Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post tells it like it is.
Evidence presented this week in Derek Chauvin’s trial on charges that he murdered George Floyd showed a national audience how the former Minneapolis police officer saw his alleged victim: as a dangerous, “sizable” Black man who had to be controlled, subdued and forced to submit. The message Chauvin sent with his actions wasn’t intended for Floyd alone, and it’s one Black Americans have heard for centuries.
Chauvin didn’t see Floyd as a citizen suspected of a minor, nonviolent crime or as the gentle “mama’s boy” Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Ross, described. To Chauvin and the other officers, Floyd was guilty from the start — guilty of inhabiting an imposing Black male body, a circumstance that has always been a punishable offense in this country.
For me, McMillian’s Wednesday testimony was the most heartbreaking so far — and, sadly, the least surprising. At 61, he has lived long enough to know all about the criminalization of Black manhood. He cried on the witness stand as he described feeling “helpless” while Floyd — pinned to the ground, with Chauvin’s knee on his neck — cried out for his late mother. “I don’t have a mama either,” McMillian said. “I understand him.”
After the May 25, 2020, encounter was over, and Floyd’s limp and apparently lifeless body had been taken away by paramedics, McMillian is heard on bystander video bravely confronting Chauvin about his actions. Chauvin’s response says everything about the lens through which he saw Floyd: “We’ve got to control this guy because he’s a sizable guy. Looks like he’s probably on something.”
Think about the fact that Chauvin and the other officers thought they had to “control” Floyd in the first place. And think about how they initiated their encounter with him.
Police body-camera footage played Wednesday at the trial shows that one of the other then-officers, Thomas Lane, was the first to interact with Floyd. Lane rapped with his flashlight on the driver’s-side window of Floyd’s car, apparently startling Floyd, who opened the door slightly and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Lane’s immediate reaction was to draw his service weapon, point it at Floyd and shout: “Get your fucking hands up right now!”
At that moment, both of Floyd’s hands were near the steering wheel, clearly visible to the officers. It is obvious on the video that he was neither holding nor reaching for any kind of weapon. Yet he suddenly found himself looking down the barrel of a policeman’s gun.
Laura Too just sent me a note with a link to the fundraiser for the 9-year-old girl who testified yesterday.
You may know Laura as Schlemazel’s niece, and you may know from last summer that Laura lives in the neighborhood where George Floyd was murdered. The fundraiser for Judeah Reynolds was put together by a small team of community volunteers.
Jerzy Russian
Thanks for the pointer to this essay.
You are missing an “e” in niece.
Roger Moore
I understand where Robinson is coming from, but I don’t think that’s the whole story, or even the most important story, in this specific case. Floyd and Chauvin knew each other well, and there’s plenty of evidence of animosity between them at their work. That seems like it was most likely to be the driving motivation, not some generic fear of black men.
debbie
@Roger Moore:
Or both.
Benw
May the senseless death of George Floyd bring positive change to our world.
Laura Too
Watergirl, thank you so much! And thanks to everyone on here for getting that it is Derek Chauvin on trial and not George Floyd. Even if you can’t give anything to Ms. Reynolds please view the link and both watch the news clip and read her story. She is 9…I can’t imagine the bravery. I can only aspire to be as courageous in the face of my little life.
Laura Too
@Jerzy Russian: I am nice…
burnspbesq
Another perspective.
https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/04/the-myth-of-the-supernegro-comes-to-derek-chauvins-defense/
Lawyers for white cops have used this defense from time immemorial. Far too often, it works.
Amir Khalid
The more I learn about the circumstances of George Floyd, the angrier I feel about it. Chauvin and his fellow officers ignored Floyd’s pleas for mercy. They dismissed the pleas of horrified and outraged onlookers for Floyd’s life. They kept away the off-duty firefighter/EMT who wanted to help Floyd. When EMTs who were on duty showed up, Chauvin had to be told to take his knee off Floyd’s neck.
I understand the judge can choose to elevate the charge against Chauvin to the most serious degree of murder. I think he should.
WaterGirl
@Jerzy Russian: Not anymore I’m not. :-)
Jerzy Russian
@Laura Too: Yes, that is self-evident.
debbie
@Amir Khalid:
They call them “pigs” for a reason. ?
UncleEbeneezer
For all the CA residents here:
If you are as outraged, horrified and disgusted by the trial of Derek Chauvin, as most of us are, here’s something you can do to help avoid more tragic killings by police. Support CA AB-26, the George Floyd Act which would require a duty to intervene, for all police officers. We need to get the bill through appropriations so please spread the word and reach out to other progressive people/orgs you know in the following Assembly Districts, to pressure they’re Assemblymembers to support the bill:
D-80: Chula Vista Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez
D-05: Madera, June Lake, S. Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes Assemblymember Frank Bigelow
D-18: Oakland Assemblymember Frank Bonta (I think there is a new person now)
D-57: San Gabriel Valley Assemblymember Lisa Calderon
D-51: Eagle Rock, Highland Park Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo
D-49: Alhambra, Temple City, Monterrey Park Assemblymember Ed Chau
D-01: N. Lake Tahoe Assemblymember Megan Dahle D-34: Bakersfield Assemblymember Laurie Davies
D-45: Encino, Northridge, Reseda Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel
D-56: Imperial Valley, Indio Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia
D-10: Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Marin/Sonoma County Assemblymember Marc Levine
D-20: Fremont, Alameda County Assemblymember Bill Quirk
D-30: Monterey County Assemblymember Robert Rivas You can find the contact information for each member here:
https://apro.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff
“If AB 26 becomes law, police officers would be required to intercede when witnessing excessive force under the updated guidelines and report the incident in real time to dispatch or the watch commander. Failure to intercede by a police officer would make them an accessory to any crime committed by an offending officer. The officer’s due process will be protected as the employing agency would review evidence and determine if the offending officer met the standard for intervention. Retaliation against officers that report violations of law or regulation of another officer to a supervisor would be prohibited.”
Jerzy Russian
@WaterGirl: I haven’t had a TV in years. Is buying a vowel still a thing?
rattlemullet
The sad unvarnished truth is that Americans have acquiesced due process to give police the sole authority of being judge, jury and executioner.This is especially true when it come to blacks, Native Americans, people of color, and the poor. Until the police and citizens understand the simple truth of the fact that a misdemeanor in this country does not carry the death sentence to be delivered by an officer of the law and that no law enforcement officer has the right to execute anyone for a misdemeanor. Over the entire history of the United States it has been conducting a war via the police against blacks, Native Americans, people of color, and the poor since its inception. Everything is the same, nothing has changed.
debbie
@burnspbesq:
I call bullshit on 140 pounds.
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer:
How very sad that this has to be legislated. It should all be true right now. If you don’t stop Chauvin, you are also responsible.
Steeplejack
In over a year of coverage, I have never seen any expert on police procedure explain how kneeling on a person’s neck for nine minutes is a better “control” technique than, say, handcuffing them and putting them in the back of a patrol car. I hope this gets explained during the trial.
WaterGirl
@Jerzy Russian: I have no idea. That may have been the gameshow host that died? In any case, I didn’t have to buy one; I had simply misplaced it.
jonas
@Roger Moore: I’ve read that they had worked security at the same bar for a time or something a few years ago and might have been acquainted with one another. Is there any evidence that during the incident that Chauvin acknowledges knowing Floyd personally, e.g. calling him by his first name or something?
zhena gogolia
@Amir Khalid:
Judging by the way he talked to the firefighter, I’m not expecting that from this judge.
debbie
@jonas:
One of yesterday’s witnesses confirmed that. Floyd supervised Chauvin, but they didn’t get along.
Laura Too
@rattlemullet:Until the police and citizens understand the simple truth of the fact that a misdemeanor in this country does not carry the death sentence to be delivered by an officer of the law and that no law enforcement officer has the right to execute anyone for a misdemeanor. Should read Until the police and citizens understand the simple truth of the fact that a misdemeanor in this country does not carry the death sentence to be delivered by an officer of the law and that no law enforcement officer has the right to execute anyone.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Very sad indeed. “Protect and Serve” is really just a tentative suggestion, in US policing, not an actual requirement.
MagdaInBlack
@Laura Too: I understand Minneapolis has spent a lot of money fortifying the precincts and government buildings.
Laura Too
Minneapolis PD has been an occupying force for the 22 years I’ve lived here. Third precinct was where they put the worst of the worst of thumpers. Chauvin was a trainer.
Jerzy Russian
@rattlemullet: I often tell people something along the lines of “I have no opinion on whether breaking and entering should be a capital offense, but if it is going to be one, clearly code it into the law and apply it uniformly to everyone, including your son who, along with some of his frat brothers, broke into the school library as part of a prank…” The misdemeanor crime can be changed to suit the conversation. Sometimes this makes people stop and think, which is the best one can hope for these days.
WaterGirl
@debbie:
I’m sure Chauvin thought George Floyd was an uppity black man.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too:
Oh my god.
Laura Too
@MagdaInBlack: Yes, around 30 million by the time they are done with razor wire & reinforcements. Maddening because the R’s in the lege don’t want to help pay for it despite the fact that if it weren’t for the Twin Cities the rest of the state would be broke.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: He was training the night he killed Mr. Floyd.
Jerzy Russian
@WaterGirl: I am glad you did not have to spend extra cash for that vowel. If it comes down to it, I have plenty of letters to spare in case you need some. My MacBook Pro’s keyboard has this thing where several letters can be printed with just one stoke (it does not always occur, but it is happening more and more often).
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: That makes me want to bang my head against the wall. It’s so wrong. On a hundred different levels.
WaterGirl
@Jerzy Russian: On the plus side, that’s a known issue with the MacBook Pro, and if you laptop is still under warranty, they should be able to replace the part at no charge.
edit: It’s really bad when one of the keys that does that is a letter in your password. Ask me how I know.
Ken
@WaterGirl: It’s Wheel of Fortune, which is still on, and still hosted by Pat Sajak with Vanna White turning the letters.
WaterGirl
@Ken: They must both be older than dirt at this point.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: Yes. I’m hoping that some changes come from this.
Ken
@WaterGirl: Yeah, and unlike most game show hosts, when I see them I wonder if they really thought their lives would become this. Terrible of me, perhaps they’re both happy, or at least content, with their careers.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: I watched a great LIVE podcast event today from Lawfare:
“Reforming Civil Settlements for Police Misconduct”
I don’t know if it’s available to the general public or not, but it was really excellent.
schrodingers_cat
@Laura Too: I don’t know what this means. Trainer and training for what?
karen marie
@Roger Moore: Got a citation for that? I’d read early on that they had “worked together,” then that was revised to “worked at the same place but had no interaction.”
Felanius Kootea
@schrodingers_cat: He was training new police officers the day he murdered George Floyd. I think that was part of the problem – he wanted to teach them not to yield to pressure from a crowd.
raven
@schrodingers_cat: Probably the officers with him.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Timill
@WaterGirl: Pat Sajak: 74. Vanna White: 64.
Per Wikipedia
debbie
@schrodingers_cat:
He was training the other three cops.
WaterGirl
@Ken: I guess it depends on what kind of people they are.
Some people work to live, others live to work. If they are the former, they may have fabulous lives, without ever a worry about money.
Laura Too
@Felanius Kootea: Thanks for clarifying. That is correct.
WaterGirl
@karen marie: I had read the same thing as Roger Moore, but it was months ago and I have no citation.
WaterGirl
@Timill: Well, back when I told my dad that he wouldn’t be old until he was 30, I would have thought that was older than dirt, for sure.
raven
@Laura Too: Threw in a little in your name.
noncarborundum
WaterGirl, the “show full post on front page” link doesn’t work for me. It’s just this post; on other posts the link works fine. Maybe because it’s inside the text box?
I’m running Firefox 87.0 (64-bit) on an HP laptop with WIndows 10 Home, version 1909.
Laura Too
@WaterGirl: something needs to change. “According to a database compiled by MPR News, before Friday Minneapolis had already paid out more than $44 million in police misconduct settlements since 2003. The new $27million dollar settlement in Floyd’s death raises that total to $71 million over the past two decades.Mar 12, 2021
WaterGirl
@noncarborundum: Yeah, I caught that as soon as I added the MORE command, realized I couldn’t break up the block quote, then decided it didn’t matter since it was just text, and forgot to remove it.
I took it out just now so at least “show full post…” won’t show up anymore. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Ken
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Odd, I don’t remember Gaetz
confessingdenying that he paid or drugged the women, or used campaign funds.Laura Too
@raven: Thank you. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.
debbie
@karen marie:
One of the witnesses from Wednesday testified about that.
WaterGirl
@Laura Too: Yep. And NONE of it comes from the police budget, so there are no fucking consequences for the police who are murdering people.
The interview was really interesting, talking about some options for changing that.
Amir Khalid
@Ken:
They’re making good money at a not very challenging job. And they’re pop-culture icons just for lasting so long. They’re fine.
Sister Golden Bear
From a working cop — who adores the Fourth Amendment, refers to civilians as “neighbors,” and who’s extremely critical of police brutality:
He’s the author of this op-ed from last year, “I’m a cop. I won’t fight a ‘war’ on crime the way I fought the war on terror.”
WaterGirl
@Sister Golden Bear: Thanks for linking to that.
I will read it in the morning.
WaterGirl
@Sister Golden Bear: How lovely. As I was saving that file so I can read it tomorrow, I saw this at the top of the page.
It never fucking ends, does it? We have to change this.
Citizen Alan
@Ken: Sajak is still on WoF and is a god-damned fascist. So is Chuck Woolery. What is it about fucking game show hosts, anyway? Are they all evil?
Gin & Tonic
@Sister Golden Bear: I’d be curious to trace the etymological history of “civilian” in the US, since under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions it means someone who is not a member of the armed forces. In the US it seems to mean ( and dictionaries define it as) someone who is not a member of the armed forces or police. I think this is very dangerous. Police officers should be civilians.
Don K
@Ken: Oh hell, the money is deposited in their accounts at the end of the month. As Liberace is reputed to have said, “I cry all the way to the bank.”
Mary G
@Sister Golden Bear: I love Patrick Skinner, plus he has lots of pets.
schrodingers_cat
Thanks @raven, @debbie, @FelaniusKootea
RSA
@Jerzy Russian:
On my ancient MacBook (replaced in January) the shift key was unreliable. And because my passwords tend to have uppercase letters, I’d have to hit the caps lock key for those, just to be sure. Painful.
Jeffro
If anyone’s wondering or guessing, Fox News dot com has up as its 2nd story, “Dark Past Detailed: Floyd’s Girlfriend Gives Emotional Testimony About Drug Use, Relationship”
so, you know, they’re not really grieving over there…
Kattails
@Jerzy Russian: @WaterGirl: For those who may remember Car Talk on NPR, the bit on “Vowels to Bosnia”. I had forgotten how infectious Tom’s laugh was.
Martin
@Jerzy Russian: Apple will replace the keyboard for free. Bring it into the store.
cain
@UncleEbeneezer:
There should be very stiff fines if the cameras are turned off and I mean personal fines to the officer as well. Up to $50k.
Raoul Paste
I just saw an update to the Matt Gaetz story and all I can say is OMFG. He would do well to flee the country
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: I believe Apple will replace it even if it’s out of warranty, that’s a known defect in the butterfly keyboard.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Raoul Paste: Remember when Jerry Springer paid a hooker with checks? Welcome to the 21st century
Ken
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The fools! Do they not know that is what Bitcoin is for?
Keith P.
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I wouldn’t be surprised if all of this was arranged out of a pizza parlor…because projection.
NotMax
Cuteness intermission as palliative.
;)
Ken
@Keith P.: I’m leaning toward the theory that the Cheneys are pulling the strings.
It was suggested in the BJ comments last night IIRC.
pat
@Roger Moore:
I
I remember reading that some place and I wonder why it has not been mentioned in the many hours I have see coverage on MSNBC.
dmsilev
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: My favorite part of that story:
Now taking bets on who or what ‘the love of his life’ is. His Twitter feed? His reflection in the mirror?
pat
@Roger Moore:
so this is what I was referring to.
dmsilev
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Can confirm: I had the keyboard on my 2016 machine replaced for free a few weeks before the lockdown started last year, so well out of warranty. No hassle, just brought it into the store, showed the worst-performing key, picked the thing up a week or so later.
Patricia Kayden
NotMax
@dmsilev
See downstairs for the SATSQ.
:)
dmsilev
@Patricia Kayden: Rule #1: All hula hoops must be properly secured after every photography session.
jonas
@Citizen Alan: I don’t think it’s about them being game show hosts per se, it’s that they’re old, rich white men around whom a show has been built (see too Bob Barker) giving them a sense of self-entitlement that can be measured from Jupiter — they’re basically Ron Burgundy: tailor made for Trump who, not coincidentally, was a narcissistic, sexist ass with his own long-running game show.
Kattails
My favorite comment somewhere about Gaetz: Has no one told him he has the right to remain silent?
It would be bad enough if he had not presented himself as such a sanctimonious prick. Apparently one of the charges carries a mandatory 10-year sentence if convicted.
@Laura Too: The problem with the gun culture in this county is that ammosexuals are convinced that any infraction against them personally might as well carry an automatic death penalty without benefit of trial. You cut in front of me in line? You dis me? You deserve killing. If only it were confined to the cops, we would be a lot more likely to deal with it. A very good read on this is Jim Wright’s posts on the gun culture, “Bang Bang Crazy, Part 10”.
Ken
Rules to help himself err? It’s like he’s challenging us to a competition.
Let me toss one out: “Pay for the hookers with credit card or electronic funds, never cash.”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
jonas
Sounds like those old Hollywood interviews with Liberace…
karen marie
@WaterGirl: Yes, I had read the same thing but subsequently it came out that they in fact had no working relationship, they merely worked at the same club at the same time.
karen marie
@WaterGirl: Yes, I had read the same thing but subsequently it came out that they in fact had no working relationship, they merely worked at the same club at the same time.
Felanius Kootea
On a different topic, can someone explain to me after 2008 how Bill Hwang, who was barred from running hedge funds because of an insider trading scandal, was able to get billions of dollars in loans for a new “family office” margin call disaster?
Why is it that regulators can never seem to anticipate these kinds of problems?
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Only the best people!
Keith P.
@Ken: If so, I’m impressed
jonas
@debbie:
Hmm. Well that of course complicates things. Can the prosecution play this as Chauvin having an axe to grind and wanting to deliver some payback in some way? Or does the defense run with the idea that because they had some bad blood, Chauvin had reason to fear Floyd would try to injure him if he let him up? I wonder if the judge ends up telling the jury to disregard anything related to that testimony.
dmsilev
Let us take a moment to pity poor Matt Gertz. Not been a good week for him.
jonas
The best one I’ve seen is: “Gaetz is like the guy answering the door for police investigating his wife’s disappearance and tells them ‘he has no idea, but he hasn’t been in the basement for years.’ “
Villago Delenda Est
Everyone knows that escaped fieldhands need to be ruthlessly subdued. Why, it’s just science!
Kattails
@jonas: Chauvin’s trial for tax evasion awaits the resolution of this one. At the time, I wondered whether this was murder, that Floyd knew about the tax issues and the money Chauvin and his wife had far in excess of a policeman’s salary. That Chauvin saw the opportunity to kill Floyd and make it look entirely legal. Pure speculation but not that unreasonable. I’ve watched the entire video of the killing and the coldness on that cop’s face was horrifying.
jonas
Did you ever see The Big Short? The regulators are the former perpetrators for the most part. And vice-versa.
Villago Delenda Est
@Gin & Tonic: As far as this veteran is concerned, all cops, even those who once served in the armed forces, are civilians.
Felanius Kootea
@jonas: I read the book. Legalized gambling is most of what I got out of it, but I freely admit that I don’t fully understand finance or the variety of instruments investment banks use. Good thing then that I’m not an investment banker. The problem, as I recall from the book, is that the banks didn’t understand their new instruments either.
Jerzy Russian
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks to all for the suggestion. I should make an appointment for an off day, since I cannot be without the computer for longer than 1 day.
Felanius Kootea
@Kattails: Oh wow. I knew they worked together but didn’t get the sense that they were close enough that Floyd would understand Chauvin’s tax liability. I remember reading conflicting stories about how they knew each other from working at the club and other stories about how they really didn’t know each other well because Floyd worked inside and got along with clients and Chauvin worked outside and didn’t really get along with clients.
Wapiti
Sort of late to the thread. Robinson, in the cited article, says (Chauvin) showed a national audience how the former Minneapolis police officer saw his alleged victim: as a dangerous, “sizable” Black man who had to be controlled, subdued and forced to submit.
I believe that Chauvin was simply narrating to his body camera that Floyd was dangerous. He was covering for his actions; he had already (I believe) decided to kill the man. I don’t think we have any evidence that the officer saw his alleged victim as dangerous.
jonas
@Felanius Kootea: Banks, bank regulators, and the ratings agencies were basically joined in one big circle jerk. It’s also what allowed Bernie Madoff to get away with his scheme as long as he did. If regulators and perpetrators are all on the same cocktail party circuit, things get complicated when the time comes to call someone out.
Kattails
@Felanius Kootea: I have no idea, it’s pure speculation on my part, but it would be a damned easy fit to any story narrative
Completely unrelated to anything, I just saw that right now four women of color are commanding US Naval warships at the same time.
Patricia Kayden
Martin
@Patricia Kayden:
Gee, I wonder why.
Wonder how many of them are wondering how many naked photos of 17 year olds they’ve seen on the House floor.
Yutsano
@Patricia Kayden: Major is the bestest boy. Gaetz is…not.
debbie
@Villago Delenda Est:
Don’t forget about the push to militarize the police. We now have veteran civilians—or maybe civilian veterans. //
cain
@Martin:
They better lawyer up – cuz if they didnt’ report it then they are deep shit.
cain
@Yutsano:
More like Gaetz is looking for a bestest boy. Son of a bitch should go to jail.
Sister Golden Bear
@Gin & Tonic: Absolutely agree police officers should be civilians. I’m sure referring to non-police officers predates the militarization of police over the last decade or two, but definitely reflects the “warriors vs. them” mindset.
Which is why Skinner explicitly uses “neighbors” instead and is trying get his colleagues to do so too. FWIW, when he was a beat cop he regularly handed “tactical caring kits” to the people on his beat who needed them (and got the other cops to do so as well). He’s a mensch.
@Mary G: Love him too, just hoping Mean Cat doesn’t off him in his sleep.
MaryinMinnie
Thank you for posting the link to the fundraiser.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Yutsano:
As someone much wittier than I said, Biden has a minor Major problem and Gaetz has a major minor problem.
sukabi
@Ken: Pulling the strings on what? The leak of the investigations or the witnesses coming forward? Gaetz has all but admitted several pieces of this, he’s not being framed….
NorthLeft12
I have asked this before, but exactly what crime did Mr. Floyd commit?
Have the police claimed he was part of a counterfeiting ring? Or that he did this on his own?
Personally, I would believe that Mr. Floyd was a victim in this case as he was passed a fake bill at some time.
Maybe that is a sign of my privilege that I would expect the benefit of the doubt from the police in this case. Privilege and consideration that Mr. Floyd did not get.
Uncle Cosmo
@cain: In the spirit of The Professionals:
:^D