ANOTHER ERIC GARNER?

‘Completely And Utterly Messed Up’: Video Of Fatal Arrest Shows MPD Officer Kneeling On Man’s Neck For At Least 7 Minutes

CBS Minnesota
May 26, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS -- The FBI has been called to investigate after a man died Monday night in south Minneapolis after an encounter with police.

In a statement early Tuesday, police described what happened as a medical incident. However, a video posted on social media shows an officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for at least seven minutes. Before he goes unconscious, the man, who is black and unarmed, repeatedly tells officers he can’t breathe.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alluded to the graphic footage, saying: “I believe what I saw, and what I saw was wrong at every level.”

The mayor added: “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.

According to police, officers responded shortly after 8 p.m. Monday to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South, where a man was reportedly trying to use forged documents at Cup Foods.

At the scene, police found the man, who appeared to be in his 40s and intoxicated, in a blue car. Officers told him to get out. Their body cameras were running.

“After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” police spokesman John Elder told reporters early Tuesday. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and officers noticed that the man was going into medical distress.”

An ambulance brought the man to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died shortly after, police say.

The attorney representing the family identified the man as George Floyd.

“We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”

The video posted to social media shows an encounter between Minneapolis police and Floyd outside Cup Foods. In the nine-minute video, an officer can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck at the side of a squad car. Floyd can be heard groaning and repeatedly telling police he can’t breathe.

“He’s not even resisting arrest right now, bro,” one bystander tells the officer and his partner. “You’re fucking stopping his breathing right now, you think that’s cool?”

After about five minutes, Floyd appears to go unconscious. The bystanders ask for someone to check his pulse. The officer does not lift his knee from Floyd’s neck until medical personnel arrive a few minutes later and carry him to an ambulance.

At the Tuesday morning press conference with the mayor, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo did not address the video specifically, but did say that he received information from the community that prompted him to reach out to the FBI.

The investigation is now being led by federal authorities. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also involved.

The two Minneapolis officers who responded to the incident are on “relieved of duty status,” the police chief said. This is different from the typical administrative leave, but is still paid with no law enforcement duties.

At least one protest is planned for Tuesday night at the scene of the incident. It is being organized by a number of local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP, Communities Against Police Brutality, and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities.

The mayor urged protesters to remain mindful of COVID-19 while demonstrating.

Frey also expressed his condolences to Floyd’s family and the black community.

“He should not have died,” the mayor said.

Across the Mississippi River, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter tweeted Tuesday about the video, calling it “one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I’ve ever seen.” He called for both officers to be held fully accountable.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz also issued statements, calling for immediate action.

“There must be a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred,” Klobuchar said, “and those involved in this incident must be held accountable.”

The governor said the lack of humanity in the video was “sickening.”

“We will get answers,” he said, “and seek justice.”

UPDATE: On Monday the Minneapolis police pleaded with the public not to rush to judgement. On Tuesday they fired the four officers involved in the arrest. I suspect that because of these racially combustible times, the four are facing criminal charges.

The question is: Would there have been an uproar and would the officers have been fired had the victim been white? My answer: Maybe, but probably not.