George Floyd was killed one year ago outside of a convenience store by a Minneapolis police officer, and events are planned nationwide, including in New Jersey, to remember Floyd.

At least two events were planned in Paterson. At noon, Mayor Andre Sayegh issued an executive order that establishes the Mayor's Task Force on De-Escalation and Police Practices and makes use of force record an explicit factor in officers' promotions.

“We don't want our officers to be discouraged we want them to do their jobs,” says Sayegh. “We're in the middle of a violent crime wave across the country. We just want to make sure if they see something suspicious, they take appropriate action. We just don't need excessive force used. Paterson wants to be looked at as a model for how we police and perform.

The task force would be made up of Paterson community members, not police officers. The task force will review use of force instances and determine if they were excessive or not, and if so, what the appropriate actions are.

At 6 p.m. at the Paterson Library on Broadway, local Black Lives Matter members asked the community to stand in solidarity with the Floyd family and all families who have experienced loss due to police violence.

Floyd's family also joined President Joe Biden at the White House to mark the solemn anniversary.

Floyd was killed after now-former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck. Chauvin has since been convicted in Floyd's death. Floyd's death sparked protests around the country, with calls for change and a push to create new national policing standards.