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George Floyd: Police Brutality or Racial Discrimination?
"Officer, I can't breathe. Please, officer, I can't breathe. Please, Don't Kill Me" - These were the last words of a 46-years old African-American Man named George Floyd who was choked to death by Minneapolis State Police on 25th May 2020.
On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrested for counterfeiting a $20 Bill at a local store for buying cigarettes. The store owner then and there called the police and Floyd was arrested. Initially, Minneapolis Police explained that Floyd resisted his arrest but according to some media personnel and evidence from the security cameras around, Floyd did not resist his arrest. Later on, Police took him to the other side of the road and then, happened the worst incident which no one has ever imagined.
Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds straight, without even moving his knee for a second. Some passerby recorded the footage on their mobile cameras and when some tried to resist the officer from doing that, other officers present there, prevented from doing anything. The complaint filed by Floyd's family indicates that Floyd became unresponsive after 2 minutes and 57 seconds. On the very next day, all four policemen involved with this incident were fired.
Chauvin was charged with Third-Degree Murder and Second-Degree Manslaughter on May 29th. When Chauvin's wife came to know about this incident, she immediately filed for divorce and left him. Hennepin County Attorney Michael O. Freeman exclaimed that Chauvin anticipated all the charges to be brought against him to the other three officers present at the scene.
Apart from Derek Chauvin, other officers involved with this incident were Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng. All four were fired on May 26th after the video of Geroge Floyd's Killing circulated on social media.
On May 26th, a peaceful protest was organized but later on, it turned into a violent one. Stores were looted, Patrolling car windows were damaged, some also had a fist-fight with the police who fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets. Federal Bureau of Investigation is conduction a federal civil rights investigation along with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. On May 29th, Derek Chauvin was the first Police officer who was charged with the killing of a black civilian. Later, a morphed poster of Chauvin captioned "Make Whites Great Again" circulated across social media which made the situation out of control. For the first time in history, The White House's Lights were turned off and President Trump had to take shelter in the Bunker of The White House.
When Trump's Opinion was asked about this incident, he alleged the incident to take place under the leadership of "Professional Anarchist" and anti-fascist group "Antifa". Singer-Songwriter Taylor Swift tweeted by saying "We will Throw you out This November" to Donald Trump. Former President Barack Obama, who himself was the first Black President in American History, tweeted "The protests represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system. We should condemn the few who resort to violence-not the overwhelming majority who deserve our respect and support."
This incident of Floyd's Killing has been compared to the killing of Eric Graner in 2014, who was chokehold by New York State Police during an arrest in Staten Island, New York. It has been a topic of discussion for decades that America is somehow practicing Racial Discrimination or not. Floyd's Killing has turned the tables once again in the United States. Presidential Elections are in November and in this time of COVID-19 crisis, America is going through tough times and still screaming that "Black Lives Matter".
