The controversial death of George Floyd that has sparked Black Lives Matter “protests” across the country is now understood in greater context thanks to the leak of police bodycam video footage of his arrest. Mysteries and questions surrounding the reasoning for Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death should get laid to rest soon.
Derrick Chauvin, the officer charged in the death of Mr. Floyd, is probably somewhere breathing a big sigh of relief. Because malicious intent on his behalf doesn’t appear to present itself in the tape. The “knee-on-neck” technique was on the books and perfectly legal in Minneapolis at the time of Floyd’s arrest. And the controversial maneuver does not appear to have unnecessary force applied to it from the camera angle in the video.
How Did This All Unfold?
Floyd was driving a black SUV with two passengers. A male on the passenger’s side and a female in the back seat. Officers questioned the passengers with no problems whatsoever. They fully cooperated. As a matter of fact, the woman in the back seat told one of the on-scene officers that George Floyd has problems, especially when the arresting officer pulled the gun on Floyd after he initially refused to listen to commands. The same woman is most likely the female voice on tape heard telling Floyd that he “can’t win” and “stop resisting!”
The officers who were present with Chauvin and participated in the arrest of Mr. Floyd have already been vindicated legally, but not so much socially. Countless social media “campaigns” have called for their arrests. One of the officers got harassed at a supermarket in an online video. Feelings towards the officers involved should change after today’s bodycam footage release.
Domino Effect
The real culprit in the death of George Floyd was most likely the methamphetamine and fentanyl that George Floyd had in his system. If he were not on drugs, then he probably would not have resisted arrest. The counterfeit bill that the store owner said Floyd tried to pay for goods wouldn’t have netted Floyd any real time in jail, let alone the penitentiary unless he was on probation or parole. He could have simply cooperated and got into the squad car like the police requested. But the drugs contributed to Floyd making a different, and very costly, decision.
SOURCES:
Police bodycam footage shows George Floyd arrest in detail | Daily Mail Online
Daily Mail leaks bodycam footage of George Floyd arrest, killing – StarTribune.com
New body cam video shows George Floyd begging cops not to shoot
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