We have to act...racism has long torn us apart: US President Joe Biden on first death anniversary of George Floyd

US President Joe Biden said, "We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we`re all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart."

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Washington DC: On the first death anniversary of George Floyd, US President Joe Biden has asked the country`s legislators to expedite the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act", a police reform bill brought in to raise the accountability of law enforcement officers.

"The negotiations on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress are ongoing. I have strongly supported the legislation that passed the House, and I appreciate the good-faith efforts from Democrats and Republicans to pass a meaningful bill out of the Senate. It`s my hope they will get a bill to my desk quickly," Biden said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we`re all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart," he added.

The US President also pointed out that the Floyd-led protest unified people of every race and generation against unlawful killings. Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died on May 25, last year after a police officer placed his knee on Floyd`s neck for eight minutes despite pleas that he could not breathe. 

A video captured the incident, which sparked a wave of protests across the country. In April this year, the former officer was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter potentially facing up to 75 years in jail.