MN - George Floyd, unarmed man killed in police custody, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020

[Simply Southern]

Justine Damond's killer got 12 1/2 years in prison. Philandro Castile's murderer walked free after having been defended by the same man representing the officer who killed George Floyd.

Buildings can be rebuilt. Target will reopen. George Floyd will never breathe again. Sandra Bland. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Breonna Taylor. Philandro Castile. Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Ahmaud Aubery. Oscar Grant. Terrence Crutcher. Walter Scott. Samuel Dubois. Sean Reed. Steve Taylor. Terrance Franklin. Ariane Mccree. Stephon Clark. Devon Bailey. Chris Whitefield. Anthony Hall. Michael Dean. Tony McDade.

Maybe if Justine Damond's family and community had felt the crushing weight of systematic discrimination bearing down on them, of the fear for every one of their family members that justice would never come, the knowledge that so many women like her had been murdered on camera and their killers walked free- just maybe they'd have felt like burning something down too.

*edit apparently my autocorrect doesn't know the word "floyd" and it's five in the morning and i've been making croutons for six hours because i'm too stressed and sad and angry to sleep

Justines family respectful allowed the legal system to play out and they won!!!!

How is burning down buildings, throwing rocks and shooting up the streets, stealing, from innocent business owners because you are upset justified?

I agree what happen to Floyd was not justified, from the pieces of video that have been released. Makes me wonder why the lapse in time from the time he was standing at the building in handcuffs till he was on the ground, is not being shown. I wanta see the entire video, the whole story deserves to be total.

Respectfully, George deserves justice, as well as those who are being harmed by the violent protesters.

 

[kaen]

I believe that as much as the rioting/looting/criminal behavior is important it becomes a distraction to the crime perpetrated on Mr. Floyd. Yes, there is a lot happening in Minneapolis and the opinions on who was right/wrong/responsible are going to run the gamut.

BUT, we are losing the focus on this victim, this crime. Mr. Floyd deserves justice. Mr. Floyd deserves to be given a voice in the legal system. He was killed in a needless (senseless, horrific, slow, frightening, insert your adjective here) situation at the knee of a sworn officer of the law with three others helping/looking on.

Talk about the rioting....but don't forget Mr. Floyd. He didn't cause the riot. He's dead.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Waiting on an arrest of Derek Chauvin today.

 

[Cappuccino]

They waste no time arresting reporters, but still no arrest of the murderer. Interesting.

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if we see no arrest now. And many of the people who would previously have been outraged by that will now think it's okay because who wants to place limits on how police deal with violent offenders after witnessing this? The fact that Mr Floyd wasn't violent will be overlooked when people start thinking "what if this happens in my neighborhood?"

 

[KR72]

Justines family respectful allowed the legal system to play out and they won!!!!

How is burning down buildings, throwing rocks and shooting up the streets, stealing, from innocent business owners because you are upset justified?

I agree what happen to Floyd was not justified, from the pieces of video that have been released. Makes me wonder why the lapse in time from the time he was standing at the building in handcuffs till he was on the ground, is not being shown. I wanta see the entire video, the whole story deserves to be total.

Respectfully, George deserves justice, as well as those who are being harmed by the violent protesters.

I think the people are a little more than upset.

What more do you need to see other than the seven minutes the cop kneeling on George Floyd's neck? The cop kneeling on him is all that matters - that is the story.

 

[Cappuccino]

I think the people are a little more than upset.

What more do you need to see other than the seven minutes the cop kneeling on George Floyd's neck? The **** cop kneeling on him is all that matters - that is the story.

Not any more it isn't. It should be the story but thanks to the idiots who have spent the last two nights tearing the place apart, that story is now being lost in the crowd.

 

[kaen]

Not any more it isn't. It should be the story but thanks to the idiots who have spent the last two nights tearing the place apart, that story is now being lost in the crowd.

We can help to keep the spotlight on Mr. Floyd and those who killed him. We don't have to let the idiots win. Mr. Floyd loses and we all lose if we don't begin to fix this systemic issue in MN and around this country. JMHO.

 

[Simply Southern]

I think the people are a little more than upset.

What more do you need to see other than the seven minutes the cop kneeling on George Floyd's neck? The **** cop kneeling on him is all that matters - that is the story.

I see they are upset and chose to use this horrific event to mar Floyd's name by using him as justification to burn, steal, and shoot up the innocent.

Business and home owners insurance does NOT cover riot damage.

Are the innocent business owners justified in going into the rioters neighborhoods and burning down houses, shooting up the streest and stealing their TVs?

The business owners are innocent and are suffering huge losses. They pay taxes, haven't broken any laws and don't deserve to have their businesses destroyed.

This is not a protest, but a riot and an excuse to steal, shoot up and destroy innocent people.

Many protest in our country daily without violence. Just cause they have anger issues does not give them the right to burn down an innocent mans family business.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Wholeheartedly agree with every point! Like × 1 million!! My heart hurts for the suffering Mr. Floyd endured, and now for that that his friends and family will endure without him.

Thank you!

120 businesses have been looted and/or destroyed. My heart breaks for every one of these businesses who had nothing to do with George's murder yet have paid the heavy price for the sins of the excops involved. How is that justice? How is that honoring the precious life lost?

What they have really done beyond destroying their own city/neighborhoods they have defamed the memory of George, and what happened to him. Imo, I find that shameful.

When the violent rioters run lawless in the streets night after night the attention becomes more about their lawless behavior than what happened to George, and that's unforgivable.

Even George's girlfriend begged for peace yet she is ignored. She said George wouldnt want the violence to happen because he was an easygoing peaceful man who loved his city. So, imo, George has been lost in all of the unbelivable arsons, lootings, violence, and mayhem.

Imo, it comes across as these violent rioters do not really care about what happened to him, but are only using his tragic murder as an excuse for their own criminal advantage.

How does committing multiple arsons or stealing businesses blind or violence against others honor George's death?

I even saw where a lady in a wheelchair was beaten, and her purse stolen. What did she do to deserve this kind of criminal behavior or all the others who've lost their livelihood through no fault of their own?

Sigh, it seems this Mayor is going to be just like the one in Baltimore while his city burns to the ground.

We know when riots of this magnitude happens it takes decades for the areas hard hit to overcome it. Yet we see it happening once again right in front of our eyes with no relief in sight for all of the innocent citizens caught up in it.

If I was a citizen living in the violent rioting areas I would be terrified for my own safety as well as my family, and friends.

Each day since this began I come here to make sure Dre is okay because I worry so much about them.

May there be peace, and full justice given for George, and all of his love ones.

Jmho

 

[kaen]

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if we see no arrest now. And many of the people who would previously have been outraged by that will now think it's okay because who wants to place limits on how police deal with violent offenders after witnessing this? The fact that Mr Floyd wasn't violent will be overlooked when people start thinking "what if this happens in my neighborhood?"

How does the rioting equate with justice for Mr. Floyd? I don't think you are implying that he deserves no justice now that looting has taken place.

Anyone who lessens their outrage on what happened to Mr. Floyd because rioting has taken place need all of us to set them straight. Mr. Floyd is not dead because he looted Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd is not dead because he was violent. Mr. Floyd is dead because he allegedly passed a bad bill, was handcuffed and sat against a wall, and, somehow, ended up on the ground, handcuffed, facedown with a murderer jabbing his knee into his neck.

What if it happens in my neighborhood is a good question to ask about treatment of Mr. Floyd as well. What happens if it happens to your son/daughter/family member? What if you have a family member who is brutally attacked by men with guns who shove them to the ground and kill them?

Lessened outrage based on the riots is exactly the way we never tackle this issue and ensures that we will continue to have a divide in our country.

As always, JMHO.

 

[momsof3]

I believe that as much as the rioting/looting/criminal behavior is important it becomes a distraction to the crime perpetrated on Mr. Floyd. Yes, there is a lot happening in Minneapolis and the opinions on who was right/wrong/responsible are going to run the gamut.

BUT, we are losing the focus on this victim, this crime. Mr. Floyd deserves justice. Mr. Floyd deserves to be given a voice in the legal system. He was killed in a needless (senseless, horrific, slow, frightening, insert your adjective here) situation at the knee of a sworn officer of the law with three others helping/looking on.

Talk about the rioting....but don't forget Mr. Floyd. He didn't cause the riot. He's dead.

I can't like this enough.

I want to add a voice to this discussion that is rarely on WSs. I am in the house with my teens (white, female) listening to them talk among themselves and with friends about the death of George Floyd. They (and all their friends of all kinds, POC/white/boys/girls/well-off and not-so) are incensed, horrified, feel it is a travesty that there were not immediate arrests. They think about this so differently than my generation. Listening to them I feel hope - a change is coming.

Waiting on an arrest of Derek Chauvin today.

My entire household is waiting with you.

 

[MajorHoople]

I was watching some video from yesterday. Many of the organizers of the peaceful demonstration were telling people not to become violent. Most weren't. They were trying to hide behind cars and dodge tear gas canisters while giving each other first aid. A lot of these people are trained to help with organized, peaceful demonstrations. My older son used to do it during the Occupy demonstrations.

This time around it looked like there were some outside disruptors, from the video I saw. The protestors were trying to make one of them stop breaking windows at one of the stores, but he took off. He was dressed oddly, all in black with an expensive breathing respirator, carrying a black umbrella. He was a white man. It was weird. He ignored them and kept breaking windows with a sledge hammer, then disappeared.

Tonight, it sounds like the local peaceful demonstrators have gone and its someone else out there. Not sure who.

Here's the link to video of the mystery man breaking windows at Auto Zone

ETA: Here's better video of him while he's breaking windows

The guy in the pink shirt is pretty brave following him.

‘Not Our Officer’: St. Paul PD Says Social Media Post Claiming One Of Its Officers Incited Mpls. Riots Is False

"St. Paul police are addressing a social media post that claims to identify one of its officers as a person seen breaking windows in Minneapolis.

On Thursday, the St. Paul Police Department posted on Twitter, saying it is aware of the social media post, and that “it’s false.”

The post, which gained traction on social media, claims an officer seen vandalizing an Autozone during protests Wednesday was a St. Paul police officer.

“The person in the video is not our officer,” SPPD said. “We don’t know who that person is, but we hope he’s identified and held accountable for his actions."

 

[Rocco]

So what will work?

Nothing---that's what. There will always be cops who enter the profession because they enjoy having power over people. Most cops are good people but there's always going to be a cop who enjoys the power he/she has. This cop certainly did. These rioters can burn every building in Minneapolis down and this kind of incident will happen again. This is about the kind of person this cop is. There's no way to weed these kind of cops out with 100% certainty.

 

[sds71]

Owner Mahmoud Abumayyaleh says what happened on the street outside his establishment should never have ended with a man dying.

“Most of the times when patrons give us a counterfeit bill they don’t even know its fake so when the police are called there is no crime being committed just wat to know where it came from and that’s usually what takes place this was a very circumstantial event that ended in a tragedy and unfortunately we are taking a lot of animosity,” he said.

He understands people are upset but feels their anger should be used to get the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Floyd’s death.

”For those who say if the police hadn’t been called he would be alive how does that staff member feel about that may be rightfully so but we cannot predict the future if I was there things wound have been handled differently,” Abumayyaleh said.

This businesses owner says he is prepared to do what he can for the family.

“We want to offer first and foremost our deepest condolences we want to offer any support whether its financially, socially, spiritually any type of support they need,”Abumayyaleh said.

Cup Food owners say video from the store, which they have been asked not to release, shows Floyd was not resisting officers.

They have offered to pay for Floyd’s funeral expenses.
Owner Of Cup Foods, Where Police First Encountered George Floyd, Calls For Justice

 

[Inthedetails]

I don't understand why the National Guard is not there.

To me, their presence could keep the crowd safe, as well as the firefighters.

Maybe I'm wrong about the National Guard being there but I think it would be good - even just to keep the people there safe.

ETA:
According to this news report, the National Guard is being mobilized now:
National Guard activated in Minneapolis after unrest

All last night as I watched footage, I was saying, "Where are the Guards that were deployed?"

I heard the FD chief speak to this - he said the Guards will be used by the FD to help them get to fires safely, but, yet, they didn't go to the main protest site when the precinct was aflame, so I think there has been a decision NOT to go to places where their presence will escalate violence in the crowds.

In others, I think the decision has been made to yield. They don't want instances of clashes between authorities and citizens, imo.

Violence begets violence, and perhaps the decision was made by authorities to not respond...as a way to end it.
IDK.

I continue to hope the power of peaceful protests will prevail.



jmo

 

[Cappuccino]

How does the rioting equate with justice for Mr. Floyd? I don't think you are implying that he deserves no justice now that looting has taken place.

Anyone who lessens their outrage on what happened to Mr. Floyd because rioting has taken place need all of us to set them straight. Mr. Floyd is not dead because he looted Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd is not dead because he was violent. Mr. Floyd is dead because he allegedly passed a bad bill, was handcuffed and sat against a wall, and, somehow, ended up on the ground, handcuffed, facedown with a murderer jabbing his knee into his neck.

What if it happens in my neighborhood is a good question to ask about treatment of Mr. Floyd as well. What happens if it happens to your son/daughter/family member? What if you have a family member who is brutally attacked by men with guns who shove them to the ground and kill them?

Lessened outrage based on the riots is exactly the way we never tackle this issue and ensures that we will continue to have a divide in our country.

As always, JMHO.

It's human nature. When people see a major breakdown in law and order their inclination is very often to grant the police more powers, more leeway in how they use them and more Draconian laws to enforce.

As for Mr Floyd, he and his family deserve justice and I am losing hope that they will get it.

 

[kaen]

Nothing---that's what. There will always be cops who enter the profession because they enjoy having power over people. Most cops are good people but there's always going to be a cop who enjoys the power he/she has. This cop certainly did. These rioters can burn every building in Minneapolis down and this kind of incident will happen again. This is about the kind of person this cop is. There's no way to weed these kind of cops out with 100% certainty.

I agree. The one issue is that it seems like the focus of these bad cops are often people of color. That is the issue that needs addressing. Can't weed 100% out. But, you can begin to have policies, make inroads into communities so that the landscape is not ripe for a hotbed of bad actors--- what are the odds that these four cops magically found each other and moved on to perpetrate this crime? Two of the cops are on the force less than two years, matched with cops who had a history of violence and complaints. Why on this earth would you allow two men with multiple complaints to train your newer cops? You are training these new recruits to do the same as these two longer term criminals. I doesn't make sense and that is part of the change needed. JMHO.

 

[Inthedetails]

Nothing---that's what. There will always be cops who enter the profession because they enjoy having power over people. Most cops are good people but there's always going to be a cop who enjoys the power he/she has. This cop certainly did. These rioters can burn every building in Minneapolis down and this kind of incident will happen again. This is about the kind of person this cop is. There's no way to weed these kind of cops out with 100% certainty.

I agree that the problem will always exist, but it's past time to make sure problems are ended when they happen.

It reminds me of priests in the Catholic church who were shuffled around to different parishes when it was known they were harming kids. It's taking forever to change that practice, but at least it's finally being addressed.

Bad cops might get in the system but they can be kicked right back out again.

jmo

 

[kaen]

I agree that the problem will always exist, but it's past time to make sure problems are ended when they happen.

It reminds me of priests in the Catholic church who were shuffled around to different parishes for when it was known they were harming kids. It's taking forever to change that practice, but at least it's finally being addressed.

Bad cops might get in the system but they can be kicked right back out again.

jmo

ITA, and these cops should never have had new recruits to corrupt. I don't think you can be corrupted unless you are willing but.... why give the two veterans the option to train them in this way?

But, back to Mr. Floyd. I am heartened that the store owner is stepping in and up. I hope that gives the Floyd family some peace and a sense that their brother/uncle/son/friend was seen as a victim and the actions by LEO was heinous.

 

[Rocco]

I agree that the problem will always exist, but it's past time to make sure problems are ended when they happen.

It reminds me of priests in the Catholic church who were shuffled around to different parishes when it was known they were harming kids. It's taking forever to change that practice, but at least it's finally being addressed.

Bad cops might get in the system but they can be kicked right back out again.

jmo

Yes, how many complaints of excessive force should a cop be allowed to have on their record before they get the boot?