SEATTLE — As the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder approaches, KING 5 is examining the current state of the Black Lives Matter movement.

At the federal level, developments have reversed some of the movement’s core political goals. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced it would cancel consent decrees with Minneapolis and Louisville that called for overhauls of their police departments following the deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center also found declining support for the Black Lives Matter movement among Americans.

These developments are part of a broader continuum that predates Floyd’s death and will continue into the future, said Michael McPhearson, executive director of Veterans for Peace.

“There’s a higher understanding of the issues within the community,” McPhearson told KING 5’s Joyce Taylor. “But this political moment puts us in a very, very difficult situation. We have to gear ourselves up for the continuing struggle.”

University of Washington professor Alexes Harris echoed that sentiment in a roundtable discussion with Taylor and McPhearson, describing the current political environment as challenging but surmountable.

“Our ancestors have gone through much worse than this moment, and we stand on their shoulders,” Harris said. “Struggle has made this country better … it gives me optimism for the future.”

Despite the current political headwinds, McPhearson believes some changes driven by Black Lives Matter are entrenched and lasting. He cited a Supreme Court ruling that altered how police officers can be prosecuted for unlawful deaths, and a growing tendency among his peers to look beyond the federal government for political change.