You saw the video that surfaced late on Monday night. Officer Derek Chauvin killed an unarmed black man when he applied all of his body weight on his knee as he gorged it into a handcuffed man’s neck.
As the man laid on the ground, he pleaded over and over again that he could not breathe to no avail. Instead of helping the man, Chauvin and his partner Tou Thao let the life of George Floyd slip away with no concern or remorse. By the way, they were so defiant that they did this murder in front of an entire audience of people standing on the sidewalks as they filmed the tragic incident.
Floyd didn’t have a weapon. Floyd didn’t appear to be a threat. Now, George Floyd is gone. He was 46 years old. Another black man dying at the hands of police. Another black man dying because there is no mercy for the black American.
But, this time is different. Immediately, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made a public apology to the black community.
“Being black in America should not be a death sentence,” Frey said. “What we saw is horrible, completely and utterly messed up.”
The four Minneapolis police officers involved were terminated from their positions. The case is being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension who will determine if the victim’s constitutional rights were violated.
But, again, the citizens of America, which includes all races, genders and ages, are sick and tired of the same old story. The people of Minneapolis took to the streets to express their disdain for police. The streets were crowded with people holding signs, protesting and playing music of substance to deliver the message to police that enough is enough.
At one point, police tried to harness the crowd, but the people erupted in anger throwing rocks and pounding on their squad cars. Hundreds of protestors surrounded the Minneapolis Police Department ready for a face off.
Shaun King posted one of the videos showing the rage of the people.
“No. I won’t call for people in Minneapolis to stop this,” King said. “This is a natural human response to a man being lynched in broad daylight in the middle of the street as he begged for relief of ANY kind, telling them he couldn’t breathe…Arresting and even convicting is fine. That needs to happen, but we need this police violence and white supremacist violence to stop. Period. This isn’t what I prefer. I prefer peace. But we won’t be peaceful while you literally have your knee on our back.”
