Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder for killing 46-year-old George Floyd during an arrest. The state’s bureau of criminal apprehension took Chauvin, who worked for the force for nearly 20 years, into custody on Friday after video emerged of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he repeatedly said “I can’t breathe.”
- Third-degree murder likely isn’t the only charge Chauvin will face. According to Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman, George Floyd’s murder is still under investigation and it’s possible that more charges will be filed in the near future. “We are in the process of continuing to review the evidence. There may be additional charges later,” Freeman said, as per The Guardian.
- Chauvin’s behavior went beyond excessive force and was a deliberate act. George Floyd’s death was avoidable and it was murder, end of story. According to the state charging documents, video of the incident showed that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes in total, including an additional two minutes and 43 seconds after Floyd stopped being responsive. If that’s not intent to kill, I don’t know what is.
- George Floyd’s family wants more. While they’re happy that Chauvin is beginning to face justice for his actions, they are hoping that the charges will be revised to first-degree murder. “[The arrest of] Derek Chauvin for the brutal killing of George Floyd is a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice,” the family said in a statement. “We expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested.”
- The people of Minneapolis are still rioting. While many have condemned those protesting for what they believe is inciting violence, the truth is that what’s happening now is a direct result of hundreds of years of not just oppression but outright harm towards the black community. “The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and spilling out on to streets across [the country],” The Floyds’ family statement continued. This is about so much more than George Floyd’s murder.
- Here’s hoping every single person involved in Floyd’s murder are held responsible. It won’t bring George Floyd back but it would be a very small step towards healing and proof that perhaps there is truly justice somewhere in this world.
