ACC Matters

 Tuesday May 25, 2021 

 Today marks the anniversary of the death of Mr George Floyd.

Mr Floyd was a 46 year-old black man who suffered a cardiac arrest while being restrained by Minneapolis police. His cause of death was listed as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression".

The Minneapolis police said they were responding to a call from a store clerk about a man trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill. When they arrived outside the store Cup Foods, an unarmed man appeared to be intoxicated and matching the description they had been given.  

Mr Floyd was asked to get out of his car, and Minneapolis police said he "physically resisted officers" after he stepped out of the vehicle. Mr Floyd was handcuffed, pinned to the ground and a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

A video showing the white police officer continuing to kneel for 9 minutes and 29 seconds on Mr Floyd's neck even after he pleaded that he could not breathe was shared on social media. 

The footage permitted America and the rest of the world to witness the horror that had unfolded. The shock dredged deep-seated anger over police killings of black Americans and ignited protests which spilled from city to cities across the US, quickly spreading around the world.

Initial peaceful demonstrations which culminated into violent once took place in the US. In Belgium, protesters defaced symbols of Belgian King Leopold II, who colonised the Democratic Republic of Congo. Under Leopold II's rule, millions of Congolese people were killed. In the UK, demonstrators tore down a statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader in the 17th century. In Germany, some of the largest protests outside the US took place, demanding a reckoning with its own colonial past and its stance on racism in the country.

A critical mass witnessed 'something that is wrong'.

Mr Floyd's death sparked a resounding national and international public outcry in multiple layers, says David Elcott, a professor at the New York University specialising in community building and social movements.

"One reason is cumulative. In enough places around the country," he says, "there were enough circumstances that seemed suspect that a critical mass began to see that something is fundamentally wrong."

A jury swiftly and unanimously convicted Derek Chauvin, the ex Minneapolis police officer of second- and third-degree murder, and manslaughter.

President Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Jill Biden, the first lady, called members of the Floyd family moments after the verdict, according to video posted by Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the Floyd family. Biden told the family: “Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.” He added: “We’re all so relieved.”

Source: Catherine Lankes, March 2021 – DW; The Guardian 20 Apr 2021; BBC News 16 July 2020

Credit: Mr George Floyd's illustration courtesy of Shirien Damra