BENTON, Ark. – A 9-year-old boy is using his love for swimming as a way of paying his respects to George Floyd — an unarmed black man who was killed by a white officer in Minneapolis.
Jackson Haynes is from Benton and a swimmer.
He admits he was sad and upset when first learning of Floyd’s death — who was held down by a white officer until he went motionless and died.
The young swimmer says when his parents told him he couldn’t attend the downtown march; he did the one thing he knows best – swimming.
“I swam 46 laps for the age of George,” says Haynes.
Haynes says swimming is a sport where a person can only take brief gasps of air during strokes. He says his friend came out to support him and even helped him create a sign with the words, “I Can’t Breathe.”
He hopes his small act of respect will help bring awareness to a senseless death.
