HCGH Doctors, Staff Kneel As Part Of White Coats For Black Lives

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Protesters and activists across the country — including in Howard County — have taken a stand for justice after Minneapolis resident George Floyd, 46, died during an interaction with police officers. Four officers have been charged with felonies.

People have been kneeling at protests, side-by-side with others and with police officers. The medical staff and employees at Howard County General Hospital joined in the national movement to show support for equality and racial justice by heading outside and kneeling together for the White Coats for Black Lives observance.

According to its website, White Coats for Black Lives focuses its efforts on "Eliminating racial bias in the practice of medicine and recognizing racism as a threat to the health and well-being of people of color."

Facebook users who saw a photo posted on the hospital's page of the demonstration thanked them for their gesture. One person said it gave her chills.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was captured on video pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd said he couldn't breathe. His manner of death has been listed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner as homicide. Three other former Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest of George Floyd also have been criminally charged.