“A leader just doesn't simply say, 'I'm going to send in more police to a protest about police,'" Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
On June 3, the Minnesota attorney general upgraded the charge against Chauvin to second-degree murder. The other three officers in Floyd’s arrest were charged with aiding and abetting the killing.
The next day, emotional memorial services were held in Minneapolis and Brooklyn, where George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, was joined by local leaders, including Mayor de Blasio, who received an icy reception for the curfew and his handling of the NYPD.
"It took me a few days to come to that realization, but I want to thank god, cause at the end of the day, my brother may be gone, but the Floyd name still lives on,” Terrence Floyd said.
On June 8, the state legislature passed a sweeping series of police reforms, including a ban on chokeholds and an end to concealing police disciplinary records.
After several public memorials, a final goodbye was given to George Floyd, who was laid to rest in his native Houston on June 9.
"All I think about is when he was yelling for mama, and I know how mama is, she's just right there, she got her hands wide open, 'Come here, baby,’” Floyd’s brother Philonise said. “I want justice for my brother, my big brother."
June 12 was a landmark day in New York, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed police reform bills into law and an executive order requiring every local government to develop a plan to revamp their police departments by next April.
"We're not going to be a state government subsidizing improper police tactics. We're not going to do it. And this is how we're going to do it,” Cuomo said.
June 15 saw another major move for the NYPD: Commissioner Dermot Shea announced the plainclothes anti-crime unit – long criticized for aggressive tactics and several high profile killings – would be disbanded.
"This is a seismic shift in the culture of how the NYPD polices this great city,” Shea said. “I would consider this in the realm of closing one of the last chapters of stop, question and frisk"
On June 17, Cuomo signed an executive order declaring June 19, also known as Juneteenth, as a holiday for state employees, commemorating the official emancipation of all American slaves.
"It's a day that we should all reflect upon,” Cuomo said. “It's a day that's especially relevant in this moment in history."