Hundreds of health care workers in Boise and Idaho protest against racial inequality
Members of Idaho’s medical community voiced their solidarity for justice and equality for all people of color on Friday.
Health care workers from around the state paused for 8 minutes, 46 seconds — the amount of time a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck before Floyd, an African American, died — of silent reflection Friday morning. Most of them knelt.
Workers at some of the state’s largest medical groups — including St. Luke’s, Saint Alphonsus, Saltzer Health and Primary Health Medical Group — showed support across Idaho, according to a news release from St. Luke’s Health System. The goal of the silent reflection was to show the commitment to improve the health and safety of minorities.
Medical workers at numerous St. Luke’s medical centers participated in the event, including staff from hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Elmore, McCall, Jerome and Fruitland, as well as hospitals in Wood River and the Magic Valley. Workers at clinics in Eagle, Hailey and Baker City, Oregon, also participated in the demonstration, the release said.
Hundreds demonstrated outside St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center on Friday morning, nearly all taking a knee.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes before Floyd died. His death has spurred calls for police reforms across the country. Chauvin and three other officers who were at the scene were fired, and they all now face criminal charges in Minnesota.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
