Locals recall Floyd’s video that changed the world

“You watched over and over,” said Pete Ferguson. “Like you couldn't get away from it. That was the thing that just horrified me."

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The video is still hard to watch, even one year later.

“You watched over and over,” said Pete Ferguson. “Like you couldn’t get away from it. That was the thing that just horrified me.”

Video of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, ultimately killing him.

“Then if you knew I wasn’t getting away, getting away from it, like you got kids at home,” said Ferguson.

One of those kids was Andrea Orozco Lopez who watched on her phone.

“I got the notification, and I clicked on it and I saw the video and I was at home,” said Orozco Lopez. ”I just remember the utter horror I felt at that moment, I showed my sister, my older sister and We just were in shock, and soon got turned into rage.”

A local family was celebrating their daughter’s birthday as Floyd’s video surfaced.

“When I saw the footage. I was very upset when I started to cry,” said Robrenna Redl.
“I did feel sad, but I wasn’t surprised by it,” said Troy Redl. “So it wasn’t shocking to me. Because we’ve seen, we’ve seen instances of this in the past.”

The video would be seen across the world. For some, it hit too close to home. Including Ferguson who says Floyd mirrored his build and height and he knew it was time for a change.

“To see a grown man live in that capacity die and you know people said it,” said Ferguson. “He was calling out for his mom you know that that made you sit back the rest of the day.”

Since then, the video inspired Robrenna to start a GRIT (Getting Real Immersed in Truth) podcast to spark conversations about race locally and nationally and hopes more people educate themselves on the matter.

For Lopez, she would eventually help plan a march in honor of Floyd, but at the moment, she thought only of Floyd’s family.

“Because I think, in general, society is really desensitized to the murder of Black people,” said Lopez. “So, I, I asked people not to
to share the video, not because it shouldn’t be shared, but just as respect.”

Ferguson reached out to advise local youth as marches and protests began.

“I was so incredibly proud of in so many ways I watched Twitter I looked at the clips you all did but at the same time I can tell you I was scared to death.”

Ferguson said in 2021 and the years to come, hope must turn into action and faith, as there is still work to be done.
As the days went on, the protests in Lincoln escalated.
Stay tuned to Channel 8 for this ongoing special report series, happening each night this week.