George Floyd (1973-2020)

 

The killing of George Floyd, happening as it did during a global pandemic that had millions of people shut in their homes, showcased the worst fears and spotlighted long-standing complaints of Black and Brown citizens about their treatment at the hands of law enforcement.  #ICan’tBreathe became a national cry of outrage during protests, a phrase that was also used by Eric Garner (2014), Elijah McClain (2019), Manuel Ellis (2020) and Edward Bronstein (2020), before their deaths during interactions with police.  

Chauvin’s blatant disregard for the sanctity of Floyd’s life ignited national and international protests that lasted for months, often under the banner of #BlackLivesMatter, which gained renewed traction in the aftermath of the murder. Renewed calls for significant reform in police training, increased oversight and accountability, and resource reallocation to improve public safety were among the many demands for change. 

In the weeks and months after the incident, multiple perspectives regarding the killing emerged in public discourse. One perspective, held primarily by activists, asserted that the officers’ actions that day were evidence of systemic failures of policing in the United States. 

Another perspective, most often articulated by police union officials such as Executive Director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, Jim Pasco, sought to prioritize officer safety. 

Yet a third view focused singularly on the actions of Chauvin, acknowledging that they were excessive, but arguing they were not widely practiced by police. A group of fourteen MPD officers, for instance, banded together to write a letter saying that Chauvin “failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life,” and explicitly stating, “This is not who we are.”  The Minneapolis Police Union also made a number of public statements justifying Chauvin’s dismissal, but nevertheless complained that rank and file officers were being scapegoated for the actions of a small number of bad actors.  

In the shadow of the trials of the officers responsible for the death of George Floyd, the subsequent police killings of Daunte Wright and Amir Locke refocused attention on Minnesota policing while continuing to fuel the national dialogue for the need for substantive reform.

Digging Deeper

Family & Community Voices

Questions to Consider

  • Derek Chauvin and his fellow officers were ultimately found guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights. In your mind, what, if anything, distinguishes the actions of the officers in this case from the other cases presented on the I Fear for My Life website?

  • What could have been done differently to minimize this tragic encounter?  What protocol could be put in place to prevent such encounters in the future?

  • Historically, law enforcement has justified the use of compliance holds (i.e., chokeholds and knees to neck and back) to protect officers and the public from disruptive suspects. In what situations do you believe officers are justified in the application of such force? Given the heightened risk and potentially deadly outcomes of such tactics, should these holds be banned altogether from future use?

  • The initial police report of the encounter that led to George Floyd’s death mischaracterized the incident in ways that negated police culpability and responsibility for Floyd’s death. In several cases, cell phone video has provided information that challenges official statements from law enforcement. In addition to cell phones, what innovations, policy or procedural changes could be implemented to ensure full and accurate reporting by officers? 

  • What innovations, policy or procedural changes can be implemented to provide the public with sufficient access to information about deadly encounters such as these? How does this both protect officers and the public? Would these changes be sufficient to foster trust and accountability between police and communities of color?