Time and time again, we see injustice.
by Stephen Port
Murder is murder, regardless of who deals the blow. The charge of forgery, on behalf of a seemingly fake $20 bill (or check, depending on the source) spent at a deli, should have never resulted in the death of George Floyd.
No matter how many times the lesson is learned, the police system in place always seems to make the same disastrous mistakes. The death of George Floyd, while under police custody, seemed like a repeat of the same scenario, played out time and time before. The sentence handed down by the officer did not fit the crime whatsoever. Likewise, this incident and the resulting riots have only divided the nation more in times where unity is needed.
It was a simple day for 46-year-old George Floyd, who went on his way to the Cup Foods store on Chicago Avenue South, roughly around 8 p.m. for some food.
Floyd, a commercial driver and restaurant bouncer, who had moved to Minneapolis to start fresh, was an apparent suspect of a forgery in progress due to a counterfeit $20 bill — ultimately a nonviolent offense.
As seen in the video, Floyd was begging the officer to get off from his neck, and he was screaming calling for help. The officer holding him down is Derek Chauvin, a white policeman known to have 10 prior conduct complaints on his record — he never faced disciplinary action for any.
No matter what Floyd said, the officer would not move, and after mere minutes of struggling, he eventually stopped moving and talking.
The police called EMTs at 8:30 p.m. and it took them only six minutes to arrive, according to Hennepin County Healthcare EMS Chief Marty Scheerer.
Medical officials reportedly spent an hour trying to revive Floyd, but he was ultimately pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m.
Of course, as all police-related incidents are, they initially tried to cover the blatant murder as a “medical episode while struggling with officers,” but the video was seen by millions, and the lie could not hold.
The officers involved were fired from their jobs, but the family of Floyd were noted in saying that they want justice for their gentle giant.
Many people have come out in support of George Floyd’s family, and what initially started as peaceful protest led to riots in the streets. While the Floyd family encourages peaceful protests in order to bring recognition to the issue, they believe that “looting and violence distract from the strength of our collective voice.”
Public officials have also tuned in and voiced their objections on the matter. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was shocked by the incident, calling it “sickening” in a recent Twitter post.
President Trump was also very saddened, as one of his officials noted that “He was very upset by it. It was egregious. Appalling. Tragic. And it prompted him to pick up the phone, or the chief of staff to pick up the phone and say we need to expedite what was already an FBI investigation,”
Recently, President Trump sent the National Guard in to stop the violence, as well as demanding an expedited investigation into the incident.
Lebron James took to Instagram to express his disgust with this terrible act.
While reporting on the riots, CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, black hispanic, and his team were arrested, while CNN journalist Josh Campbell, white, and his team were not. While this action was quickly rectified with the release of Jimenez, some believe this act was another racially profiling act on behalf of the police in Minneapolis, going so far as to say that it was
unconstitutional.
It is a shame that the American people have to deal with the threat of death by police on a daily basis, some more than others. The police are supposed to protect and serve the public. But while one officer was killing an innocent man, the blue wall of silence was up for others. This will continue to happen if archaic prejudices and ways of thinking are not taken into account and fixed. The American people should be able to trust their officers, but when they work more as mercenaries that protect and serves themselves, there will never be any. Our prayers go out to the families of all those involved with violent actions.
This story will be updated as more information comes in.
All opinions expressed within the contents of this article reflect the views and values of the author, not Politics NOW.
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