MN - George Floyd, 46, unarmed, killed in police custody, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020 *arrests* #2

[Charlot123]

H

Nope, we don't know. But dehumanization is a huge red flag. And you have to dehumanize someone to be able to do that. The fact that his fellow officers - a rainbow of colors - didn't do anything, may point to intimidation. And his wife is leaving him, too. Racism can definitely be part of a relationship. So, maybe racism. Maybe not. We'll learn more about this guy as time passes. JMO.

I would assume it is racism in Floyd case, as well as some transference, because Floyd was a big man. I suspect that either Chauvin was afraid of a very tall black man, or enjoyed having full control over a tall man’s life, or both.
But given the amount of complaints on him, I think that Chauvin was immensely irritable, and it would spill on all mankind, all genders, all races. So, not only racism, in general, but a deep personal flaw.

 

[MsBetsy]

Cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest. When people can't breath, they can't talk. He was also positive for covid-19, and was full of drugs.

Autopsy shows George Floyd had COVID-19, meth & fentanyl in his system

It's not true that when people can't breathe they can't talk. That's exactly what one of the officers said to him while they were mocking him. He died seconds after saying, "mama... please..."

 

[MsBetsy]

Excellent post. Those who continue reciting the “If you can talk, you can breathe” fallacy should read your words.

You can indeed be struggling for air and vocalize at the same time.

Yes, I've done it myself. When I wasn't able to breath all I could get out were quick, short words exactly the way George Floyd did. He tried to get out the most important words, "I can't breath," and "please" to warn them that he was in distress and they silenced him.

 

[Woodland]

More and more video is being released plus the charging complaint has been released so some of us are changing our opinions about the nature of the charges based on the information about Mr. Floyd's intoxication and resisting arrest. I know for a fact police brutality doesn't just happen to black people and it also doesn't happen in a vacuum if other officers are present.

JMO

UBM

So you know police brutality exists then. Some want to be part of the solution and change that.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

The racial bias/overtones in this situation are what have created such an outrage.

How do we "know" that what these officers did was "racist"? Did they say any racial slurs during the altercation? Is it because their skin color is white, and the victim's skin color was brown, that automatically made the situation "racist"?

What if Chauvin is just an "Equal Opportunity" jerk? And treated all people in his custody with the same callous disregard? Would we have even been made aware of his treatment of Mr. George Floyd, if he had been white? Shrug, just another criminal who was causing trouble.

If there is a trial, expect more marches.

Take a look at this article. The precinct DC worked in has a history.

Minneapolis' Third Precinct served as 'playground' for renegade cops

 

[mickey2942]

Take a look at this article. The precinct DC worked in has a history.

Minneapolis' Third Precinct served as 'playground' for renegade cops

Yes, I read the article. Has anyone here read the "Prey" series of books by John Sandford? The main character is a police officer who works for the Minneapolis Police Department. It gives another perspective on "police brutality".

That being said, I would like to see what evidence will be presented that Chauvin is a racist. Believe me, I am not, in any way, shape or form defending the outrageous actions of Chauvin and his buddies. There is zero justification for his behavior. He killed a man, for no reason at all.

And based on his history of infractions, the ones that were even reported, he should have been out of there years ago. Supervision needs to be reviewed.

 

[Boxer]

Yes, I read the article. Has anyone here read the "Prey" series of books by John Sandford? The main character is a police officer who works for the Minneapolis Police Department. It gives another perspective on "police brutality".

That being said, I would like to see what evidence will be presented that Chauvin is a racist. Believe me, I am not, in any way, shape or form defending the outrageous actions of Chauvin and his **** buddies. There is zero justification for his behavior. He killed a man, for no reason at all.

And based on his history of infractions, the ones that were even reported, he should have been out of there years ago. Supervision needs to be reviewed.

Floyd's death comes in a series of incidents ending in killings that would not have ended in killing without race.
Atatiana Jefferson for one.

 

[Only4Justice]

severely snipped by me to answer this question only.

As a person who has been in recovery from various substances for about 13 years, the quick answer is: YES.

I've been plagued by a fairly high baseline anxiety since, well, forever. I sought out substances to treat what was, at times, overwhelming and irrational anxiety. I wasn't a big fan of "uppers" but if given the opportunity to try speed (in pill form) or coke (powder) I can't recall ever turning that opportunity down. When I ended up feeling worse, I would be left with the question: Why? Why did I do that?
At the time, I couldn't understand it, since feeling paranoid and anxious was the state I was seeking to remedy.

It wasn't until I realized I was an alcoholic that it finally made sense to me. I was looking for ANY way to alter my consciousness. It's a thing with people like me.

I can't express how lucky (blessed?) I was to have never run across heroin, because if I had, I would have fallen in love with it and it would have killed me.

It's difficult for those who have never suffered from substance or alcohol abuse to understand, but that's okay! Thanks for asking the question.

All of the above is IMO and IME (in my experience)

most wonderful post. Thank you

 

[Cubby]

I see it as well. Under the guise of justice, presumed innocence, or "the whole story" many people go back to their original inclinations and start to dismantle Mr. Floyd's behavior as somehow Mr. Floyd was responsible for the actions that he could not control. Mr. Floyd was imperfect absolutely. Intoxicated/high or not, what happened during those 8 minutes and 42 seconds was murder, plain and simple, no amount of looking at his past criminal history or his BAC on the day he died should take away from it. However, for many, Mr. Floyd's behavior will mitigate the guilt of the true aggressors and killers in this situation. He can't get away from his past but the killer cop can because why? It makes me sadder than sad. It becomes victim blaming but is portrayed as telling a truth that needs to be told. It is spoken from my perspective. Now, can we still call the killers "killers" and get justice for a man who was forced to breathe his last breathe under the knee of a cold-blooded killer, under the weight of two accomplices and under the watchful, murderous eye of man who kept the crowd at bay? Or does Mr. Floyd not deserve justice because he did whatever he did earlier that day while vile human beings are justified in doing the most inhumane things are given a pass or lessened responsibility?

I agree with your comments. What I question about anyone who chooses to 'victim blame' is to look at the amount of time the officers were fully in control with zero resistance from Mr. Floyd. Once he was fully under the ex-officers control it was no longer necessary to continue to kneel on his neck, kneel on his back and hold his feet.

No matter which way to Sunday people want to blame Mr. Floyd it still boils down to the length of time he was restrained while posing zero threat. That will be the determining factor here, imo.

 

[Charlot123]

It's not true that when people can't breathe they can't talk. That's exactly what one of the officers said to him while they were mocking him. He died seconds after saying, "mama... please..."

Agree. Eric Garner in 2014 (another positional asphyxia case) was repeating "I can not breathe" and finally, died. From Wiki "With multiple officers pinning him down, Garner repeated the words "I can't breathe" 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk."

 

[Charlot123]

Floyd's death comes in a series of incidents ending in killings that would not have ended in killing without race.
Atatiana Jefferson for one.

You know, Atatiana shouldn't have happened, but that can be tied up to wrong training, raising the generation of "trigger-happy cops", and one has to get to the root of it - when did the training change, what was it due to?

But I am not sure the rookie cop who killed her was a racist, rather, I surmise, he was a man triggered by own fear. That was the situation that absolutely did not need to happen, from that fateful neighbor's call to the way it was handled by the police.

 

[Boxer]

Take a look at this article. The precinct DC worked in has a history.

Minneapolis' Third Precinct served as 'playground' for renegade cops

So the police in this precinct may not be racist per se, but enjoy the power differential and exploit the fact that violence against arrestees was accepted.

 

[drama_farmer]

So the police in this precinct may not be racist per se, but enjoy the power differential and exploit the fact that violence against arrestees was accepted.

You make a very important distinction. In some ways, it's "easier" to believe that there are few bad cops who are racist in their beliefs and actions, but I don't think it's as simple as that. And, IMO, using the word "racist" to put all of the responsibility onto an individual is counter-productive, and puts the emphasis on weeding out the "bad guys" from positions in authority, when the focus should be on the system and community that seems to allow an individual to treat some people like they don't matter. IMO

 

[ilovewings]

I agree with your comments. What I question about anyone who chooses to 'victim blame' is to look at the amount of time the officers were fully in control with zero resistance from Mr. Floyd. Once he was fully under the ex-officers control it was no longer necessary to continue to kneel on his neck, kneel on his back and hold his feet.

No matter which way to Sunday people want to blame Mr. Floyd it still boils down to the length of time he was restrained while posing zero threat. That will be the determining factor here, imo.

I agree with you that the determining factor should be the length of time he was
restrained in a most horrible way-- however, the defense in this case is going to trash
this man-- they will emphasize how large a man he was, that he had drugs in his system
that made him out of control and how officer Chauvin felt he had to keep pressure
on his neck to control him or else Mr Floyd could have endangered his life---get ready
for it-- the defense's goal is to make the jury see Mr Floyd as dangerous and potentiially
out of control- the defense wants the jury to dislike the decedent to get the jury to acquit
or convict Chauvin of manslaughter. it wont be pretty.

 

[TristanP]

I never ever said he deserved to die. I said he was scared of being put back in to prison. And there is nothing wrong with pointing out that he had a record. It was his record that he had earned. FACTS!

It was a record he had earned...and had been lawfully arrested, charges, convicted, sentenced, and served his time for.

My question is why does having a record make any difference at all in this situation?

All it says to me when people bring it up is that they’re looking for a way to justify his murder.

 

[Cubby]

I agree with you that the determining factor should be the length of time he was
restrained in a most horrible way-- however, the defense in this case is going to trash
this man-- they will emphasize how large a man he was, that he had drugs in his system
that made him out of control and how officer Chauvin felt he had to keep pressure
on his neck to control him or else Mr Floyd could have endangered his life---get ready
for it-- the defense's goal is to make the jury see Mr Floyd as dangerous and potentiially
out of control- the defense wants the jury to dislike the decedent to get the jury to acquit
or convict Chauvin of manslaughter. it wont be pretty.

As ugly as the defense attempts to make GF appear, I do not see them overcoming the hurdle of having him under their control and still impeding his breathing for what the jury will see as a very long time.

 

[ilovewings]

As ugly as the defense attempts to make GF appear, I do not see them overcoming the hurdle of having him under their control and still impeding his breathing for what the jury will see as a very long time.

That is my hope too!!

 

[Niner]

Monday, June 8th:
*First Appearance Hearing – (@ 12:45pm CT) - MN – George Floyd (46) (May 25, 2020, Minneapolis, arrested for forgery & killed in police custody) – only for *Derek Michael Chauvin (44) police officer who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes & 46 seconds (& non responsive for 2 minutes & 53 seconds before officer took his knee off his neck; from 8:19pm to 8:27pm his knee was on Floyd’s neck) has been fired (5/26/20) & arrested & charged (5/29/20) with 3rd degree murder & 2nd degree manslaughter. Charges changed (6/3/20) to 2nd degree murder-unintentional-while committing a felony, 3rd degree murder-perpetrating eminently dangerous act & evincing depraved mind & 2nd degree manslaughter-culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk. $500K bond, reset (6/3/20) @ $1M. Ramsey County jail & on 5/31/20 moved to DOC maximum security facility in Oak Park Heights/Hennepin County
5/29/20 Update: Officer Derek Chauvin has been taken into custody by state authorities. Was due in court on Monday, June 1, has been pushed to June 8th. 6/1/20 Update: The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's report released Monday declares the death of George Floyd as a homicide, writing that he died of "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual restraint, and neck compression." The updated report states that George Floyd died from a loss of blood flow due to compression on his neck while being restrained by Minneapolis police & changed to a homicide.
5/31/20 moved to Hennepin County jail & just hours later, he was moved to a department of corrections maximum security facility in Oak Park Heights / Hennepin County.
6/3/20 Update: Charges for Chauvin have been changed to 2nd degree murder-unintentional-while committing a felony, 3rd degree murder-perpetrating eminently dangerous act & evincing depraved mind & 2nd degree manslaughter-culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk. Bond has been changed to $1M.
Other officers: Tou Thao (34), Thomas Kiernan Lane (37), & J. Alexander Kueng (26) were fired (5/26/20) & arrested & charged (6/3/20) & arraigned (6/4/20) with aiding & abetting 2nd degree murder-unintentional-while committing a felony & aiding & abetting 2nd degree manslaughter-culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk. Bond set at $1M for all or $750K with conditions. Hennepin County
Bond Conditions: Follow all instructions of probation; Conditions, other; Contact with probation; Do not ship/transport/possess or receive firearm or ammo; No contact with victim or family; Remain law-abiding; Make all future court appearances; Sign Waiver of Extradition; Post Bail or Bond with No Conditions.
6/3/20 Update: Other officers were arrested & charged with aiding & abetting 2nd degree Murder-unintentional-while committing a felony & aiding & abetting 2nd degree manslaughter-culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk. All have been arrested (6/3/20) & bond set at $1M for all. Arraignment set for 6/4/20 for Thao, Lane & Kueng.
6/4/20 Update: On Wednesday, the three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. If convicted, they potentially face the same penalty as Chauvin: up to 40 years in prison. Earl Gray said his client, former Officer Thomas Lane, had no choice but to follow the instructions of Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s May 25 death. Gray called the case against his client “extremely weak. Gray said Thursday that all Lane did was hold Floyd’s feet so he couldn’t kick, and he underlined that the criminal complaint says Lane asked Chauvin twice if they should roll Floyd over and expressed concern that Floyd might be in delirium. He said Lane performed CPR in the ambulance." “What was my client supposed to do but follow what his training officer said? Is that aiding and abetting a crime?” Gray asked. Judge Paul Scoggin set their next court dates for June 29. Gray said he plans to renew his arguments for lower bail then, saying it could take more than a year for Lane’s case to go to trial. Judge Paul Scoggin sets bond at $1M or $750K with conditions: Follow all instructions of probation; Conditions, other; Contact with probation; Do not ship/transport/possess or receive firearm or ammo; No contact with victim or family; Remain law-abiding; Make all future court appearances; Sign Waiver of Extradition; Post Bail or Bond with No Conditions.

 

[SleuthBee]

I see it as well. Under the guise of justice, presumed innocence, or "the whole story" many people go back to their original inclinations and start to dismantle Mr. Floyd's behavior as somehow Mr. Floyd was responsible for the actions that he could not control. Mr. Floyd was imperfect absolutely. Intoxicated/high or not, what happened during those 8 minutes and 42 seconds was murder, plain and simple, no amount of looking at his past criminal history or his BAC on the day he died should take away from it. However, for many, Mr. Floyd's behavior will mitigate the guilt of the true aggressors and killers in this situation. He can't get away from his past but the killer cop can because why? It makes me sadder than sad. It becomes victim blaming but is portrayed as telling a truth that needs to be told. It is spoken from my perspective. Now, can we still call the killers "killers" and get justice for a man who was forced to breathe his last breathe under the knee of a cold-blooded killer, under the weight of two accomplices and under the watchful, murderous eye of man who kept the crowd at bay? Or does Mr. Floyd not deserve justice because he did whatever he did earlier that day while vile human beings are justified in doing the most inhumane things are given a pass or lessened responsibility?

Regardless of GF's past or the reason for his arrest, there is NO justification for his public execution ... NONE!

 

[SleuthBee]

Yes, I read the article. Has anyone here read the "Prey" series of books by John Sandford? The main character is a police officer who works for the Minneapolis Police Department. It gives another perspective on "police brutality".

That being said, I would like to see what evidence will be presented that Chauvin is a racist. Believe me, I am not, in any way, shape or form defending the outrageous actions of Chauvin and his **** buddies. There is zero justification for his behavior. He killed a man, for no reason at all.

And based on his history of infractions, the ones that were even reported, he should have been out of there years ago. Supervision needs to be reviewed.

"Prey" sounds like an interesting read.

I think we will see a severing in the brotherhood from Chauvin - he is a disgrace to anyone with integrity. I hope the citizens he abused through the years come forth to share their experience (now that they will be heard).