Photographs by Sara Norseng
George Floyd March
“I can’t breathe.”
Those words, spoken by George Floyd and captured in a harrowing bystander video, have propelled Minneapolis to the top of the national news. On Tuesday the Cities, and the nation, struggled with another episode of an unarmed African American man killed in police custody. The incident, with its echoes of Eric Garner’s death in a police chokehold six years ago, and the shooting of Philando Castile, has already sparked large protests in south Minneapolis, four officer firings, and intense public scrutiny. As rain fell by the end of the night, reports described officers using tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets on protestors.
The widely circulated video, shot outside the Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin planting his knee on George Floyd’s neck, pinning the 46-year-old to the street for at least seven minutes. Meanwhile, another officer, Tou Thao, stands by idly. Over the course of the video, a crowd gathers and tries to intervene. "They're gonna kill me, man," Floyd gasps.
As he calls out to his dead mother and begs for his life, he appears to lose consciousness and life. Chauvin doesn’t lift his knee until the paramedics come to carry away Floyd’s immobile body.
On Monday evening, MPD gave an initial spin on the events leading up to Floyd’s death: that Floyd had died from a “medical incident” during his arrest on suspicion of a non-violent charge involving a counterfeit bill. Meanwhile, the witness video on Facebook showed a drastically different version of events, and spread widely online throughout Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, the bystander video had been viewed 1.1 million times on the platform. A video obtained and released by The Washington Post captured the moments before the police incident and the killing. A Kare 11 reporter found a report that says Floyd did not have a pulse when he was brought to an ambulance.
George Floyd’s life came into focus as news stories began to memorialize him. Originally from Houston, Floyd came to Minneapolis for a fresh start, with an interest in training to become a truck driver. He worked security for Conga Latina Bistro, a dance and social spot in Northeast. WCCO interviews with Floyd’s friends and coworkers describe a friendly, spiritual man who stood up for other people.
According to the Star Tribune, Floyd was called a “gentle giant” and nicknamed “Big Floyd.” “Watching this video makes tears come out, my body is full of emotions, of questions without answer,” Jovanni Thunstrom, his boss at Conga, wrote in a passionate note about Floyd on Facebook.
Chauvin, the officer kneeling on Floyd, was involved in two different shootings over his 19 years with the department, as reported by the Star Tribune. In 2011, WCCO reports, Chauvin was one of five officers involved in a shooting in Little Earth. The other officer seen in the video, Tou Thao, has been sued for excessive use of force while on duty.
There were two other officers at the scene. On Tuesday, the department fired all four police officers. It was announced afterward that Chauvin would be represented by the attorney Tom Kelly, who also defended St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez in the police shooting of Philando Castile. (Yanez was acquitted in 2017.)
The ACLU-MN denounced the MPD in a post online. “Even in places like Minneapolis, where chokeholds are technically banned, Black men are targeted by the police for low-level offenses and are subjected to unreasonable, unnecessary violence. Make no mistake: George Floyd should be alive today. For police to call his death a ‘medical incident’ is an insult,” said ACLU policing policy advisor Paige Fernandez. The FBI, in addition to Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, will investigate the incident.
Despite the coronavirus, and a forecast of thunderstorms, a protest gathered in south Minneapolis on Tuesday. Organizers encouraged protestors to wear face masks and remain six feet apart. The scene outside the Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago swelled with thousands of people in mourning and anger. Social media spread images accounts of the march against police brutality.
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By nightfall, protestors made their way to the 3rd Precinct, where dozens of police stood guard in riot gear. Some smashed squad cars, while police threw flash grenades. As the rain came down, police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and rubber bullets. Protestors made barricades from Target shopping carts.
All this, during a pandemic. The protest formed in a largely African American and Latinx neighborhood—communities that are more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. The question lingered whether the protest could harm the community it organized to protect.
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The morning after Floyd’s death, as more eyes turned to the video, a torrent of criticism rose across the Cities and the rest of the country.
At a press conference with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday afternoon, Minneapolis chief of police Medaria Arradondo said, "When Mayor Frey appointed me as chief of the Minneapolis police department, I was very steadfast and strong on what our department vision, values and culture change would be moving forward. One of those pillars is sanctity of life. We know there are inherent dangers in the profession of policing but the vast majority of the work we do never require the use of force."
By midday Tuesday, Floyd’s family had retained the high-profile attorney Benjamin Crump, who previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice. In a media statement, Crump said, “How many ‘while black’ deaths will it take until the racial profiling and undervaluing of black lives by police finally ends?”
Mayor Frey condemned the officers involved at the press conference. “Being Black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said. “When you hear someone calling for help, you’re supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense. It was traumatic, and it serves as a clear reminder of how far we have to go.”
Mayor Frey has previously expressed support for growing the police department and increasing its funding.
On Wednesday, Mayor Frey called for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to file charges against Chauvin at a press conference. "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" he asked.
In an interview from the April 2020 issue of Mpls.St.Paul, Arradondo discussed the opportunity to change the MPD through hiring. “If we’re truly about transforming the culture, what better opportunity is there but to bring on new people to help instill that new vision?”
ACLU-MN executive director John Gordon called for more immediate reform in the organization’s post: “You can’t watch this appalling video posted by brave eyewitnesses on social media without seeing police officers’ callous disregard for a Black man’s life, and you can’t help but conclude that yet another tragic death was both needless and preventable.”
Gordon continued: “The community needs a comprehensive review and the reform of police practices and policies. The officers involved—not just the perpetrator, but also those who stood by and did nothing—must be held accountable.”
“We will get answers and seek justice,” Gov. Tim Walz said.
“It is sickening to watch this black man be killed while helplessly begging for help. Black lives matter isn’t just a chant, it’s a call for justice. It’s a call for our humanity to be recognized. This must stop,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents the district where Floyd’s death took place.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also weighed in. “George Floyd mattered. Somebody loved him. His life was important. It had value,” he said. “He lost it yesterday in an encounter with law enforcement that once again raises pain and trauma for so many people.”
Minneapolis City Council vice president Andrea Jenkins, who was already planning a summer safety strategy for the neighborhood, stated, "My heart is breaking for the tragic loss of life last night near 38th and Chicago. Our community continues to be traumatized again, and again and again. We must demand answers, I have spoken with the mayor and have a call in to the chief. I vow to be as transparent and forthright with the community.”
It didn’t take long for the story to become the top hashtag across social. Activists, athletes, and celebrities began to share George Floyd’s name.
The story of police brutality has boiled over—again—in Minneapolis. We’ll be hearing and repeating George Floyd’s name in the days, weeks, and months to come.
We will update this post as new information develops.
