Hoke County, N.C., Sheriff: ‘George Died, We Can’t Let the Story Die’

At the religious service in Raeford, N.C., near where George Floyd was born, friends and family paid tribute. Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin, who helped organize the event, said that though “George died, we can’t let the story die.”

He said having a badge and a gun doesn’t give law enforcement officers the authority to bully and kill people. But he said there are a lot of “good peace officers in the world,” and asked that they all repeat six words: “We are part of the problem.”

Sheriff Peterkin said he had dreamed of becoming a law enforcement officer since he was 10 years old. “That dream is now turning into a nightmare,” he said. “If I deny what law enforcement is doing here today, I am denying the color of my skin and I won’t do that.”