Silence for 8:46 -Senate Democrats honor George Floyd

Silence for 8:46 -Senate Democrats honor George Floyd

The U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus gathered for a moment of silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to commemorate the life of George Floyd, as well as Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

The Democratic lawmakers stood, while some took a knee on Thursday, in solidarity with Americans all across the country peacefully protesting racial injustice.

Minneapolis was set to hold an emotionally charged memorial service on Thursday for George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody set off a wave of protests and unrest that has roiled America in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and a divisive presidential election campaign.

Huge crowds have defied curfews and taken to the streets of cities across the country for nine nights in sometimes violent protests that prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the military.